Laser Engraving Suggestions And Tricks
Laser Engraving has changed dramatically over the previous decade or so. After I started working in this business, if you happen to wished to have a laser at your factory or shop it's important to have THREE THINGS: Highly Trained Personnel, Endurance and really DEEP pockets.
In the past 10-years or so, computing power, solid-state lasers and deployment of systems has brought the prices down significantly, the required skill set to own and operate a system is very low and system maintenance has become significantly simplified.
So, let's get to the meat of this Article.
Laser MARKING: TIPS and TRICKS
1. First and Foremost, have the correct Wavelength!
The Wavelength of the laser is critical to part marking.
ORGANICS:
For example, To illustrate your major enterprise is customized firearms. Most individuals start with a easy CO2 laser having a Wavelength of 10,600nM. These are low-price, low-barrier systems meant for engraving and marking the ORGANICS. Wood, Paper, Glass and Stone to name a few. A CO2 is a GREAT choice for engraving and marking the Wood Butt Stocks and Polymer Grips, but is not going to do a lot in the way of engraving the metal portions of the firearm.
METALS:
So as to successfully mark and engrave with any depth in metals, we need to change wavelength. Here, the appropriate wavelength for MOST widespread metals is about 1uM. Why do I say about? Merely put, there is a number of variations for the 1uM laser, commonly clumped collectively as the ubiquitous "YAG". In reality, the YAG is the Nd:YAG with a central emission of 1,064nM. However then there's the Nd:YVO4, the Nd:YLF and the mainstream FIBER laser with it's proprietary glass-doped achieve medium. Every of these lasers are 1uM lasers, but have slightly different wavelengths from 1,064nM, 1,057nM, 1,070nM and such. Additionally, every has different pulse characteristics and that may play a serious position in the proper selection.
2: Why does Lens Selection matter?
You'll be stunned at how many occasions I've to clarify optics to people. It is a basic and required step in choosing the right software for the job and there's a very core component everyone should understand. SPOT SIZE!
SPOT SIZE vs FOCAL LENGTH:
The Spot size of a laser is critical. Let me just repeat that. The Spot measurement of a laser is critical! Merely put, you want a certain amount of energy to do work. Keep in mind as kids when a few of us would take a magnifying glass outside and burn things? Bear in mind how as we discovered focus, the wood would just start to smolder, and as the spot turned smaller and smaller close to the point of interest the wood would really start to char and burn? And as we went too close, the spot would grow once more and the burning stopped? That may be a GREAT demonstration of fluence. Fluence is a term which equates within the simplest understanding of Energy for a given Area.
In our example above, the Sun's energy was fixed (unless a cloud passed by). We adjusted the Energy/Unit of Area by focusing the lens to it's tightest focus. For those who think a couple of pizza. When you get a Giant versus a Small pie, the diameter may double. As an instance a Large is 20" diameter and a Small is 10". But you aren't getting twice as a lot, you really get quite a bit more because if the diameter doubles, the AREA goes up by a factor of four!! This is similar for the laser. If we HALF the spot-size we INCREASE the energy density not by twice, but by a factor of 4!!
If you have any sort of concerns pertaining to where and ways to use Laser engraved wood products, you could contact us at our internet site. Website URL:
In the past 10-years or so, computing power, solid-state lasers and deployment of systems has brought the prices down significantly, the required skill set to own and operate a system is very low and system maintenance has become significantly simplified.
So, let's get to the meat of this Article.
Laser MARKING: TIPS and TRICKS
1. First and Foremost, have the correct Wavelength!
The Wavelength of the laser is critical to part marking.
ORGANICS:
For example, To illustrate your major enterprise is customized firearms. Most individuals start with a easy CO2 laser having a Wavelength of 10,600nM. These are low-price, low-barrier systems meant for engraving and marking the ORGANICS. Wood, Paper, Glass and Stone to name a few. A CO2 is a GREAT choice for engraving and marking the Wood Butt Stocks and Polymer Grips, but is not going to do a lot in the way of engraving the metal portions of the firearm.
METALS:
So as to successfully mark and engrave with any depth in metals, we need to change wavelength. Here, the appropriate wavelength for MOST widespread metals is about 1uM. Why do I say about? Merely put, there is a number of variations for the 1uM laser, commonly clumped collectively as the ubiquitous "YAG". In reality, the YAG is the Nd:YAG with a central emission of 1,064nM. However then there's the Nd:YVO4, the Nd:YLF and the mainstream FIBER laser with it's proprietary glass-doped achieve medium. Every of these lasers are 1uM lasers, but have slightly different wavelengths from 1,064nM, 1,057nM, 1,070nM and such. Additionally, every has different pulse characteristics and that may play a serious position in the proper selection.
2: Why does Lens Selection matter?
You'll be stunned at how many occasions I've to clarify optics to people. It is a basic and required step in choosing the right software for the job and there's a very core component everyone should understand. SPOT SIZE!
SPOT SIZE vs FOCAL LENGTH:
The Spot size of a laser is critical. Let me just repeat that. The Spot measurement of a laser is critical! Merely put, you want a certain amount of energy to do work. Keep in mind as kids when a few of us would take a magnifying glass outside and burn things? Bear in mind how as we discovered focus, the wood would just start to smolder, and as the spot turned smaller and smaller close to the point of interest the wood would really start to char and burn? And as we went too close, the spot would grow once more and the burning stopped? That may be a GREAT demonstration of fluence. Fluence is a term which equates within the simplest understanding of Energy for a given Area.
In our example above, the Sun's energy was fixed (unless a cloud passed by). We adjusted the Energy/Unit of Area by focusing the lens to it's tightest focus. For those who think a couple of pizza. When you get a Giant versus a Small pie, the diameter may double. As an instance a Large is 20" diameter and a Small is 10". But you aren't getting twice as a lot, you really get quite a bit more because if the diameter doubles, the AREA goes up by a factor of four!! This is similar for the laser. If we HALF the spot-size we INCREASE the energy density not by twice, but by a factor of 4!!
If you have any sort of concerns pertaining to where and ways to use Laser engraved wood products, you could contact us at our internet site. Website URL: