MOPA colour laser marking on stainless & anodised metals
Most fibre lasers can only burn metal one colour — black, or a metallic grey. A MOPA (Master Oscillator Power Amplifier) fibre laser is different: by varying pulse duration in nanoseconds, it can produce a controlled oxide layer on stainless steel and titanium in a usable palette of blues, purples, golds, greens, reds and bronzes. No ink, no coating — the colour is the metal's own oxide, fused into the surface.
Cobblestone Creative runs MOPA colour marking from our Leith workshop. It's a service almost no-one else in Scotland offers — and one of the things distilleries, jewellers, hospitality brands and corporate-gift buyers come to us for.
What MOPA colour marking is good for
- Branded stainless plates with full-colour logos
- Colour bottle plaques for distilleries and breweries
- Personalised gifts — pens, flasks, knives, watch backs
- Award plaques and trophies with brand-accurate colour
- Industrial nameplates that need to survive cleaning, abrasion and UV
- Limited-edition product runs with colour serial numbering
Materials we colour-mark
- Stainless steel — best colour range. 304 and 316 both work well.
- Titanium — vivid blues and purples; grade 2 is ideal.
- Anodised aluminium — controlled-depth white marks on coloured anodise (different mechanism, same machine).
- Materials we can't colour: mild steel, brass, copper, untreated aluminium.
What the colour actually is
The laser heats the metal to a temperature where the oxide layer thickens by a specific amount. The thickness of that oxide determines what colour you see — it's interference, the same principle that makes a soap bubble iridescent. Because the colour comes from the metal itself, it doesn't fade, scratch off, or react to UV.
Colour reproducibility is good but not perfect: different metal batches and surface finishes shift the palette slightly, so we always run a test piece on the same batch of material before a production run. That tightens the match.
Capability and constraints
- Bed area: 175 x 175 mm
- Maximum part height: our equipment can be positioned on any height of item that fits in our workshop.
- Resolution: down to 0.05 mm detail
- Colour count per piece: unlimited, but adds time per colour
- Run sizes: 1 to several thousand. Larger batches: ask for production rate.
- Typical lead time: [lead time] working days from artwork sign-off
Files we need
Send vector artwork (SVG, AI, PDF, EPS) with each colour as a separate layer or path group. If you have Pantone references, send them — we can match approximate Pantone values during the test run. Raster images can be converted but lose fidelity; vector is always preferred.
Pricing
Single test pieces start at £50. Small batches (10–50 pieces) typically work out at from £2.50/piece depending on size and colour count. Larger runs get a per-piece rate after a setup fee. Quote in 24 hours from a file.
Worth knowing
Because MOPA colour is rare, agencies and buyers often ask whether the colour is durable. Short answer: yes — it survives commercial dishwasher cycles, alcohol cleaning, outdoor weather, and normal handling. It will eventually wear from extreme mechanical abrasion (think drag racing or daily knife sharpening on the marked face) — but for normal use it's permanent.
Get a test piece
The fastest way to see if MOPA suits your project is to send us a sample piece of your material — or a piece of stainless we can supply — and your artwork. We'll mark it and post it back within a week. £50 for a test piece, credited against the production order if you go ahead.
Email enquiries@cobblestonecreative.co.uk with your artwork and material.