Fiber Laser Marking Machine | Factory Direct | 30-40% Below Dealer Prices
Last Updated: Jan. 10, 2026 | Reviewed by: [Dawn Huang], Laser Expert | CEO
Hi! I am Dawn. With 10 years of field experience, I specialize in laser cleaning systems—from optical sourcing to automation. I write here to turn complex specs into actionable buying guides.
The Short Answer
A fiber laser marking machine uses a 1064nm wavelength laser to permanently mark metals, plastics, and ceramics. Unlike inkjet or mechanical engraving, the marks won’t fade, wear off, or wash away—ever.
Quick specs:
- Laser source life: 100,000+ hours (that’s 25 years of typical factory use)
- Materials: Stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, copper, ABS, PC, and 40+ others
- Precision: ±0.003mm repeatability—finer than a human hair
- Maintenance: Essentially zero. No gas refills, no mirror alignment, no consumables.
We manufacture these machines in our Chengdu facility and ship direct. No dealers, no middlemen. That’s why our prices run 30-40% below what you’d pay through distributors.
Starting prices: Desktop 20W from $2,499 | Industrial 50W from $4,999
What We Offer
Desktop Fiber Lasers Markers (20W-50W) — From $2,499
These are the workhorses for small shops, jewelry makers, and anyone doing batch marking under 500 pieces/day.
20W handles 80% of what most people need. Stainless steel logos, aluminum serial numbers, plastic part codes—all day long without breaking a sweat.
What it does well:
- Jewelry engraving (rings, pendants, watch backs)
- Serial numbers and date codes
- QR codes and barcodes on metal
- Small batch production
What it struggles with:
- Copper and brass (doable, but slow)
- Deep engraving over 0.5mm
- High-speed production lines
Specs: 110×110mm/300x300mm work area, 8,000mm/s max speed, air-cooled, EzCad2 included.
Industrial Fiber Lasers Markers (100W-200W) — From $5,999
Built for factories. Bigger work areas, faster speeds, designed to run two shifts without complaint.
This is what we sell most of to manufacturing clients. The power handles everything from surface marking to moderate deep engraving (up to 0.5mm on steel).
Real-world applications we’ve shipped these for:
- Automotive supplier in Germany marking brake calipers
- Medical device company in California doing UDI codes on surgical tools
- Aerospace contractor marking titanium turbine components
Specs: 300×300mm work area, 10,000mm/s speed, integration-ready I/O.
MOPA Lasers — Color Marking on Metal
Standard fiber lasers give you shades of gray. MOPA lasers give you colors.
By adjusting pulse width (something standard fibers can’t do), MOPA creates oxide layers of different thicknesses on stainless steel. Result: black, blue, gold, purple, even rainbow gradients.
When you need MOPA:
- Black barcodes on anodized aluminum (standard fiber makes white marks)
- Colored logos on stainless steel products
- High-end product branding where gray isn’t good enough
When you don’t:
- Regular marking, engraving, and coding on metals
- Any plastic marking
- Budget is tight (MOPA runs about 30% more)
MOPA 20W starts at $3,999. MOPA 60W at $5,499.
Flying Online Marking Systems — For Production Lines
Here’s the thing about standalone markers: someone has to load parts, press start, unload, repeat. That’s fine for 200 pieces a day. It’s a bottleneck at 2,000.
Flying laser marking solves this by marking parts while they’re moving on a conveyor. No stopping, no indexing, no operator standing there pressing buttons.
How it works:
An encoder wheel reads conveyor speed in real-time. The software compensates automatically—if the belt speeds up or slows down, the marking adjusts. Parts pass through, get marked, keep moving.
We’ve installed these in factories doing 10,000+ parts per shift. Beverage cans, cable assemblies, PVC pipes, battery cells. Anything that moves on a line.
Tell us your line speed, part spacing, and marking requirements. We’ll spec the right system.
