CO2 Laser Marking Machines of Non-Metal Marking Welcomes New Changes

CO2 laser marking machines use a CO2 gas mixture as the gain medium and emit 10.6 μm (far-infrared) laser light. This wavelength happens to align with the absorption peaks of a wide range of non-metal materials — wood, leather, paper, plastics, glass, ceramics and more: the laser energy is efficiently absorbed at the material surface, instantly vaporizing or melting it to form a permanent mark. With no consumables and no chemical contamination, it remains one of the most mature non-metal laser marking

It complements rather than replaces fiber laser marking machines: fiber lasers operate at around 1.06 μm and mainly target metals and some dark plastics, while CO2 lasers focus on non-metals. In applications such as food and beverage packaging, pharmaceutical leaflets, cosmetic tubes, wood and leather products, and PVC pipes, CO2 laser marking machines remain the hard-to-replace mainstay. In typical specifications, these machines deliver 10–30 W output, controllable mark depths of 0.02–0.15 mm, flying marking speeds up to 120 m/min, and RF-excited laser tube lifetimes commonly ranging from 10,000 to 15,000 hours.

According to YH Research, the global CO2 laser marking machine market was about RMB 3.74 billion in 2024 and is expected to approach RMB 5.21 billion by 2031, a CAGR of roughly 4.9%. Its other report, using an "industrial CO2 laser marking machine" scope, puts the 2025 global market at about RMB 4.607 billion, heading toward RMB 6.613 billion by 2032 (5.4%). International firm PW Consulting uses a broader scope (including CO2 marking systems): about USD 651 million in 2025, reaching USD 1.03 billion by 2032, a 6.7% CAGR.

For China, the widely cited 2025 Laser Marking Machine Industry Development Trend Report estimates the overall Chinese laser marking machine market at about RMB 11.187 billion in 2025, of which CO2 laser marking machines account for roughly 25%–30%, equivalent to RMB 2.8–3.4 billion. Another institution expects the Chinese CO2 laser marking machine market to reach about RMB 4.12 billion in 2025, with a CAGR of around 6.7%. Industry-side figures are even more optimistic: according to information released by Qiming Laser in May 2026, the installed base of CO2 laser marking machines in China has surpassed 1.2 million units, with annual new purchases up 18.7% year on year, and customized industry-specific solutions accounting for more than 70% of purchases.

One caveat: different institutions draw different statistical boundaries (whether marking systems are included, and whether the scope is limited to industrial-grade machines), so the numbers should not be compared directly across sources. Trends matter more than the absolute figures.

Recent vendor moves cluster around two directions: top-tier machine builders are pushing both power and ease of use higher, while control-system vendors are bringing CO2 marking equipment down to the consumer level.

1. On September 15, Han's Laser updated its CO2-D200 series product page: 200 W-class high power, marking position accuracy of ±0.06 mm, marking line speed of 7,000 mm/s, and working areas covering 500 × 500 mm and 600 × 600 mm, targeting thick leather and large-format processing, claiming cutting efficiency more than twice that of comparable machines, a low heat-affected zone thanks to single-mode output, and reduced edge scorching.
2. In early August, Han's Laser launched the CO2-T200-50, its first 50 mm large-spot CO2 laser marking machine: a newly developed optical system, a handwheel-free focusing design (the focal length is entered directly in software), and galvanometer mirrors made of shaped silicon carbide, aiming to lower the operating threshold and improve focusing accuracy.
3. In mid-August, motion-control vendor R&D Technology released the consumer-grade laser marking control system RDM6020V-M1: it integrates industrial-grade marking accuracy, vision positioning, standalone operation and mobile control on a compact board, is compatible with fiber, CO2, MOPA, UV and other laser marking machines, and targets the "light creation" consumer market.

Machine builders are doubling down on power and usability, while control vendors are opening up the consumer market — the form factor of CO2 laser marking equipment is spreading from "workshop-only" to "scenario-based."

According to an industry reference published on Shunqi in August 2026, the CO2 laser equipment market is undergoing three changes:

1. Domestic core optics have become significantly more reliable. Key components such as RF-excited CO2 laser tubes, high-speed galvanometers and intelligent temperature-control systems have matured in domestic production, lifting the average mean time between failures (MTBF) of complete machines above 8,000 hours.
2. Intelligence is accelerating. CO2 laser equipment supporting EtherCAT bus integration with MES, or featuring AI image-recognition positioning, now accounts for more than 35% of shipments; machines are no longer production-line islands but part of the factory data chain.
3. The procurement model is changing. Buyers are moving from "single-equipment purchasing" to integrated delivery of "equipment + process package + localized services," putting suppliers' process-adaptation capability, regional service response time and software iteration ability on par with hardware specifications.