Laser engraving is a growing method of product identification, decoration and personalization. There are several types including CO2 laser, fiber lasers, YAG lasers and any number of other wavelengths. This article will address the checkpoints for selecting a flatbed CO2 laser engraving system.

First of all it should be known that there are a number of very reputable vendors in the market, any of which can supply you with a good, reliable machine. However there are also some very poor pieces of equipment available also.

CHECK POINT #1 – Know who you are dealing with. Do your homework and research the company’s reputation not only related to the equipment itself but also how they are known to take care of their customers after the machine has been installed. Don’t believe anyone who tells you that there won’t be little issues with the lasers from time to time. How the company deals with service is critical.

Often people choose equipment only on prices and don’t weigh the value or return on investment. For an example if the laser takes two minutes to do a job but you need it done in one minute, regardless of the cost it will take twice your time and resources to complete the project. If you amortize that formula over a given period of time you can calculate what your ROI will be based on a certain number of parts.

CHECK POINT #2 – Consider the cost and what you can afford, but don’t forget about the payback. If you spend $7,000 and the machine can’t do the job, what you have really done is wasted $7,000. Conversely if you spend $14,000 and it can do the job, plus do more than you expect, the machine pays for itself in short order.

Flatbed lasers come in a myriad of different configurations. You can choose from engraving area, laser power (referred to as wattage), air cooled versus water cooled, linear marking speeds and many other smaller but critical decision points. Consider your application carefully when making your decision.

CHECKPOINT #3 – Make sure the laser is capable of what you are planning to do now AND what you might do in a year. If your budget allows that you can afford the next higher wattage machine or the larger engraving area make that commitment. None of us go in to business to not grow. We all expect increased business, so try to position yourself to take advantage of that, when the opportunity arises.

Consider the environment where the laser will operate when making your decision on a laser engraver. Some material such as acrylic and other plastics, rubber, wood etc…put of smoke, debris and odor that can be pretty bad and in some cases toxic.

CHECKPOINT #4 – Select a company/machine that has a range of exhaust systems to choose from. Consider that there could even be local EPA regulations that restrict expelling fumes into the air, and that you may need a self-contained, filtered exhaust system. Plus if you have ever smelled rubber burning you could have some really unhappy neighbors if you don’t capture the fumes.

These types of lasers all output like a printer, with a printer driver package similar to the one on your desk. These packages have varying levels of sophistication and tools that help you optimize the lasing experience.
CHECKPOINT #5 – Make sure you get a demonstration of the printer driver software so you know what you are getting into. The basics should include a simple and straightforward user interface, optimization tools and the ability for the software to be configured for various models of equipment. Most company representatives will be happy to sit down with you and provide a detailed demonstration.

The last thing I will mention has to do with marketing you capabilities. Laser engraving is growing all the time and even though it is a great and fun business to be in, it is competitive. Make sure you understand that you will need to market your services effectively. Have a “go to market” strategy and a solid business plan. Most good sales people in our business can discuss how much to charge, new markets to chase and tricks to make you more efficient.

CHECKPOINT #6 – Go into this purchase with your eyes wide open. Learn everything you can from your sales person, the internet and any other research venue. Draw on the experience of the selected company’s marketing and technical people and above all other things play to win, don’t play not to lose!

In conclusion, if I had to make one overriding statement that would be shop in a systematic fashion and don’t impulse buy. Take the time to make a decision you will be happy with six months down the road.

At first glance this seems like sort of a basic question, but these terms get interchanged all the time. If you think it through, this could cause confusion on both the buyer and the equipment provider sides, causing mistakes and mishaps in configuring the correct machine for the job.

I’ve been involved in the laser business since 1986, presently with Trotec, but previously with different types of laser companies who provide both standard and custom equipment for a wide variety of applications. In that time I have always worked closely with the Applications Technicians who are tasked with determining the feasibility of a project and specifying the correct process AND laser for the job. So this is what I learned from them over the years.

Laser Engraving
This is the most common term and simply defined, means that in the process of creating the mark, material is removed or vaporized during the process. An example in our business is CO2 laser engraving plastic for signage. This is often a two-ply plastic with one color called the “cap” laminated to a contrasting color called the “core”. The engraving process removes the cap and exposes the core to create a sign that has an attractive look. There is also engraving in the processing of metals. Typically used to guarantee permanence, material is removed to create depth. Usually this is a process reserved for 1,064nm wavelength lasers (YAG for example) as those types of lasers couple well with metals. When engraving metals this way the laser is breaking the machined surface of the object, so oxidation or rusting can occur as a result. This would be a question at the time of feasibility testing. “Do you want depth? If so do you realize that the base material could oxidize? Depending on the answer the next option might be Laser Marking.

