CO2 vs Fibre Lasers: Which One Does Your Job Need?

CO2 and fibre lasers excel at different materials. Knowing which is which helps you brief the right job and get a clean result.

24 May 20263 min readGlobal3D Team

Need parts made?

Get a quote with your CAD file

Tell us your material, finish, and deadline. We鈥檒l confirm feasibility and quote clearly.

Laser systems are not all the same. The two main types, CO2 and fibre, are suited to very different materials, and using the right one is the difference between a clean cut and a wasted attempt. We run both at Global3D.

What each does best

CO2 lasers excel at non-metals, cutting and engraving timber, acrylic, card, leather and many plastics cleanly. Fibre lasers, on the other hand, are built for marking and engraving metals, producing crisp, permanent results on steel, aluminium and more.

A few coated or specialty materials can be marked by either, but the general rule holds, CO2 for non-metals and fibre for metals.

Getting the right match

Tell us the material and the result you want, whether cutting, deep engraving or a fine surface mark, and we will choose the right laser system for the job.