What’s included with flying systems:
- Fiber laser marking head (power of your choice)
- Encoder and mounting bracket
- Industrial stand with height adjustment
- Flying marking software module
- Integration support for conveyor timing
Parameters of Fiber Laser Marking
| Model | MF-20R | MF-30R | MF-50R | MF-100R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wavelength | 1064nm | 1064nm | 1064nm | 1064nm |
| Laser Power | 20W | 30W | 50W | 100W |
| Fiber Cable | 3m | 3m | 3m | 3m |
| Beam Quality | M²＜1.6 | M²＜1.6 | M²＜1.6 | M²＜1.6 |
| Beam Size | 6mm | 6mm | 6mm | 6mm |
| Work-area | 112mm*112mm / 150mm*150mm /300mm*300mm | |||
| Marking Speed | 25000mm/s | 25000mm/s | 25000mm/s | 25000mm/s |
| Minimum Line Width | 10μm | 10μm | 10μm | 10μm |
| Minimum Character | 0.15mm | 0.15mm | 0.15mm | 0.15mm |
| Cooling | Air Cooling | Air Cooling | Air Cooling | Air Cooling |
| Work Temperature | 10-40℃ | 10-40℃ | 10-40℃ | 10-40℃ |
| Storage Temperature | -20℃-50℃ | -20℃-50℃ | -20℃-50℃ | -20℃-50℃ |
| Machine Weight | 100KG | |||
| Machine Size | 60cm*80cm*130cm | |||
| Input Power | 220V 50-60Hz | |||
| Power Consumption | 400W | 500W | 600W | 800W |
| Supported Formats | bmp, jpg, jpeg, gif, tga, png, tif, tiff, ai, plt, dxf, dst, svg, nc, g, gbr | |||
How This Technology Actually Works？
A fiber laser starts with pump diodes that excite ytterbium ions in a special optical fiber. This generates infrared light at 1064nm—a wavelength that metals absorb extremely well.
The beam travels through a fiber cable (no mirrors to align, nothing to go out of adjustment) to a scanning head. Two tiny mirrors controlled by galvanometers steer the beam across your workpiece at up to 12,000mm per second.
When the focused beam hits metal, one of three things happens:
- Engraving — Material vaporizes, leaving a physical groove
- Annealing — Surface oxidizes without removal, creating a color change (usually black)
- Polishing — Micro-melting smooths the surface, creating contrast against brushed finishes
The whole system is solid-state. No gas tubes to refill (like CO2 lasers), no lamp replacements (like YAG lasers), no consumables period.
Fiber vs. CO2 vs. UV: When to Use What
This comes up in almost every sales call, so let me give you the straight answer.
Choose Fiber Laser when:
- Primary material is any metal
- You need deep engraving capability
- Operating costs matter (fiber is cheapest long-term)
- You’re marking hard plastics like ABS, PC, POM
Choose CO2 Laser when:
- Primary materials are wood, leather, acrylic, paper, fabric
- You never need to mark bare metal
- Lower upfront cost is the priority
Choose UV Laser when:
- Working with heat-sensitive materials that can’t tolerate thermal marking
- Marking glass surfaces or doing 3D internal glass engraving
- PCB and microelectronics work requiring zero heat damage
| Spec | Fiber (1064nm) | CO2 (10,600nm) | UV (355nm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Metals, hard plastics | Organics, acrylics | Glass, sensitive plastics |
| Lifespan | 100,000 hrs | 10,000-30,000 hrs | 20,000-30,000 hrs |
| Maintenance | Near zero | Regular | Moderate |
| Metal marking | Excellent | Poor/impossible | Limited |
| Deep engraving | Yes (1mm+) | Surface only | No |
Materials: What Works and What Doesn't
After 9 years and thousands of customer applications, here’s the real-world material guide:
Metals — Where Fiber Lasers Shine
Stainless Steel — Perfect match. High contrast marks, black annealing, color marking with MOPA. We mark surgical instruments, food processing equipment, architectural hardware.
Carbon Steel — Deep engraving works great. Annealing produces that distinctive dark oxide layer for part numbers and logos.
Aluminum — Raw aluminum needs more power than steel (reflective surface). 30W minimum recommended. Anodized aluminum marks beautifully—MOPA gives you true black, standard fiber gives white/light marks.
Titanium — Marks cleanly and can produce attractive color oxidation. Popular for aerospace and medical implants. Biocompatible marking per ASTM F86 for implant applications.
Copper/Brass — Here’s where it gets tricky. High reflectivity and thermal conductivity mean standard fiber lasers struggle. Solutions: use 50W+, use MOPA, or pre-treat with oxidizing agent. We can advise based on your specific application.
Gold/Silver/Platinum — Lower power is actually better here. 20W with careful parameters avoids melting. Jewelry shops use our machines daily for ring engraving and hallmarking.
Plastics — Know Before You Buy
Works Great:
- ABS (the most common engineering plastic—marks with excellent contrast)
- PC/Polycarbonate (electronics housings, safety equipment)
- POM/Delrin (gears, mechanical parts)
- PA/Nylon (industrial components)
- PBT (electrical connectors)
Works With Caveats:
- PVC — Marks well but releases chlorine gas. Mandatory fume extraction.
