Laser engraving is a fast and efficient way to create highly customizable and personalized products. Laser etching glass produces a sleek, frosted effect that looks great on all kinds of glass items. You can laser etch wine glasses, mugs, vases, wine bottles, and so much more. Wineries breweries, distilleries, and custom glass companies often take advantage of laser engraving systems to engrave custom logos on their products. Bottles that already have liquid in them, like wine, can also be etched because as the laser gets hot, the heat doesn’t build up easily.
With a diode laser engraver you can use a variety of laser processing techniques on flat materials including mirrors or window glass, round workpieces such as wine glasses or champagne flutes, and even bottles and other cylinder objects. Inexpensive, cast glasses adapt well to laser technology because they typically offer a lower lead content as well as a more homogeneous structure. Expensive, hand-blow glass or crystal glasses may have stresses in the material that are aggravated by the laser beam heat while engraving, which can result in fractures in the material.
You can also laser process mirror glass using a fiber laser system by removing only the reflective layer on the back. This will cause the surface to remain smooth and the glass itself to not be engraved.
With the advancements in laser engraving technology, such as the rotary axis, it's even possible to work on curved glass surfaces such as bottles and drinking glasses.
The non-contact nature of laser engraving offers several advantages over traditional glass engraving techniques like sandblasting and CNC engraving.
However, the reflective nature of glass can present various challenges that you need to be vary of.