UV laser engraving marks materials that heat-based lasers struggle with. Where a CO2 laser cuts and engraves by burning, a UV laser works cold — the beam breaks the surface bond directly rather than melting or scorching it. That means permanent, high-contrast marking with no heat-affected zone, no charring at the edges, and no distortion on thin or heat-sensitive parts.

UV engraving runs from our workshop at Eatons Hill in north Brisbane, alongside our CO2 lasers. Every job is quoted individually.

What we mark

• Acrylic and plastics — crisp marking without the melted, cloudy edge heat leaves behind. Suits control panels, badges, displays and thin components.
• Coated and bare metals — including powder-coated, painted and plated finishes, where the coating is removed cleanly without damaging the substrate beneath.
• Anodised aluminium — the anodised layer ablates to expose the metal underneath, giving very high contrast without cutting into the part.
• Glass — fine surface marking with far less micro-fracturing than heat-based methods, which matters on drinkware and awards.
• Leather — clean marking without the burnt smell and scorched halo a CO2 laser leaves on hide.
• Serial numbers, QR codes and data marking — sequential numbering, barcodes, data matrix codes and asset IDs, marked permanently and legibly at small sizes.

Where UV is the right choice

Choose UV over CO2 when the part is heat-sensitive, when the material would scorch or melt, when you need fine detail at small scale, or when the mark must be permanent and machine-readable. Product marking, compliance and traceability plates, control panel legends, promotional branding and asset identification all sit naturally here.

For everything else — cutting acrylic and timber, engraving drinkware and awards — our laser cutting and laser engraving services are usually the better fit, and we will tell you if that is the case.

Getting a quote

UV engraving is quoted per job rather than sold off the shelf, because the variables that drive cost — material, mark size, quantity and whether numbering is sequential — differ on every project.

Email info@tinkable.com.au or call 0418 873 436, Monday to Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm AEST, with:

• The material and, if relevant, its coating or finish
• What you want marked, and roughly what size
• Quantity, and whether each piece needs a unique number or code
• Any deadline

Quotes are free and there is no minimum order — single pieces and production runs are both fine. Send a sample part if you are unsure whether your material will take a UV mark, and we will test it before you commit.