Laser Marking
Annealing or precipitation marking is commonly used when processing metal items where the surface of the part must stay intact. Often items like surgical implants, surgical instruments or high precision bearings require this type of marking. With laser marking, the heat of the laser actually redistributes the carbon in the material to create a jet black mark with only micron level surface disruption. If done correctly there will be no oxidation or rusting even under salt spray tests or autoclaving. Some plastics like ABS and Delrin also allow for a nice contrast when processed with a 1,064nm laser. If you processed the same material with a CO2 laser you would get an engraved marked with no contrast. This is all a matter of wavelength and how it reacts to the material OR the pigment in the material.

Laser Cutting
This is sometimes confused with laser engraving but really means totally sectioning a piece or cutting shapes directly through material. Most laser cutting is performed with CO2 lasers as again they interact with the material rather than the pigment within the material. We work a lot with acrylics which can be used for signage, retail displays and many other applications. While cutting, special attention is taken for smooth cuts and what is a called “flame polished edges”. There are times where high powered, pulse YAGs are used for metal cutting but even with these materials, high powered CO2’s seem to do the best job. In the cutting world, the other technology that is used is water jetting which also does a nice job on metal and stone. Cutting does not always mean thick materials though. Other common applications are paper cutting, leather sectioning and even things like gasket cutting.
So , in conclusion, understanding this basic terminology while you are shopping for a laser or a company to work with will go far to strengthen your communication with the vendor and will give him a better chance of meeting your needs and expectations.

The employment of laser machining for making plastic injection molds has been available for years, but has only received limited approval. This is partly due to the doubt of the new technology and the cost of the machines.

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However, for the right application, laser machining is a particularly usable option. With the latest generation of precision laser cutting machines, there are numerous enhancements. Cutting speeds have increased, accuracy has improved, surface finishes are better, and the cost has come down.

How can laser machining help a mold maker?

Precision laser cutting is the ultimate operation for engraving and the machining of very complex, small, shallow cavities. One of the advantages of laser machining is that it can engrave on sophisticated contours really constantly and with a high degree of accuracy. It’s also possible to use laser engraving machining services to engrave molds with changing vertical wall angles.

Laser micro machining can produce little, complicated and precise cores and cavities too. As the geometry is produced straight from the CAD file, the laser machining operation can faithfully reproduce the designed shape.

What about accuracy?

A precision laser cutting machine can cut within nanometers. The newer machines are also 5 axis and able to machine a wide range of angles and shapes. The XYZ positioning accuracy can simply approach that of a high quality CNC machining center.

Are laser engraving machines safe?

Even though it may appear dangerous, a precision laser cutting machine is essentially quite safe. Of course, someone might be tempted to ignore common sense and stare at the laser beam with their naked eye, but even this is not so easily done. Usually the machine just hums away, doing its needed task.

Are lasers quick enough to compete?

Depending on the application, a laser machining tool is financially admissible. The applications are restricted to shallow details, which eliminates many projects. However, if your need is for complicated, shallow details, precision laser machining could be the answer .

Because the complete process is computerized and automated, it quickly lends itself to tiny scale production. The engraving of logos is a good example. If your logo is to be cut into a contoured surface, it may not be possible to CNC machine it, or maybe EDM it. This is where laser machining can be a viable option.

What other applications are there?

small hole machining and shaped hole machining are good applications for laser machining. Turbine cooling holes are often laser machined. The helical shape of the blades are no problem for the laser because there is no tool holder to mess. It is simply a beam of light and the head is able to move about way easier than a milling machine, as an example.

Embossed, Printed, Debossed and More!

There is often a lot of confusion regarding the various styles of custom made silicone rubber bracelets. Heck, even silicone wrist band vendors mix-up debossed with embossed bracelets & many consumers aren’t really sure about screen printed wristbands. Fling in the option of lazer-engraved bracelets and people throw up their arms in frustration.

Embossed Bracelets

Although not quite as popular as debossed or printed, embossed wristbands are definitely worth considering for those whom place higher value upon uniqueness and style. just like a debossed bracelet, an Embossed Silicone Rubber Wristband also incorporates any personalized design and requires a mold to be manufactured. However, with embossed bracelets, the fully customized design is raised up off the wristbandas opposed to recessed down into it. Pricing and turnaround times for debossed and embossed bands are nearly identical.

Laser-Engraved Wrist Bands

Laser-Engraved wristbands are becoming more and more popular. Strangely, the majority of wristband suppliers charge outrageous prices, even though they are less expensive to manufacture. Laser-engraved bands are nearly identical to debossed bands in look and feel. If you do prefer the ubiquitous LIVESTRONG debossed style, you might wish to consider laser-engraved bracelets for smaller quantity orders. Similar to printed bands, custom laser-engraved silicone bracelets begin with a blank bracelet. An easy setup program allows a laser-engraving machine to engrave the custom silicone bracelets to the exact specs of whatever fully customized message that is wanted. Laser-engraved bands do not require a mold to be produced; therefore, they are cheaper and enjoy speedier turnaround times than debossed and embossed bracelets.

