Laser engraving - Laser cutting leather

Laser engraving leather

Leather is lasered to create a decorative design or patterns which are also known as motifs. With today's technology, image files can be burned into a leather using a laser machine. The laser machine is set to burn the upper layers of the leather so that the surface is dark but not deeply damaged. A laser is mostly used on uncoloured natural leather, but also on pigmented leather. On pigmented leathers, only the upper layer of the paint layer is burned.

To facilitate subsequent colouring of the lasered surface, a film may be glued before the laser, which burns during the laser process. Before the film is peeled off, the leather can then be coloured in the recesses without colouring un-lasered areas.

Laser engraving and laser cutting.

Natural leather lasered (www.leder-speed.de). - Lasered pedigree of the company Posenanski (www.ledermanufaktur.com).

Template -> Pigmented lasered leather. The laser was too deep on the right side.

Lasered pattern on black goatskin by www.capturing-the-essence.com.

Lasered knife sheath and motorcycle saddle of www.ledermanufaktur.com.

There are different laser cutting techniques to write on leather.

Lasered leather motif as a birthday gift (original and lasered) by www.ledermanufaktur.com.

Colourful of www.leder-speed.de.

Under the microscope, the lines of the laser become visible. The upper photo is pigmented leather, below is natural leather without surface colouring.

Laser engraving leather fur

Also, leather with hair and fur can be patterned by laser. This technique is usually applied to cowhide.

Cowhide can be patterned by laser (www.richter-leder.de).

Laser cutting leather

Leather can also be cut with a laser. However, since the laser is a burning process, the leather smells and the soot on the edges of cuts can easily soil. It is therefore always necessary to check if punching or knife or waterjet cutting are better alternatives.