cermark /thermar for plastic

[Paul D Harrison]

Hi . A quick question . Has anyone used cermark on plastic. I have a client looking for a black or white laser etched logo on a dark gray laptop. Is it possible to get white cermark for plastic. ??

[Dee Gallo]

Sounds like a job for color filling, Paul. Cermark is only made for metal, glass or ceramic marking. People have done laptops and most of the time it seems they come out white.

cheers, dee

[Dan Hintz]

And if you don't want to fill, find someone with a fiber/YAG laser to sub the job to... depending upon plastic type, you might get a white etch.

[Mike Null]

Paul

Dee is right. All Cermark requires temperatures--thus power settings--that would be too high for plastics. Color fill or inlay is the answer.

[Paul D Harrison]

Dee ,Mike, Dan ... Thanks for the feed back '
I will go yag hunting! Color fill will be too messy.
Paul

[Joe Hillmann]

Dee ,Mike, Dan ... Thanks for the feed back '
I will go yag hunting! Color fill will be too messy.
Paul

It MAY be possible to get the colors you want with a yag. But unless the person with the yag has already experimented with that exact type of plastic with the same texture they will need at least one extra item to test on. Yags can turn plastics a whole range of colors but the only way to find out what colors a plastic will do is to test it a different power, speed and pulse settings.