Laser engraving - custom parts, delivered the day you order.*
99.3% quality record. If we get it wrong, we'll re-make and re-ship for free.
"I am so impressed with @Ponoko Fantastic company!! Great customer service, lightning shipping and beautiful work"
"We see this as the beginning of something huge"
Ponoko offers laser engraving services for a wide range of materials. We offer laser engraving for two tone plastics for high contrast graphics, transparent plastics for edge lighting, and even metals. If you need to engrave your logo on a metal plate for the machine you’re building, or some part marking text for your product packaging, you’ve come to the right place.
You design, we laser engrave: Ponoko provides the materials needed for the engraving process, allowing you to send in designs, and have your data plate, control panel, or faceplate both laser cut in the exact shape you require and laser engraved to have the features you need in the highest detail possible.
Ponoko’s laser engraving services are available for anything from a single unit to a mass production lot purchase. So whether you need a single engraved sign or a batch of laser engraved enclosures, Ponoko has you covered!
What is laser engraving?
Engraving is a method for placing a patterned design onto the surface of a material by cutting a very shallow layer. Such a pattern can be any design conceivable, but unlike printed designs, engraving is monochromatic meaning that it can only be two colors; the surface of the material or a slightly darker shade caused by shadowing in the engraved lines. To achieve engraving with a laser cutter, the laser beam is either reduced in intensity, or the laser beam is moved across the material extremely fast. Both methods will result in an incomplete cut into the material, and the use of computer-controlled machinery helps to achieve a highly precise engraving depth.Why use laser engraving?
The first major advantage to using laser engraving is that the resulting design is virtually impossible to remove as it is simply an absence of material. A printed design, however, can be scratched off or painted over making it far less durable. The second major advantage of laser engraving is that the engraving process is easily repeatable. As the design is etched into a surface using a computer-controlled laser beam sending the same numeric commands will produce an almost identical engraving every single time. The third advantage to laser cutting is that the engraving process can often be done in the same machine that cuts. This effectively removes the need for operators to handle parts through multiple production processes, and it also produces engravings that are precisely placed on workpieces. The fourth advantage to laser cutting is that engraving is mass production friendly meaning that it is easily scaled. An engraved design is transcribed from a monochromatic image that can be changed during any time of the production process allowing for unique features such as IDs, corrections, and edits.Will laser engraved parts wear off?
No, engraved features on a part cannot be removed as they are made by removing material to create a height difference. The only way an engraved pattern can be removed is to engrave the entire surface of the material by either extreme sanding or a laser cutter to remove areas that have not to be engraved. However, softer materials such as wood and plastic can have their engraved edges smoothed over time, and thin engraved lines can get debris trapped in them. Generally speaking, engraving is dependent on the underlying strength of the material being engraved.How much does engraving cost?
Pricing for engraving is dependent on your design. Area engraving is performed like an old school printer, with the laser head moving back and forth removing material in very thin lines. As such large areas of engraving can be time consuming and increase pricing quite a bit and a small area of engraving will likely be quick for the laser to perform and therefore make only a small difference to price. The most cost effective way to use area engraving would be for medium sized text for labelling parts.What materials can be engraved?
Because the engraving process is just an incomplete cut, any material offered by Ponoko can be engraved. Some materials such as foam and PETG don’t show engraving well and are better suited to cutting only. Clear acrylic is popular for engraving because it comes out frosty and can be edge lit to create lighting displays. Two color acrylics engrave down to a second color for a contrasting graphic effect making them a good option for engraving also.What applications can engraving be used in?
Engraving can be used for almost any application that does not require graphics with color. One common example of laser engraving is to mark parts with unique IDs that help with part tracking through production lines and supply chains. Another common example of laser engraving is the etching of control panels that are used in an industrial environment. Such a panel can be made using a tough material and provide information that is not easily removed (i.e. motor controls, dial settings, and explanatory text). Engraving can also be used in decorative pieces and works particularly well with wood. Some examples of decorative pieces suitable for engraving include keychains, covers, plaques, awards, and signs.Our precision laser engraving capabilities.
±0.13mm
Dimensional accuracy.
0-0.2mm
Laser kerf.
0.1-19.1mm
Material thickness.
790x384mm
Large parts.
6x6mm
Tiny parts.
