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Jeff Belany
04-15-2011, 10:12 AM
I've been working with a customer who needs outdoor plaques. I've suggested Corian or Marble so far. He needs a photo and text on each one. On his own, he contacted Rowmark & IPI about using plastic. IPI told him they had material that would work for photos outside. They sent a photo of a plaque with a photo, unfortunately, they didn't know which material was used. Does anyone have experience using laminated plastic for photos that can be used outdoors? If so, please let me know your results and the type of material you used. I can see line art working OK but photos I'm not sure about.

In all honesty I don't do a lot with IPI/Rowmark materials beyond basic signage. Tried searching here but didn't get any hits. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Jeff in northern Wisconsin

Michael Hunter
04-15-2011, 12:20 PM
I did a small photo (2x3") on Romark Laxermax black-over-white (which is supposed to be OK outdoors).

The photo came out quite well, but the material had started to warp because of the heat from the laser. If you did a big piece, you would need to find a way of holding it flat in the laser.

The Romark materials have a sort of sheen finish - not gloss but not matte either. This means that the unengraved parts can catch the light, which looks odd against the matte finish of the engraved parts. (There's a word for this effect - something like metismerism?)

Dan Hintz
04-15-2011, 1:16 PM
The Romark materials have a sort of sheen finish - not gloss but not matte either. This means that the unengraved parts can catch the light, which looks odd against the matte finish of the engraved parts. (There's a word for this effect - something like metismerism?)
Michael,

I believe you are referring to metamerism. The issue comes the difference in reflectivity between the gloss black and the matte white. As you move the piece back and forth, the changing reflectivity changes the perceived grayscale color... it can be a bit disconcerting when you expect a solid image.

Jeff Belany
04-15-2011, 2:17 PM
Not sure if this is a dumb question or not -- when you are doing a photo on a laminate plastic, are you burning trfough the white for the black to show or just engraving the white and color filling? Would lasering on solid white and color filling be a good alternative for me? Again, I have not done much plastic as my first 10 years as a laser engraver were completely working with wood only. I'm just getting into other materials in the last couple years since I started my own shop.

Jeff in northern Wisconsin

Dan Hintz
04-15-2011, 3:01 PM
Either method is perfectly acceptable...

Mike Null
04-15-2011, 5:09 PM
Color filling will usually prove to be the less desirable method. Filling relatively large areas is difficult and often results in disappointment.

Color filling can be more easily done on reverse engravable material which has a colored back surface as it can be sprayed on..

Ross Moshinsky
04-15-2011, 5:18 PM
There is a few ways to tackle this. You can engrave the photo directly into plastic. The thinnest cap will probably allow for the highest resolution(but will be the least durable). You could also engrave a separate plate with the photo (aluminum, acrylic, stainless steel, ect). This might allow you to get the resolution you truly want.

I don't do photos often. I'm far from an expert at them. I've messed around with some photos on scrap pieces of plastic and they've come out what I consider acceptable.

Terry Swift
04-17-2011, 10:05 AM
Both IPI and Rowmark make only a few "exterior" grade materials. Engravers Advantage looks like it could be the one. I've had better success with Rowmark versus IPI in lasering items including logo's, etc.

Martin Boekers
04-17-2011, 11:54 AM
Both IPI and Rowmark make only a few "exterior" grade materials. Engravers Advantage looks like it could be the one. I've had better success with Rowmark versus IPI in lasering items including logo's, etc.

If you find a good outdoor material let me know.

I use a textured series now it takes a few passes to
get through the cap, but it makes a mess! A ton of
powder residue, if I do a sheet I have to make sure
to clean the encoder strip and reader, and am safer
taking the x axis motor out and cleaning the belt gear
of the powder, if not it usually catches up with me
a few days later.

rich santana
04-17-2011, 10:47 PM
can you do the photo reverse on clear acrylic and back it up with black? i haven't had much luck with pictures on black cap and white bottom, especially for exterior.