Fiber & MOPA · head to head

Fiber vs CO2 for Metal

Marking metal: why 1064nm fiber owns bare stainless and brass, where CO2 + marking spray fits, and the coated-metal routes any machine can run.

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Side A

Fiber / MOPA

1064nm pulsed

See Fiber / MOPA picks

Side B

CO2 + spray

10,600nm + bonding agent

See CO2 + spray picks

Spec-for-spec

Spec	Fiber / MOPA	CO2 + spray
Bare stainless/brass	Native — engrave, anneal, color (MOPA)	Only via marking spray/paste per part
Mark permanence	In the metal; survives abrasion	Bonded surface layer
Per-part consumables	None	Spray cost + prep time each part
Speed on metal	Galvo — thousands of mm/s	Gantry speeds
Beyond metal	Metal-only in practice	Full organics catalog
Coated shortcuts	Also excellent	Poor on coatings

Specs standardized from published manufacturer data and consistent owner reports — we don’t operate a lab.

The verdict

If bare-metal goods are the product, fiber is not the upgrade — it is the machine. Native 1064nm marking needs no consumables, runs at galvo speeds, and on a MOPA source adds anneal blacks and color no spray can imitate.

The CO2-plus-spray route is a legitimate bridge for occasional metal jobs inside an organics business — just cost the spray and prep into every part. And remember the third path: anodized and powder-coated blanks mark on an ordinary diode, which is where most metal product lines actually start.

See Fiber / MOPA picks See CO2 + spray picks

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