1x1mm
Complex features.
200+ laser engraved materials online.
How we deliver custom laser engraved parts, same day from $50 for just 1.
01
Upload your designs online.
Get automated DFM feedback.
02
Select laser engraving materials online.
200+ engineering grade sheets.
03
Get online quote in seconds.
From $50 for just 1 delivered same day.*
93% off for 10,000. Free shipping.
04
Robots produce laser engraved parts.
Quality checked by software & people.
05
Track your orders online.
Same day delivery to Bay Area USA. Same day shipping worldwide. Standard shipping free.
Start from just 1 part, delivered same day. Scale to 10,000 parts, at 93% off.
Our customers are leading their industries.
Health
Bionic exoskeletons
Ekso Bionics
Retail
iOS POS hardware
Aila
AI
Fulfillment systems
Berkshire Grey
IoT
Connectivity devices
Twilio
Prototypes
AI plant monitoring
Bowery Farming
Consumer Electronics
iPhone testing stands
Apple
Homeware
Wall clocks
Decoy Lab
Fashion
Jewelry
Gio Gio Design
Homeware
Lighting
Modern Maine
Space
Internet satellites
Astranis
Aviation
Aircraft
Joby Aviation
Lidar
Autonomous vehicles
Velodyne Lidar
Scientific
Scientific devices
Thermo Fisher
Biotech
Cell therapy systems
Orca Bio
Robotics
Delivery robots
Cyan Robotics
Laser cutting built for startups & enterprises.
Automatic IP protection.
Your online account terms bind us to protect your IP confidentiality, including a Non Disclosure Agreement.
Automated 30-day payment terms.
Upgrade to business terms today . Checkout online tomorrow. Pay in 30 days.
Free standard shipping.
For all USA shipments. Free material sample too.
Live chat with laser technicians.
We’re online Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm PT to assist you design highest quality & lowest cost custom parts.
99.3% precision part quality record.
Standard quality procedure.
Our software, then design inspector, laser operator & quality manager quality check all orders.
Our promise.
If our software, robots, people or suppliers get it wrong, we’ll re-make & re-ship for free. No pesky returns.
We’re passionate about unleashing hardware creativity to advance humanity.
The speed which you were able to have my design cut and shipped was incredibly quick. Everything is dead on for what I had designed and fits flawlessly.
- David Gabel
The pieces are exactly as I wanted them, even the little details are sharp and well done. I ordered the same pieces from different vendors to compare the quality, and yours came out on top, at the best price too. I'm looking forward to ordering from you again.
- Louis Mazet
Just wanted to let you know the chipboards came in yesterday and looked great. Thanks again for your help on this! I'm sure we will be in touch for the next one.
- Monica Rivera
Wow you guys have great prices ... You know I've been getting quotes from shops at like 4-8 times more.
- Ryan LeMere
Our laser cut centerpieces arrived on time, in excellent condition, and were a huge hit at our conference. We were so impressed with the quality and service that, when designing awards for our next event, we immediately thought of Ponoko.
- Wren Dillingham
THANK YOU for the incredible service. I have never experienced customer service like this before!!!
- Taylor Norman
Wow thank you guys for the super LIGHT SPEED processing! :)))
- Astrid Mueller
The website is extremely user friendly with lots of help built right in. The prices are competitive and the test pieces came to my door in immaculate condition.
- Craig Dillon
Everything went simply perfect. From the site to the pricing, from the support to the shipping and the part’s quality. A1! Thanks again and see you soon for other orders!
- Louis Brillon
WOW! Just arrived! Looks GREAT! Thanks so much :) Looking forward to using your service again!
- Erin McLaughlin
Ponoko came to our aid when we were looking for something that people wouldn’t merely look at then throw out in a swag bag at a very large conference. We ended up making leather bookmarks to promote a new released product, and though the end result was beautiful, the service was the best part.
- Jenn Contois
Wow - serious customer service! Really appreciate it!!
- David Gluck
Order laser engraved custom parts from your laptop, delivered same day.*
From $50 for just 1. 93% off for 10,000.
*Same day delivery (or money back) is available for orders using a limited selection of materials, placed by 11am PT Monday - Friday, for 1-100 parts to Bay Area USA locations. Same day shipping (or money back) available to USA & worldwide locations.