Techniques Beneficial for Making Signs

Producing creative, attractive and informative signage with your laser engraver can be completed in a number of ways, depending on variables such as the materials being used and the price your customer is willing to pay. This page will showcase some examples of the various individual laser processing techniques that can be used to create signs.

Efficient sign making with simple engravings

The fastest and most efficient way to produce signs is by ablating the top layer of your materials to expose the carrier layer through a simple engraving process. In the doctor’s sign comparison below, we used TroGlass Reverse on the left and backfilled in black and then TroLase Metallic on the right. Even further below, we created another comparison example using solid wood on the left and anodized aluminum on the right.

parking sign made out of anodized aluminum and trolase ada

One material – various color combinations:
Simple engraving on consumable materials

Laminate materials come in a wide range of multi-layer color and texture combinations that are well suited for laser processing. You can locate additional information on laser engraving and laser cutting laminates in the Applications section of our website.

Dark and light engraving effects:
Laser processing wood with simple engravings

Wood is the perfect material for producing high-quality laser engraved and laser cut signs. Light and dark engraving effects can be achieved through the use of various parameter settings, and our grayscale matrix is available to assist you with locating the proper parameters for your specific application.

comparison of sign made out of troglass and trolase

Outdoor signage:
Easy engraving on anodized aluminum

Anodized aluminum is compatible with both fiber and CO₂ laser sources, and can be laser engraved and laser marked efficiently and with precision for both indoor and outdoor applications.

Combining materials to create beautiful 3D effects

Combining more than one type of material together in a singular sign will allow for a variety of values to be generated using the same graphic. Ultimately, this will create beautiful 3D effects and enhance your signage applications, as well as your materials are laser processed quickly and require little to no post-processing.

Simple applications enhanced with laser engraving

Using accent colors to create dimension

A plain laser engraved sign can be further enhanced by adding and gluing color accents, for example, TroLase ADA and other materials. In doing so, this enables you to use multiple colors in one sign to create beautiful and multi-dimensional 3D effects.

comparison of sign made out of wood and anodized aluminum

Anneal marking with a fiber laser system

Some signage applications work well by using a fiber laser, depending on the specific requirements of your customer. You can create high-end and expensive looking signs by annealing engraving on metal. Please note: processing thin stainless steel plates (approximately 1 mm in depth) can bulge or warp from the applied head during the annealing process, therefore, we recommending avoiding larger areas.

Multi-layer signs

Combining multiple layers of different materials can achieve a complex and appealing appearance for your signs. When creating such applications, using glue to piece together each layer will allow the individual elements to be staggered and dimensional but create a unified look. Our samples to the left showcase the many possibilities and 3D effects that one can produce.

To simplify processing and boost production speeds of multi-layered signs, using materials with double-sided adhesive film is recommended. It is important to ensure that the adhesive materials are not exposed below the base layer. If you cannot use materials with adhesive backing included, we recommend purchasing adhesive tapes and other adhesive agents compatible with your specific material, and applying them manually.

Step-by-step tutorials to assist you with creating multi-layered signs can be located here:

DIY Laser Sample