I have a laser, and have done lots of stuff over the years. Acrylics, corian, and plastics are not really good candidates. The laser will mark them, but you really can't see much. They can be filled with colors and materials like "Rub n' Buff". Woods are great. Brown woods work best. Maple, and Walnut are not quite as good, IMHO. Mesquite is my favorite. Most lasers use two systems of marking which are a little different. Think of the laser as a magnifying glass focused with its most intense pinpoint beam. In "Raster" mode it moves the beam back and forth over the computer programed image and burns the material and the wood is vaporized and exhausted from the machine. The image is cut and burned into the material. In the second mode, "Vector", the outline, and specific lines of the image are burned into the material. Marking pens with names I use a little wooden block to mount the pen into, and then just vector the name into the barrel. Can even be done if the pen is completely finished. To make an image around the barrel, then you need an attachment to the laser which will turn the pen as the image is burned. This attachment is about $1200. Laser machines usually cost between $10K to $20K. Not a business that you will make your investment back at $5 per pen. To make a profit, you will need a lot of business to justify the initial cost. Never complain about the cost of lasering your pens.
Just a quick and concise answer.
Steve