- PP/PE — Often needs laser-sensitive additives mixed into the plastic during manufacturing
Doesn’t Work:
- Clear/transparent plastics (laser passes through)
- Silicone rubber
- PTFE/Teflon (poor absorption at 1064nm)
Pro tip: If your plastic parts don’t mark well, ask your supplier about laser-compatible masterbatch additives. Many plastic formulations can be modified for excellent fiber laser marking.
Other Materials
Ceramics, coated metals, painted surfaces, some stones—all workable depending on specific chemistry. Send us samples; we’ll test and send you photos and parameters.
Choosing the Right Power Level
This is the question I answer most often. Here’s my honest advice:
The Quick Guide
| Your Application | Minimum Power | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jewelry, small items | 20W | 20W | Adequate power, lowest cost |
| General metal marking | 20W | 30W | 30W gives speed buffer |
| Production marking | 30W | 50W | Time is money in production |
| Deep engraving <0.5mm | 50W | 50W | Physics requirement |
| Deep engraving >0.5mm | 100W | 100W | Physics requirement |
| Copper/brass marking | 50W | 50W MOPA | Reflectivity needs power |
| Color marking on steel | 20W MOPA | 30W MOPA | MOPA technology required |
My Honest Recommendation
If budget isn’t the constraint, buy one level up from minimum. Here’s why:
More power = faster marking. A 30W laser marks roughly 50% faster than 20W on the same job. Over thousands of parts, that’s real production time.
More power = longer effective life. Running a 50W laser at 30W output is easier on the components than running 30W at maximum.
More power = future-proofing. That material you can’t mark today might become a customer request tomorrow.
The $500-1,500 premium for the next power level typically pays for itself within the first year of production use.
Industry Applications
Automotive
VIN marking is the obvious one—every chassis, engine block, and major component needs permanent identification. We’ve shipped machines to tier-1 suppliers marking brake components, fuel injectors, transmission parts.
The automotive industry accounts for roughly 35% of industrial laser marking applications according to Laser Focus World’s annual market report. Makes sense—traceability is legally mandated.
Medical Devices
FDA’s Unique Device Identification (UDI) rule under 21 CFR Part 830 requires permanent marking on most medical devices. Fiber laser meets the requirement for legibility through the device’s lifetime.
We’ve supplied machines for surgical instruments, orthopedic implants, diagnostic equipment, and sterilization containers. Medical clients love that laser marks survive autoclaving and chemical sterilization.
Electronics
PCB marking, chip packages, connectors, cable assemblies. Anywhere you need a tiny data matrix code that survives the product’s lifetime.
The marking needs to be small (often under 3mm), fast (production lines don’t wait), and permanent. Fiber laser checks all three boxes.
Jewelry and Personalization
Different beast entirely. Here it’s about aesthetics and customization, not industrial traceability.
Ring engraving, pendant logos, watch case decoration—the work is delicate and often unique to each piece. Our 20W desktop machines are popular with jewelry shops doing custom work.
Why Buy From Chihalo?
Look, there are dozens of fiber laser suppliers. Here’s why several hundred customers have chosen us:
Factory Direct = Real Savings
We manufacture in our own facility. No distributor markup, no dealer margin, no VAR licensing fee.
Actual price comparison:
| Model | Typical Dealer | Chihalo Direct | Your Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30W Desktop | $4,500-5,500 | $2,999 | $1,500-2,500 (33-45%) |
| 50W Industrial | $7,000-9,000 | $4,999 | $2,000-4,000 (29-44%) |
| 100W Industrial | $12,000-15,000 | $7,999 | $4,000-7,000 (33-47%) |
Actually Certified, Not Just Claiming
Chihalo is a certified National High-Tech Enterprise. This isn't a rubber stamp—it requires: R&D spending above 6% of revenue Documented intellectual property Technical staff comprising 30%+ of workforce Demonstrated innovation record The certification matters because it's verified. Unlike "ISO certified" labels you can buy, NHTE status is audited by government technology bureaus.
We Supply European OEM Brands
Two established European brands source their laser equipment from our facility. Their customers include military contractors, research universities, and government agencies. We don't name them publicly (NDA), but the point is: our quality meets demanding European standards, not just "good enough for export."
Complete Laser Solutions
We're not a one-product company. Our facility also manufactures: Laser cleaning machines — Rust, paint, and coating removal. From $3,499. Handheld laser welders — Metal joining up to 3mm thickness. From $4,999. Customers doing multiple applications get bundled pricing and single-source support.
About Chihalo Factory
Founded in 2016, Chihalo is a preeminent OEM and B2B manufacturer specializing in laser cleaning and marking machines.
With a specialized team of R&D and sales engineers, we are at the cutting edge of laser cleaning technological innovation.
Our global reach extends predominantly to Europe and Latin America, serving a diverse clientele that values quality and customization.
