Confirm my Suspicion: A fiber engraved this?

[Ross Moshinsky]

Got contacted by a local company looking to have an item engraved. Evidently they've shopped around but they'd like to stay local to "save on shipping". They had a sample made up. Included is the picture. I'm more curious than anything, because the order doesn't seem all that profitable, but this was done with a fiber right?

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[Gary Hair]

How about some context Ross. What material is that? What is the actual size? The hatch in the recesses looks odd to me, almost like some type of dithering from a bitmap instead of a vector file. Or, it could be a 90 degree and 0 degree hatch with wide spacing that has been enlarged.

[Bert Kemp]

it does look like dithering of bitmap file.

[Ross Moshinsky]

How about some context Ross. What material is that? What is the actual size? The hatch in the recesses looks odd to me, almost like some type of dithering from a bitmap instead of a vector file. Or, it could be a 90 degree and 0 degree hatch with wide spacing that has been enlarged.

It's a Amazon Echo. Made of some sort of plastic. Called Amazon to ask what material and the statement was "Plastic". I figured CO2 was unlikely because who the heck would have engraving like? Makes no sense. Figured it had to be some sort of fiber laser.

And obviously because these things are $180 a pop, I don't get the luxury of testing them and the job's not profitable enough for me to "treat" myself and buy one (which I would just build into the price).

[Kev Williams]

I engraved a bunch of Echo's last year for one of my promo customers. I didn't hit 'em that hard, I just grazed 'em enough to mark 'em.
(did them with the GCC)


I don't think a fiber did that, but a gantry didn't either...

I'll bet $5 on a galvo C02... and they forgot the 'follow edge once' option... ;)

[Gary Hair]

Given that it's plastic I'm inclined to think it was a dithered bitmap on a co2. The echo is round enough and the image is even enough that it was probably done on a rotary device. I haven't done much with plastic on my fiber but what I have done has been surface color changing without any depth and I've not seen deep engraving on plastic turn out that sharp.

[Kev Williams]

Galvo via rotary- the seams are way visible...(in the Libery "y" too) :) It's 45/135 hatch I believe too, although the lighting makes some areas look like 0/90... or could be either, or both. But definitely galvo!

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edges are overburnt from the beam's direction change, much like I'm trying to eliminate with my fiber ;)

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[Ross Moshinsky]

Kev, Do you happen to have a photo of what it looked like engraved with a gantry CO2?

[Kev Williams]

I wish I did, but I don't think I took a pic... My guy told me HE was told the Echo's were ABS. IIRC I just very lightly engraved them, and they looked pretty good, but I know for sure I didn't engrave them very deep.

I'll email my customer, HE may have taken pics of them to show his customer... :)

[Ross Moshinsky]

I'd appreciate that.

[Kev Williams]

He got back to me, but said he took no pics :( but he says he thought they turned out great (but he always says that, lol)