Engraving Copper/Steel Mugs

[Liesl Dexheimer]

I have a potential customer asking me to engraving a bunch of these mugs. I'm 99% sure CerMark won't work on these, especially since I have a 35 watt laser. He told me the undercoating of the mug is stainless steel but I still don't think I can laser it directly. I'm pretty sure the laser beam won't make any mark on the copper finish. I think he is hoping that it would be like engraving something powder coated. Am I right in my assumptions?

367864

[Bill George]

I have a potential customer asking me to engraving a bunch of these mugs. I'm 99% sure CerMark won't work on these, especially since I have a 35 watt laser. He told me the undercoating of the mug is stainless steel but I still don't think I can laser it directly. I'm pretty sure the laser beam won't make any mark on the copper finish. I think he is hoping that it would be like engraving something powder coated. Am I right in my assumptions?

367864

Sounds like a good reason to have a fiber laser. If the customer is willing, you could try with just one cup and see what happens.

[Doug Fisher]

If Cermark won't work, have you tired LaserBond 100? I have never used it on copper so I can't advise how well it does or doesn't work. Definitely make sure the copper on the mugs does not have a clear protective finish on top of the copper! LaserBond does show a set of settings for the product regarding a 30 watt laser and copper:

http://www.laserbondingtech.com/pdfs/LaserBond-100-Laser-Settings.pdf


http://www.laserbondingtech.com/
(http://www.laserbondingtech.com/)
Please post back with your results if you do try it.

[Kev Williams]

These are the one of the worst possible products to engrave--

--Fiber lasers don't like copper much, especially that which is plating stainless.

--Stainless doesn't like diamond tools, they just barely make a mark and the SS wears them down quick...

I have 3 very similar copper cups I test engraved for a customer. Could barely see the diamond etching, and the fiber would go from a dark brown etch to a bright etch to no etch, all while running the same 1" diameter, very simple logo.

However-! I just drug one out and ran a simple Cermark test, using my 40w LS900, and I got a very nice mark!
It measures about 1/4" tall and 3/8" long-- and I scrubbed it pretty good with a red 'metal' scotchbrite pad and it passed the test!
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I'm surprised actually, but it works! (LMM-6000 Cermark btw)

[Liesl Dexheimer]

Wow, nice work Kev! I actually have that CerMark too. I told my customer I couldn't guarantee anything but could try one. Haven't heard back...

Thank you to everyone who replied, I appreciate it. ;)

[Mike Null]

Liesl

Unlike Kev, I've had no luck at all with copper or brass. The stuff just won't stick for me. I also tried several fiber suppliers and they couldn't get a good mark in any reasonable time.

[Jacob John]

Liesl Unlike Kev, I've had no luck at all with copper or brass. The stuff just won't stick for me. I also tried several fiber suppliers and they couldn't get a good mark in any reasonable time.


I'm about to try a few but in reading these threads I'm not very optimistic. Any baseline setting you could pass on?

[Jeff Watkins]

I had this same problem a few weeks ago and could not get Cermark to stick. From what I read elsewhere, many of the Copper Mule cups have an enamel coating that prevents the Cermark from sticking. Kev's cup looks like the enamel was sanded off or removed so that's probably why it's sticking. I ended up using Ikonics Green Laser Tape, lasering the customers design and putting it in a blast cabinet. I did have a couple lines that were slightly larger than what they should have been from stretching the laser tape over the mug but my customer was still happy with the results. I did ruin another copper mug when the laser tape shifted too much during lasering. The laser left a ghost image in the enamel so that's become my test mug.

[Kev Williams]

The sanding marks you see was from using a red 'metal' scotchbrite pad AFTER cermarking to see if it DID stick. There's no coating on these cups