Debossed Bracelets

Debossed wristbands are the most common and are the same style as Lance Armstrong’s trendsetting LIVESTRONG wrist bands. Debossed refers to the fact that the design is actually recessed down into the Debossed Silicone Rubber Wristband itself. A customized mould is expertly created with the provided personalized message to achieve this. Not long ago, because they need a mold to be manufactured, custom debossed wrist bands were more costly and took longer to manufacture than printed or laser-engraved bracelets; however, today, that gap has lessened considerably.

Printed Bracelets

Printed wristbands are by far the cheapest choice. Printed bands start with a blank wristband and are then silk-screen printed. The industry has seen a vast improvement when it comes to screen printing silicone wristbands. The dyes used today actually penetrate the silicone rubber of the screen printed wrist bands. There are some who believe that the print which is used on printed wristbands is cheaply painted on and will crack or flake off. This is not true if you are dealing with a good bracelet vendor. You can expect the printing to last the lifetime of the silicone bracelet itself. A template is used to produce the custom message rather than a mold. Because a template is used rather than a mold, printed bracelets are less expensive with speedier turnaround times than debossed and embossed wristbands.

The actual technology that goes into todays laser engraver began to be developed in the early 1960s. It was back then that scientists and research engineers discovered that a high energy light source could be created, focused and used for various means.

Creating Light From a Gas

The gases that are used to create the original light source have a lot to do with the how a laser performs and by the way CO2 gas is used in laser engravers. So how is light created from a gas? It’s quite simple. They are created by agitating the molecules in the gas in an enclosed container, just the same way that light is generated from a neon light bulb.

A Far Cleaner and Safer Engraving Process

Laser engraving is often referred to a laser etching and unlike most all conventional methods of engraving or etching, no mask is required. That’s because unlike other methods of etching, no harsh chemicals or high temperatures are used in the laser engraving process.

The Capacity For Delicate Precision Work

Laser engraving also has many other inherent benefits when compared to standard engraving techniques. For instance, the actaul beam lends itself to far more precision work. Thus even very small and delicate items can be etched on with a laser engraver.

Other Benefits Of the Laser Engraving Process

Unlike other standard methods of engraving or etching, a laser engraver generates no dust or leaves no chemical residue. Also engraving on uneven surfaces is far more easily done by laser engraving. Thats because a light beam is far more easy to manipulate around and across these types of surfaces.

Transferring Images With a Laser Engraver

Amazingly, new technologies have been developed that allow people to automatically transfer images to surfaces with a laser engraver. The image is simply loaded into the engravers memory and with simply touch of a button the image is automatically engraved as it is on the surface of an object.

It is mandatory for the UID registration products to have unique identification marks on them before they are submitted to the UID registry. The UID laser marking techniques bear huge significance for the marking procedures. As per the mandate of DoD the product identification must be directly as well as permanently marked on the surface of the part. As direct part marking and permanent identification are crucial to enhance traceability of the items, a reliable marking procedure is worth considering. Among all the identification marking technique for the UID registration products, UID laser marking is regarded as the most efficient and accurate one.

UID Markings for UID Registration Products

It is essential for the UID registration products to have the UID labels that comply with the UID policy. The marking is done with 2D data matrix codes that are encrypted to the surface of the products. The data of the UID labels are encoded with a specific language and format to be etched on to the surface. While scanning the data of the items, the codes are decoded with the help of Automatic Identification Technology. The coding and decoding technology of the laser marking system ensure highest level of security for the products.

Advantages of Laser Marking for UID Registration Products

The UID mark validation and the UID quality verification that comply with MIL-STD-130M have to undergo several techniques. To ensure that the marks on the UID registration products are legible for the life of the product, the DoD has implemented UID policy for the contractors. The immense popularity of the laser marking procedure is due to its benefits over the other methods of labeling.

The data required for the marking include enterprise identifier and unique number of the items. The higher resolution capacity of the UID laser marking enables embedding of more data in the UID mark.
Other marking techniques such as chemical etching, silk screening, mechanical engraving, pad printing, and some of the other low-quality methods are can not be considered as environment-friendly methods. On the other hand laser marking is surely an organic option to all these things that reduces carbon footprints.
Laser engraving and laser marking are exclusive techniques of identifying as well as decorating the UID registration products.
Other benefits of laser marking for UID registration products

The 2D data matrix symbols help the DoD in

boosting the inventory accuracy
sourcing the items on property accurately
enhancing access to lifespan of items and part history during design
decreasing workforce burden through increased productivity and efficiency
reducing inventory management cost
one of the most noteworthy aspects of laser marking is it can imprint the marks on any surface including auto parts, glass, plastics, pharmaceutical tablets, stainless steel, crystal, et all.

