The first time I bought a laser engraver (cutter) for my business, I spent nearly $10,000 on the machine and supplies to get started. While it was totally worth it at the time and I made my money back quickly, if I knew then what I know now, I probably would've made a different decision.

A CO2 laser can engrave stainless steel with a pre-treatment applied, or a fiber laser can also engrave or etch stainless steel. Stainless steel is also suitable for laser annealing. Deep laser engraving is commonly used for marking stainless steel.

For stainless steel, it is recommended to engrave on high power and low speed. It will give you a better contrast. But when you do a power-speed test, you get a complete idea of the power and speed you need to select. Moreover, some laser engravers produce various colors on different power and speed settings.