Laser Strength, Cheap-o lasers?

[Antonio Robbins]

Hello everyone, I found this forum searching for some info, which is surprisingly vague on the engraving manufacturers websites. :)

I work for a company using a 3.5 30watt VersaLASER. We engrave drives, wood, etc, but one thing we've considered is engraving iPods. What power strength would be needed for engraving such devices?
(We have Cermark, but we've NEVER been able to get a successful engraving from it.)

Also on a separate note I've long wanted to get a laser for personal use, but there's no way I could afford a $10k unit. I've been seeing some chap units from China going for around $1k - $2k. anyone know if they're any good?
(or if any have a larger then 10" area?)

Thanks for any info!
Antonio

[Dan Hintz]

Cermark can be touchy... I assume you're engraving the metallic iPods? What problem are you having with it? Too much power will turn it a grayish color, too little and it won't stick. The thickness of the Cermark coating also has an effect on durability... too think and the mark will be spotty, too thick and it will require a ton of heat to mark it. If the item is actually metal (typically not the case with electronic items), it will often have a clear coat that needs to be lasered away before applying the Cermark. If you can be more specific in what your problem is we can be more specific in our answers. I believe Lady Ada does a lot of Apple products on her 35W engraver:
http://www.ladyada.net/library/laser/settings.html

[Mike Null]

Antonio

Welcome to SMC.

The topics you're looking for have been discussed previously. Try the search feature.