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View Full Version : Engraving through glass with a yag



Joe Hillmann
04-05-2012, 4:50 PM
Some of the stuff I attempt to engrave with the yags tent to splatter or pop a bit it has never been a problem yet but I am kind of concerned of a piece breaking off and hitting the lens. I wonder if I could put a piece of glass about 1 inch above the piece I am marking and then engrave through the glass and into the work piece below? Or will the glass being in the way cause distortion of the engraving?

Dan Hintz
04-05-2012, 4:55 PM
You'll have to run a few experiments to get the setup working the best, but you should have no problem with the YAG traveling through the glass. What effect it will have on focus I can't say offhand.

Joe Hillmann
04-05-2012, 5:04 PM
I actually already gave it a try after thinking about it I realized that engraving through a mirror is probably more dangerous then this and I did that with no problems. Guessing power based on a single test and measuring the depth it engraved it looks like the beam power is cut in half by going through 1/8 in glass.

But I also found that I could put the nozzle of my exhaust between the glass and work piece and it clears any smoke that is created immedeatly whereas it normally you can see fine wisps of smoke being sucked up, with this set up it was sucking the smoke up so quick I couldn't see any at all.

matthew knott
04-05-2012, 8:17 PM
you would be better of getting a proper coverslide for your lens, the electrox will probably have one, it will be the on the front of your lens, (the bit you can see) they are just a thin bit of glass but they have a Anti refective coating on both sides of the glass, you will lose some power if you just use glass, also the close to the lens the better as the beam is not focused there.

Joe Hillmann
04-06-2012, 10:25 AM
I didn't know they made such a thing. What would that cost?

matthew knott
04-07-2012, 8:43 PM
Not much! First find the make of lens, yours will be rodenstock or sil optic, then the size (254 I think you have) then google it, tbh the lenses clean up ok with engraving so you need not worry and these days the Chinese make good replacements at a good price so it's not the worry it once was. Did you try the hans lasers lens in the cobra ? Ours fits so yours should too!