Black mark on sanded aluminum?

[Neville Stewart]

Cant get a durable mark with Cermark, LMM 6000, and from what Ive read, Thermark isn't much better. any ideas, got a job to cnc cut and engrave audio amp panels.

[Gary Hair]

I've never had much luck with aluminum and Cermark either, but then again I haven't tried with the Trotec. I would think 80 watts would give you enough power to get it to stick. Otherwise, deep engrave with your fiber and paint fill, or cnc and paint fill.

[Rodne Gold]

Why are they using sanded raw aluminium as a panel?

[Neville Stewart]

well smooth sanded, to take the lines out I presume. Im advising him to move to anodized.

[Tony Lenkic]

Neville,

Even anodized will be difficult to get black marking with cermark.
This is a job for rotary or cnc engraver. Can you engrave with your PRS Alpha and paint fill or oxidize engraved text?

[Neville Stewart]

Neville,

Even anodized will be difficult to get black marking with cermark.
This is a job for rotary or cnc engraver. Can you engrave with your PRS Alpha and paint fill or oxidize engraved text?
I can yes, and Im encouraging anodized on the next batch so he can get a white contrast under the black or whatever colour he chooses, wouldn't have to be black at that point.

[Kev Williams]

ironically, this is one of the bennies of a glass laser--

I can't get my 40w LS900 or any other metal laser I've had to put much of a mark at all on bare aluminum, and I'm assuming the same is holding true with your Trotec 80--

However, my 80w Triumph does a fantastic job with Cermark--

Here's a couple of samples. Check the first pic, you'll notice a faint shadow of the same lettering on the bottom half--
that's all the LS900 could muster, Cermark just washed off.
341053

341054

-- For a big 1300x900 machine it does a great job with small engraving...
341055

341056

I have an ongoing order of raw aluminum connector plug plates, which get bent and welded to a big housing after I laser them. After that the whole thing gets chem-filmed. They can't chem film them before they're bent and welded to the unit, and I can't etch afterwards because the main housing is too big. They used to get them screen printed, but the manhandling that goes into bending them messed up the print. They love the cermark because it doesn't bugger up!

as for cermarking anodized, I can't get ANY machine to put cermark on Anodized...

Also ironically, I get a better mark on aluminum with the Triumph than I do stainless. Or I should say "blacker" mark . I can mark SS like gangbusters, but it's not black. If it's ever close to black, it'll wash off. But if I lay it down good, the mark is perfectly consistant and permanent as you could as for-- as long as you don't mind a medium-dark gray with a bronze hue to it. Me, I mind. I want black :)