Industry regulations mandate that suppliers and manufacturers use specific serial numbers and numbers to identify their products. The industry offers a variety of techniques for marking and etching a variety of materials, one of which is laser engraving.
In this quick guide, you'll learn about laser engraver basics, costs, and recommendations so you can understand how to choose.
Laser technology plays a vital role in many fields, especially in the design and manufacturing industries. Traditionally, laser machines can cut different materials with great precision. Their increased efficiency allows them to perform a wide range of setups including welding, marking, drilling and engraving.
Gone are the days when you needed a knife or knife to carve a design onto a hard, flat surface. Advanced technology allows people to make personal impressions on surfaces with their bare hands, without the need for drill tools and lathes. You will find three types of technologies that can be used to produce laser beams in engraving machines, these are:
gas laser
crystal laser
fiber-optic laser
Laser engraving is a technique that uses a laser beam to alter the surface of a flat or cylindrical object. The principle of laser technology engraving various things involves burning and evaporating specific areas in the material off the surface. The most significant advantage of this method is that it does not damage the surface or substrate.
This method has advantages over other engraving techniques because it does not involve the use of ink and tool bits, which need to be replaced periodically when they run out or wear out. In manufacturing, laser engravers are the best alternative to ink printing, especially when the workpiece is in motion.
Laser engraving machine consists of three parts: laser, controller and work surface. The laser beam is used as a chisel, knife or knife to remove layers of material from the surface of the workpiece by vaporization. As a result, your waste comes mostly in the form of toxic fumes and fumes, which is why they are equipped with blowers or vacuum pumps to ventilate and remove debris.
The laser is the source of the engraving beam. This critical part of a laser engraving machine requires the help of a controller to determine the direction, intensity, speed of movement and spread of the beam when aimed at the surface of the workpiece.
In the most common laser engraver setup, the laser optics are moved to the workpiece surface (stationary) in a two-dimensional trajectory pattern around the X-Y table. In some laser engravers using the same technology, the workpiece moves while the laser remains stationary.
There are laser engraving machine setups that keep both the laser and workpiece stationary, while on the other hand galvo mirrors direct the beam onto the surface. Most laser engravers are designed for materials with flat surfaces. It's best to have a laser engraver with a rotary attachment for round or cylindrical objects, such as cups.
In most cases, the laser engraver is connected to a computer for offline operation. You need software to convert a specific design in a PC or laptop into a digital signal that guides the laser unit to change the surface of the workpiece. For online use, you may need to operate a machine that can connect to the Internet. It will help if you have the correct software loaded for your laser engraver to sync with your computer system.
The area on the workpiece surface to be engraved should always be within the beam focus. The heat generated by focusing the beam on the surface of the workpiece can vaporize the material or cause it to crack and flake off.
Laser engraving works on metals (silver, gold, stainless steel, copper, brass, aluminum, titanium, etc.) and non-metals (glass, wood, plastic, leather, PVC, paper, resin, stone, tile, acrylic, rubber) and vinyl) materials.
Laser engraving can be done on guns, coins, pictures, jewelry and business cards. Some laser engravers come with adjustable power, giving you the option to process objects of different materials and thicknesses.
Laser Engraver for Metal
Fiber laser engraving machine is suitable for stainless steel, aluminum, tool steel, brass, titanium and other metals. You need a fiber laser engraver to engrave aluminum surfaces. You may need to adjust various parameters of the laser engraver to make it work on different metal materials.
Painting or anodizing the metal before engraving the metal surface will give better results. It is important to note that transparent, smooth, highly reflective materials hardly absorb the laser beam, so coating or painting these surfaces will make the laser beam absorbed more easily, ultimately providing better engraving results. At all times, it is crucial to avoid reflections of the laser light.
Laser Engraver for Wood
If you are looking to engrave wood surfaces, you need a laser engraver for wood for best results. This machine can process different woods, including basswood and plywood. Most people use these devices to carve cardboard, cutting boards, baseball bats, corks, and more. For better results, you need to do product sample testing instead of burning your workpiece.
Plastic Laser Engraving Machine
When adding your design to the surface of PVC material, it is best to use a plastic laser engraver. You need to adjust the settings in units that can engrave different materials. The problem with engraving plastic is that when the material burns, it emits toxic fumes.
Laser Engraver for Glass
You can engrave custom logos and designs on almost any glass product, including mirrors, bottles and windows. In a typical laser engraver, you need to coat the surface of the glass object before you do it. Laser engravers for glass engraving projects produce better results. With a CO2 laser, you can create a beautiful frosted or matte finish on your glass products.
Due to its shape and delicate nature, you will need a laser engraver with a rotating attachment to machine any glassware. Some of these machines are sold with attachments, while for some you have to buy them separately.
Gun laser engraving machine
Gun owners must track and monitor guns so they don't fall into the wrong hands. They can easily achieve this by engraving labels, serial numbers, QR codes and other technical, regulatory requirements on the surface of the gun. Some private gun owners may consider giving their gadgets a personal touch by engraving custom designs, personal information, names, images, logos and artwork on the surface.
Depending on the shape and design of a typical gun, you will need a laser engraver for the gun to produce a high-quality surface design. Guns have different parts with different materials, so the best equipment to work on these is a fiber laser engraver.
Jewelry Laser Engraving Machine
Engraving is a technique commonly used by artistic designers when creating custom and personalized jewelry. In this case, a jewelry laser engraver offers the best results. Regardless of the type of jewelry (necklace, ring, bracelet, wedding ring, pendant, antique, locket, tag, jewelry gift, or jewelry box), you can use your signature, letters, numbers, names, patterns, pictures, and Among other engravable designs. You may want to consider using a swivel attachment for jewelry with curved surfaces.
You can do many things with a laser machine. In addition to engraving on different material surfaces, some can be annealed, ablated (etched), and discolored (carbonized or bleached). Depending on the size of the laser machine, you can process small to large objects of different shapes and materials.
Fiber laser engraving machine, also known as fiber laser engraving machine, is an engraving unit that uses the latest technology fiber laser on the market to generate a beam. It is commonly used by manufacturers and suppliers to imprint beautiful designs, patterns and messages on flat or curved metal objects. Ytterbium-doped fibers produce stronger, more efficient laser beams.