We operate under a dual business model, catering to both B2C and B2B clients with one-to-one professional service.
Our commitment to quality assurance is unwavering, ensuring that each laser equipment meets the industry’s highest standards. Choose Chihalo for a reliable, long-term partnership that offers you a distinct competitive edge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to contact us if you have any question!
Fiber laser marking machines create permanent identification marks on metals and some plastics. Common applications include serial numbers, date codes, barcodes, QR codes, logos, and compliance markings.
Industries using fiber laser marking include automotive (VIN codes, part tracing), medical (FDA-required UDI marks on instruments and implants), aerospace (component identification), electronics (PCB and chip marking), jewelry (custom engraving), and general manufacturing (product traceability and branding).
The marks are created by controlled thermal interaction—either removing material (engraving), changing surface color through oxidation (annealing), or creating surface texture contrast. Unlike ink printing, stamping, or labels, laser marks are permanent and can't be removed without visible damage to the part.
The fundamental difference is wavelength: fiber lasers operate at 1064nm (near-infrared), while CO2 lasers operate at 10,600nm (far-infrared). This matters because different materials absorb different wavelengths.
Metals absorb 1064nm well (35-40% absorption on steel) but reflect 10,600nm almost completely (<5% absorption). That's why fiber lasers excel at metal marking while CO2 lasers cannot mark bare metal.
Conversely, organic materials like wood, leather, and paper absorb 10,600nm efficiently. CO2 lasers are the standard for these materials.
Other practical differences: fiber lasers last 100,000+ hours vs. 10,000-30,000 for CO2 tubes. Fiber requires no gas refills, mirror alignment, or regular maintenance. CO2 requires periodic tube replacement, gas refills, and mirror cleaning.
For metal marking specifically, fiber laser is the clear technology choice. For organic materials, CO2 remains standard. For mixed applications, some facilities operate both types.
Complete fiber laser marking systems range from approximately $2,000 to $20,000+ depending on power level, features, and brand.
Entry-level desktop systems (20W) start around $2,000-3,000. These handle most jewelry and small-part marking applications adequately.
Mid-range desktop systems (30W) run $2,500-4,000 and offer faster marking speeds for production work.
Industrial systems (50W-100W) range from $4,000-15,000 depending on power, work area size, and integration features.
MOPA lasers (required for color marking) command approximately 30% premium over standard fiber lasers of equivalent power.
Factory-direct pricing from manufacturers runs 30-40% below distributor prices for equivalent specifications. A 50W system that costs $8,000 through a dealer typically costs $4,500-5,500 direct from a Chinese manufacturer.
Wattage determines marking speed and maximum depth capability. Higher wattage doesn't necessarily mean "better"—it means "faster" and "capable of deeper engraving."
For surface marking on steel (logos, serial numbers, codes), 20W is technically sufficient but 30W provides meaningful speed improvement.
For production environments where cycle time matters, 50W offers significant speed advantage and handles challenging materials like aluminum more easily.
For deep engraving (0.5mm+) or marking difficult materials like copper/brass, 50W minimum is recommended. For deep engraving beyond 1mm, 100W is the practical choice.
General guidance: if choosing between two power levels, the higher power typically pays for itself through faster production if you're doing any volume work.
Standard fiber lasers have fixed pulse characteristics. MOPA (Master Oscillator Power Amplifier) lasers allow adjustable pulse width and frequency.
This adjustability matters for two specific applications:
First, color marking on stainless steel. By precisely controlling pulse parameters, MOPA creates oxide layers of specific thickness, producing colors from black through gold, blue, purple, and even rainbow effects. Standard fiber lasers cannot achieve these colors.
Second, black marking on anodized aluminum. Standard fiber lasers produce white or light gray marks on anodized aluminum. MOPA produces true black marks—critical for readable barcodes and aesthetics.
For all other applications (general metal marking, engraving, plastic marking), standard fiber lasers work fine and cost less.
If you don't specifically need color marking on stainless or black marks on anodized aluminum, save money and buy standard fiber.
Fiber lasers mark metals and some plastics well. They don't work on most organic materials (wood, leather, paper—use CO2 for these).
Metals with excellent results: stainless steel, carbon steel, titanium, tool steel, aluminum (especially anodized), gold, silver, platinum.
Metals with good results but requiring more power or technique: copper, brass, bronze (high reflectivity reduces efficiency—50W+ or MOPA recommended).
Plastics with good results: ABS, polycarbonate, POM/Delrin, nylon, PBT, many engineering plastics. Results depend on specific formulation; testing recommended.
