Anodised aluminium engraving — colour-removed & depth-cut
Anodised aluminium is one of laser engraving's perfect materials. The fibre laser vaporises the coloured anodise layer at a controlled depth, exposing the bright aluminium underneath in a crisp white mark — no inks, no fillers, just the colour-removed surface. The result is a high-contrast, dishwasher-safe, UV-stable mark that looks engineered.
Cobblestone Creative engraves anodised aluminium from our Leith workshop for product designers, brand studios, industrial clients and gift brands. There are very few UK suppliers focused on this specific finish — most jobs land with us through specifier referrals.
Anodise colours we engrave
- Black anodise — most popular. Crisp white-on-black mark, instant brand-defining contrast.
- Clear / natural anodise — subtler grey-on-silver mark.
- Coloured anodise — red, blue, gold, green, purple. Mark comes off white.
- Type II vs Type III (hard anodise) — both work; Type III is more abrasion-resistant.
Two mark types
- Colour-removed (surface) — fast, crisp, doesn't damage the underlying metal. Best for logos, branding and serial numbers.
- Depth-cut (sub-surface engrave) — physically removes material. Tactile, accepts infill paint, used where the mark needs to survive aggressive cleaning or wear.
Common uses
- Branded data plates and asset tags for premium hardware
- Product enclosure logos for electronics, audio, lighting
- Engineered keepsakes — bottle openers, money clips, card cases
- Wayfinding plates and architectural signage
- Award plates with corporate logos
- Limited-edition product serialisation
Why anodised takes the laser so well
Bare aluminium reflects the fibre laser too well to mark cleanly — it just bounces the beam off. But the anodise layer absorbs the laser energy, so the beam ablates the coloured oxide while leaving the underlying aluminium untouched. That's why the mark looks so clean: you're not damaging metal, you're erasing a coloured coating with sub-micron precision.
Capability
- Bed area: 175 x 175 mm; rotary for cylindrical parts
- Thickness: any — we mark the surface, not through the material
- Resolution: 0.01 mm, smaller text down to ~0.8 mm tall remains crisp
- Files: SVG, AI, DXF, PDF (vector preferred for crisp edges)
- Run size: single test pieces to several thousand parts per batch
Supplying material
Most clients send us pre-anodised parts. We can also supply blanks in common sizes of black, clear and red anodise — if you need a specific colour or thickness we'll source within a day. For larger runs we coordinate with anodisers directly so finish and colour stay consistent batch to batch.
Pricing
Single test piece from £20. Small batches from £5/piece. Production runs priced per piece on a setup-plus-mark basis. Quote in 24 hours from artwork and a sample part description.
See also our broader fibre laser engraving page.