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Linda Kroeker
07-06-2009, 10:23 PM
Would anyone know if we can engrave on the back of a Texas Instrument calculator?
It has the initials ABS on the inside cover...does this contain PVC?
Thanks for your help.

Linda
art baylor
07-06-2009, 10:30 PM
ABS is not PVC

Art
Linda Kroeker
07-06-2009, 10:36 PM
Thank you...so it is safe to laser???
Richard McMahon
07-07-2009, 3:58 AM
ABS is something like AcryloButylStyrene so there is no Chlorides in it to convert to Hydrochloric acid
You should be safe.
ABS is one of the popular recyclable plastics.
Rich.
art baylor
07-08-2009, 12:11 AM
I think it's AcrylonitrileButadineStyrene. Spelling is questionable. Not that it matters, it has nothing to do with PVC.

Art
Richard Rumancik
07-10-2009, 12:22 AM
It is safe to laser engrave. If you plan to put identification on the calculator, it will probably work okay. But ABS does not engrave very well as a decorative mark (logo). It does not vaporize like acrylic does, and it tends to rise up on the edges a bit. It would be good if you can find a sample to practice on. Does the back cover come off? Maybe you can do a test on the inside where you can't see it.
Linda Kroeker
07-11-2009, 11:26 PM
Would you know where I would start with my settings??? Would I use acrylic settings???
Thanks you,

Linda
Richard Rumancik
07-12-2009, 12:02 AM
Really hard to say what to use offhand. Start with the acrylic settings or even lower energy. When you laser it, clamp it down or secure it with Play-Doh or such. Then if the first pass is too light, you can make another pass till you get what you want. (You don't want it to let it move between passes.)
Linda Kroeker
07-13-2009, 11:00 AM
Thank you Richard...I will start with that.

Linda
Brian Robison
07-13-2009, 11:49 AM
Hi Linda,
Here's a Casio I did for myself a while back.
Paul Franklin
07-13-2009, 11:56 AM
Brian

Very nice!

Is there any chance I could get a copy of the Dragon?

Thanks

Paul
Brian Robison
07-13-2009, 11:57 AM
I'll see where I put it.
Dave Johnson29
07-13-2009, 12:06 PM
Good taste in Calculators Brian. :eek::D
Brian Robison
07-13-2009, 7:46 PM
Paul,
I couldn't find the file but I think this is the dragon.
Linda Kroeker
07-13-2009, 9:02 PM
Thank you Brian...hope mine turns out as good as yours did! Do you know what settings you used?

Linda
Brian Robison
07-13-2009, 9:20 PM
No, probably the recommended Epilog settings for plastic. I'm guessing 300dpi.
Paul Franklin
07-14-2009, 1:21 AM
Brian

Thank you for the file.

Regards

Paul
Richard Rumancik
07-15-2009, 10:48 AM
Linda, don't get too hung up on using someone else's settings. There are just too many variables that it is often not all that helpful. I would suggest that you get a piece of scrap ABS (lots of parts are made from it) or maybe you can get a square foot of offcut somewhere. Possibly even a scrap piece of ABS plumbing pipe will work for a test. (You can run one line of text in focus.) Then run some experiments to see what dpi, ppi , speed and power give you the best results. That should get you into the ballpark.

A lot of business machine and computer parts are made from ABS; they will probably be marked with the recycling triangle and the letters ABS inside.