Materials not suitable: transparent plastics, PTFE, silicone, wood, paper, leather, fabric, glass (UV laser better for glass).
Rule of thumb: if it's metal, fiber laser probably works. If it's plastic, testing determines suitability. If it's organic, use CO2 instead.
Depth depends on power, material, speed, and number of passes.
General guidelines for stainless steel:
- 20W: 0.1-0.2mm practical maximum
- 30W: 0.2-0.3mm practical maximum
- 50W: 0.3-0.5mm practical maximum
- 100W: 1.0-2.0mm practical maximum (with multiple passes)
"Practical maximum" means achievable without excessive time or degraded quality. You can push deeper with more passes, but production efficiency drops dramatically.
For most industrial marking applications (serial numbers, codes, logos), 0.05-0.1mm depth is sufficient. Deep engraving is only necessary for applications requiring physical texture or extreme durability.
Minimal compared to any other laser type.
Routine maintenance consists of keeping the focus lens clean. Depending on environment, this means wiping with lens tissue weekly to monthly. A dusty shop needs more frequent cleaning than a clean room.
No gas refills (unlike CO2). No mirror alignment (the beam travels through sealed fiber, not open-air optics). No tube replacement (solid-state source, not gas tube). No pump maintenance (air-cooled systems have no water circuit).
The laser source itself is a sealed unit rated for 100,000+ hours with no user-serviceable parts. When it eventually loses power decades from now, you replace the entire source module.
Compared to CO2 lasers requiring regular mirror cleaning, tube replacement every few years, and gas refills—fiber laser maintenance is essentially non-existent.
The laser source is rated for 100,000+ hours. Let's put that in perspective:
Running 8 hours/day, 5 days/week, 50 weeks/year = 2,000 hours annually. At that rate, 100,000 hours equals 50 years.
Running 24/7 continuously = 8,760 hours annually. At that rate, 100,000 hours equals 11.4 years of non-stop operation.
In practice, we have machines deployed since 2016 that have never needed laser source service. The bigger question is usually mechanical wear (galvo scanner bearings, cooling fans) and component obsolescence (software, controllers) rather than laser source failure.
Industry data from major fiber laser source manufacturers shows mean time between failures (MTBF) exceeding 100,000 hours, with some field units exceeding 150,000 hours.
Most machines ship with EzCad2, a Windows application developed for galvo-based laser systems. It's functional, free, and adequate for most users.
EzCad2 capabilities: text and font selection, graphic import (DXF, PLT, AI, BMP), barcode and QR code generation, serial number automation, basic variable data from CSV files.
LightBurn is a popular alternative that many users prefer for its modern interface and better graphic handling. It costs approximately $60 for a galvo license. Our machines are LightBurn compatible.
For production integration, EzCad2 supports external triggering, serial communication, and basic automation. More sophisticated integration (database connectivity, vision systems, robot control) may require custom software development or third-party solutions.
Yes, this is a common application. Our industrial models include:
Digital I/O — External start trigger, marking complete signal, interlock inputs
Serial/Ethernet communication — Send marking data and receive status
Rotary axis support — Mark cylindrical parts without separate fixture
Height adjustment — Manual or motorized Z-axis for different part heights
Conveyor compatibility — Marking on moving parts with appropriate timing
For full automation (robotic loading, vision alignment, database integration), we can discuss custom configurations. We've supplied integrated systems to customers ranging from simple conveyor marking stations to complex multi-axis robotic cells.
arranty coverage:
- 2 years on laser source
- 1 year on all other components (galvo, controller, power supply)
- Warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship
What's included:
- Free replacement parts shipped to you (you cover shipping)
- Video call troubleshooting support
- Remote software diagnostics
Support response:
- Email: Typically same-day response (China business hours, GMT+8)
- WhatsApp: Faster for urgent issues
- Video calls: Scheduled as needed for complex troubleshooting
Spare parts:
- Commonly needed parts kept in stock
- Most parts ship within 3 business days
- Extended warranty available at purchase
Limitation: Warranty doesn't cover damage from misuse, improper power supply, or unauthorized modifications. Consumable items (lens, if damaged) are user's responsibility.
Shipping options:
- Sea freight: 25-35 days to US/Europe, most economical
- Air freight: 5-7 days, faster but costs more
Documentation included:
- Commercial invoice
- Packing list
- Certificate of origin
Your responsibilities:
- Import duties and customs clearance in your country
- Customs broker (if needed—many countries allow self-clearance for low-value goods)
Packaging:
- Wood crate with foam protection
- Machines ship fully assembled and tested
- We photograph packing and provide shipping insurance option
We can recommend freight forwarders experienced with laser equipment if you don't have an established import process.