The UID verification of the UID registration products are changing faster and becoming more complex. Hence, the contractors and the suppliers need to understand the mandate of the DoD to comply with the UID program. UID laser marking can provide end to end solution for the requirements of UID registration.

It’s a fact that a laser that is powerful enough can cut through virtually anything. Also because laser cutters generate no friction, they also generate no heat while they are cutting, thus they require no coolant or cutting oil.
 
 Far Less Power To Operate
 
 Laser cutters also create no dust when they cut and create a cut line that is almost negligible. Also newer lasers cutters require far less power to operate than lasers of the past and are also more compact and mobile.
 
 Smaller, More Affordable Laser Cutters
 
 These are just a few of the reasons why laser cutters are finding their way into smaller shops and businesses that in the past would have found them far too expensive to afford. So why would a shop owner acquire a laser cutter when there are already conventional cutters in the tool cabinet?
 
 Cut Clean Lines Through Odd Shaped Objects
 
 One thing that laser cutters can do that conventional cutters can’t is do clean cuts through on odd shaped objects. Also being that laser cutters generate no dust, complex conversions and adaptations are incredibly quicker and easier to do.
 
 Lasers For Hole punching and Engraving
 
 This means that complex pieces of delicate machinery can be cut without being disassembled. Also clean straight lines can be cut directly through, no matter what shape an object is or what it is made of. Lasers are also great for hole punching and engraving and once again, they leave no dust or metal shavings in the process.
 
 Create images and Wording On Any Type Of Material
 
 Also new laser engravers can engrave words and images on virtually any type of material. This is why small shop and business owners are  now doing custom mechanical and creative work that they never would have dreamed possible in the past.

Laser engraver is the high technique machine equipment, so it has some needs for the environment.
a. Firstly, you should avoid the strong magnetism and electricity facilities that badly affect the signal transmit of the engraver. for example, shot machine, emanative tower and so on.
b. Secondly, it requires the balanced power supply pressure; the big seesaw of pressure can damage the machine. we suggest you use the regulator.
c. Thirdly, engraver should use the three core electrical source, to insure the engraver earth well, and reduce else disturb.

The process of using laser to engrave and incise is very simple, just like printing on the paper by using computer and printer. You can utilize multiform graph treatment software in the Win98/Win2000/WinXP environment. such as use CorelDraw to design. The scaned-graph, vectorgraph and many kinds of CAD files can easily printed to the engraver. The unique difference is that printing make the ink power draw on the paper, while laser engrave is to send out the laser light to the woodwork , (1)plastic board, metal board and stone material and so on, almost all the materials.

According to the different engrave manners, laser engraver can be distinguished to lattice engrave and vector incise:

Lattice engrave
Lattice engrave seems like high clear lattice print. laser head swing around. Every time engrave a line that composed by a series of points, and then the laser head move around to engrave many lines, in the end ,it forms the whole edition of graphs or words. The scanned-graph, word and vector graph can use the lattice engrave freely.

Vector incise
Other than the lattice engrave, the vector incise process on the graph’s outer profile. We usually use this mode to penetrate incise on the material of timber, paper and (1) and can also carry through striking mark on multi- material’s surface.

The performance of engraver is mainly decided by the engrave speed, engrave strength and facula size.

Engrave speed
The engrave speed indicates the laser head moving speed. Usually show it by IPS(inch/second).High speed brings high production efficiency. Speed can also be used to control the incision deepness. As for the specific laser intensity , the slower the speed is, the greater deepness of incising or engraving. You can adjust the speed by using engraver panel, and also can use the print driving procedure of computer. From 1% to 100% scope, the adjust range is 1%.The advanced moving control system of weld horse machine makes you get the super subtle engrave quality when you at the high speed engrave situation.

Engrave intensity
Engrave intensity indicates the laser’s intensity that send out to the surface of material. As for the specific engrave speed, the greater the intensity is ,the greater deepness of cutting or engraving. You can make use of the engraver panel to adjust the intensity, and also can use the print driving procedure of computer. From 1% to 100% scope, the adjust range is 1%.The stronger intensity equals faster speed and deeper cutting deepness.

Facula size
The size of beam of light and facula can be adjusted by using different focus lens. The small facula lens is imposed to engrave of high resolving ratio. The big facula lens is imposed to engrave of lower resolving ratio, but as for the vector cutting ,it is the best choice. The new facilities’ standard configure is 2.0 inch lens. Its facula size is in the middle, applying to all the situations.

The common engraver can engrave these materials as following:woodwork,organic,glass,metal,panel,glass,stone stuff,crystal,grain endurable,paper,double color board,alumina,leather,pitch and spray mold metal.