YETI tumblers

[Sam Gardner]

Hi, I've been engraving powder coated Yetis pretty successfully even the pure stainless ones with cermark but now a client brings a new type looks stained and want a whitish mark exactly like the logo. Anyone know how Yeti achieves this? Will cermark work on this surface? but the it would be blackish. Thanks

[Mike Null]

That's the new copper finish. I've only seen one laser engraved and the guy who did it told me that he had to run it 5 times and that took it to bare metal, not white. I doubt very much that you could use Cermark on it. I'm turning that business down.

[Steve Utick]

Hi, I've been engraving powder coated Yetis pretty successfully even the pure stainless ones with cermark but now a client brings a new type looks stained and want a whitish mark exactly like the logo. Anyone know how Yeti achieves this? Will cermark work on this surface? but the it would be blackish. Thanks

I've tried one, and they just don't come out good. I've seen some that have ran them to bare metal then done cermark and re-run. Who knows how it will hold up. If you look, Yeti doesn't even offer customization services on the new copper and gray colors, so that should tell you something. I have seen some people that have gotten them to come out pretty decent on a Fiber laser though, but pretty much out of luck on co2. We also turn them down for any customer that asks about them.

[Mike Null]

A little research indicates that it's an oleophobic coating. Basically no fingerprints.

https://daikin-america.com/surface-coating-optool/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAw_H-BRD-ARIsALQE_2Pe9noeG7PUIA_gmaZnVEJIyhnfmJGVh7WYUagkKk MVABnbNcAK4v4aArtQEALw_wcB

[Kev Williams]

I'm guessing the white YETI logo is pad or UV printed...

[John Lifer]

Some have cermarked them with mixed results. CO2 won't cut through. And my 20 watt fiber sure didn't do a pretty job of sample text on bottom of one (my logo)
I won't touch them....

[Glen Monaghan]

UV printer with white ink would be the ticket...

[Kev Williams]

In addition to the 'copper' they have a 'graphite' version- the reason for the quotes is I'm about 98% neither coating is 'genine' copper or graphite. If they were, I'd think yeti would say so. "Colored" is about the most common description of the coatings...

And, maybe the OP's yeti is from a different run, or just camera angles, as his pic does make the YETI logo look very white-- this is a pair of screenshots from a youtube...

447496
447497

--it *appears* obvious to me these tumblers aren't printed, they look to have been lasered before Optool's "modified PFPE (perfluoropolyether) nanocoating" was applied. In addition to the anti-fingerprint properties, "Optool coated surfaces have a smooth or slippery feeling to them." ... PTFE, Teflon and any other 'slippery' plastic that nothing on earth seems to stick to comes to mind, and while I've never been a printer, I'd have to wonder if any type of printing would stick to it? And it may be, like teflon, highly resistant to heat, which would make lasering thru it a bit of a task...

All conjecture :D -- but I will say this, I at least know to tell anyone who asks "nope, can't be lasered"... ;)

[Steve Utick]

In addition to the 'copper' they have a 'graphite' version- the reason for the quotes is I'm about 98% neither coating is 'genine' copper or graphite. If they were, I'd think yeti would say so. "Colored" is about the most common description of the coatings...

And, maybe the OP's yeti is from a different run, or just camera angles, as his pic does make the YETI logo look very white-- this is a pair of screenshots from a youtube...

447496
447497

--it *appears* obvious to me these tumblers aren't printed, they look to have been lasered before Optool's "modified PFPE (perfluoropolyether) nanocoating" was applied. In addition to the anti-fingerprint properties, "Optool coated surfaces have a smooth or slippery feeling to them." ... PTFE, Teflon and any other 'slippery' plastic that nothing on earth seems to stick to comes to mind, and while I've never been a printer, I'd have to wonder if any type of printing would stick to it? And it may be, like teflon, highly resistant to heat, which would make lasering thru it a bit of a task...

All conjecture :D -- but I will say this, I at least know to tell anyone who asks "nope, can't be lasered"... ;)

I've seen (And ruined) one in person. LOL I really don't think their logo is lasered on there. I'd bet that they do something to make the coating not stick in that area during production. Stamp some kind of material on there before it's dipped or something would be much quicker in my opinion.

[Sam Gardner]

Seems consensus is 'cannot be lasered' I have rotary only on co2 laser but not on fiber and not on Vision, diamond drag would have worked. Thanks all for feedback