Chem Metal?

[Steve Clarkson]

I got a call from a sign company and they want a photo engraved on a substance called "Chem Metal".....does anyone know what this is......and if it can be engraved with a 45 watt Epilog?

I can engrave stainless without Cermark.....but would I need that for Chem Metal?

I'm picking up a piece tomorrow to test, but thought I would ask here first.

[andy blackett]

Hi Steve,

How, or more spefically what settings, let you engrave stainless without cermark? This intrigues me!

Best wishes
Andy

[Scott Shepherd]

Tough to say Steve, most materials like that have a clear coat over them. So be careful about that. You might not be able to do much with it. The tend to be things like anodized aluminum with a clear coat on it.

Not sure which one he's bringing.

[Dave Russell Smith]

I got a call from a sign company and they want a photo engraved on a substance called "Chem Metal".....does anyone know what this is......and if it can be engraved with a 45 watt Epilog?

I can engrave stainless without Cermark.....but would I need that for Chem Metal?

I'm picking up a piece tomorrow to test, but thought I would ask here first.

This is Chemetal website maybe you can get some tech info from here.
http://www.chemetalco.com/

[Steve Clarkson]

Thanks for the website Dave......I guess I didn't realize that it was a laminate......but he did tell me that he planned to glue the chemetal to a piece of acrylic.

I'll let you know how it goes after I try the test piece tomorrow.

[Martin Boekers]

Steve do you do color laser tranfer?

I'm think that might be cool on this metal.

Looking forward to seeing how it works out!


Marty

[Steve Clarkson]

I just did it.......it's basically alumamark.

It engraves a bright white.....and I did it at 100s/40p

I'll post a pic in a few minutes. EDIT: Here it is.....it's very hard to photograph shiny surfaces!

Oh, and you'll need shears to cut it.

I'll try to get more info on it.....ie. price, colors, etc.

[Scott Shepherd]

You sure that's like alumamark? It looks like it was just an image cut through the clear from the photo.

[Martin Boekers]

I just ordered a few sheets last week from Marco of anodized mirror finish aluminum. The pictures in the catalog show it to engrave "white" They have 4 different colors.

Maybe it's similar to what you have.

Haven't had a chance to burn it yet maybe next week. I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm always looking for something a bit different as I get calls for many different types of "fabrications" on base you just never know...

Just this last month I have a unique piece I'm working on they wanted a silver metallic look for the main structure. Did a "great job" of designing it out of acrylic and used hammered Fusion paint on it. It looked really cool. After the executive committee checked it out it was decided to go with metal instead.

Sooo..... regrouping, I had the pieces water-jetted out of 1/2" Stainless
and polished. Now it is REALLY COOL!:D

Always trying to stay ahead of the curve.

Marty

[Steve Clarkson]

OK, the contrast really isn't there with this brushed stainless steel material. The picture came out fine, but you can only see it at certain angles.

So my question is......can you color fill metal material such as this....which is almost identical to alumamark. Black will do. Also, I believe it will be an exterior application so holding up to wind, snow and rain is a concern.

Thanks!

[Scott Shepherd]

Steve, I called Chemetal and asked them about the finishes and coatings on their metal series. They told me depending on which one it was, it was a clear epoxy coating or a clear UV coating. Basically you are jut engraving into the clearcoat. Not sure what you could fill it with to last outdoors and not attack that coating.

[Steve Clarkson]

Uh oh......so even without some type of color fill......it's not safe for outdoor use?

Thanks for the heads up!

[Dan Hintz]

What about using the one with UV coat and fill with a high-quality automotive lacquer?

[Steve Clarkson]

Good idea Dan.....but the sign company is supplying the stuff. I haven't even verified that it will be outside.