We run an LS110 fibre laser marker in the same Bidford workshop that builds our flight cases, pit perches and chassis set-up equipment. This page answers the questions we actually get asked about it.
Can I get a flight case laser etched with my team logo?
Yes. Your logo is laser marked onto a metal plate, and that plate is then fixed to the case. Laser marked team branding on our cases is carried on a plate rather than driven into the case panel itself.
That is the honest mechanism and it is worth understanding before you brief a job, because it works in your favour. A marked plate can be any shape we can cut. It can sit on the lid, the front cover, a drawer face or the side of a unit. It can be replaced later without touching the case. Our XL Stanley FatMax / euro crate case, VME-SFM3, already lists optional personalised team logo plaques as a build option for exactly this reason.
Why the mark goes on a plate
Two reasons.
1. On hexaboard cases, fibre and board are the wrong pairing. A fibre laser emits in the near infrared, at around 1064nm. Metals absorb that wavelength efficiently, which is why fibre is the standard tool for marking steel, stainless and anodised aluminium. Timber-cored materials do not. The beam transmits partially into the material rather than being absorbed in a controlled way, heat builds, and the result is charring rather than a clean legible mark. Hexaboard is a phenolic-faced plywood panel, so it is timber cored, and our standard cases are built from 9mm black hexaboard. Firing a fibre marker into that is the wrong process, not a corner we have chosen not to cut. For cutting and shaping board we use the CNC router instead.
2. A plate can be changed. A marked panel cannot. Sponsors change, teams rebrand, and cases get sold on between competitors. A plate comes off and a new one goes on. A mark driven into a structural panel is there for the life of the case.
On our aluminium cases the wavelength point does not apply, aluminium marks well under a fibre laser. There it comes down to the second reason plus simple practicality: a flat plate gets marked on the bench before the case is assembled, which is a great deal easier than presenting a finished box with ball corners, recessed handles and lockable latches to a flatbed marker.
What materials can you laser mark?
Steels and stainless steels are the core of it, and that is what this machine has always been used for here.
| Material | Fibre marking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Steels and stainless steels | Yes | The core of what this machine does here. Stainless is the sensible choice for anything living outdoors in a paddock. |
| Bare and uncoated metals | Yes | Marked directly. Send the material and we will confirm the finish you will get. |
| Anodised aluminium | Yes | Common choice for control panel and label work. |
| Engineering plastics | Yes, with a test first | Result depends on the polymer and any pigment. Send a sample before we commit to your parts. |
| Painted or powder coated surfaces | Ask first | Depends entirely on the coating. Send a sample. |
| Hexaboard, plywood, timber | No | Timber cored, wrong wavelength for a fibre marker. We CNC route these materials instead. |
What is the maximum size you can laser etch?
The marking field is 220 x 220mm, and the machine accepts work pieces up to 500 x 500mm.
Those are two different numbers and they get confused constantly. 500 x 500mm is the largest part we can physically get onto the bed and position. 220 x 220mm is the area the beam covers without the work being repositioned. A plate up to 220mm across is a single pass. Larger pieces, up to the 500 x 500mm limit, are repositioned between passes. If you want branding bigger than a plate can sensibly carry, that is a print or vinyl job rather than a laser job, and we will tell you so rather than sell you the wrong process.
Is laser etching included in the price of a flight case?
Sometimes. It depends on the build, and it is not automatic.
On some bespoke cases the marked plate is part of the agreed specification and is priced into the case. On others it appears as a separate line on the quote. Either way it is priced clearly before you commit to anything.
The practical version: raise branding when you send your brief, not after the spec is signed off. It is faster and cheaper to mark a plate while the case is still in pieces on the bench.
What file formats do you need for artwork?
Vector artwork is what the machine wants. DXF, EPS, AI or a PDF containing live vector paths are all worth sending.
If all you have is a JPEG or a PNG pulled off a website, send it anyway. We work with a range of file formats and we will tell you whether yours can be used as it is or whether the logo needs redrawing as vector first. Plenty of club team logos arrive as low resolution raster files. It is a short conversation, not a problem.
Useful to send alongside the file: the finished plate size you want, the material and finish, the quantity, and whether the mark should read light on dark or dark on light.
When does the etching happen in a case build?
While the case is being cut and assembled, not as a separate stage bolted on at the end.
The plate is marked in parallel with the rest of the build, which is another reason to raise branding at the brief stage rather than later. Bespoke case builds run 3 to 14 days from signed-off specification. Standalone etching jobs, where you send us parts or plates and nothing else, are quoted with their own lead time. Full detail is on our lead times page.
What else do you use the laser for?
Branding is the visible one, but most of the marking that leaves this workshop is functional.
- Team and sponsor logo plates on flight cases, tool boxes, roll cabinets and pit perches
- Control panel and switch labelling on data stations and hospitality units
- Asset and case numbers, so a crew can identify kit across a full truck load
- Measurement and reference marks on set-up equipment. Our magnetic digital camber gauge carries laser etched plaques designating where to position the studs depending on the wheel size
- Serial and identification plates on one-off machined components
Do you take laser etching work that is not motorsport?
Yes. The machine does not care what industry the part came from.
Send a description of the part, the material, the plate or component size, the artwork and the quantity. We come back within 1 working day with a price and a lead time.
Gallery
Send us your artwork and part details, or contact the workshop to talk a job through.