Fiber Laser: Brass Plated Steel and Award/Trophy type Metals

[Ross Moshinsky]

As part of a buy out of another company I ended up with a CO2 Galvo that I can't get to engrave well (previous company's work also looked like crap) and no support from the manufacturer (Focused Light Engraving).

I need another engraver and I don't want to buy another CO2 right now. So I'm seriously considering a 50W JPT Fiber laser with a bunch of different lenses. It would allow me to do more industrial engraving but I'm hoping it will also help do some of my normal work.

I know I can anneal brass plates with it. I know it can act as a semi-substitution for Cermark. I know it can deep engrave brass, stainless, and aluminum. I also know it does a great job with coated steel like flasks, knives, guns, and anodized aluminum. I also assume it can do a very good job with black coated brass.

How does it do with other awards type metals? Coated brass plated steel? Coated Aluminums? Materials like that.

Also, any fiber features I should be specifically looking for? I was looking to potentially buy from Ray Fine and get a bunch of lenses, 50W JPT source, 80mm Rotary, and power Z.

[Kev Williams]

As part of a buy out of another company I ended up with a CO2 Galvo that I can't get to engrave well (previous company's work also looked like crap) and no support from the manufacturer (Focused Light Engraving).

I need another engraver and I don't want to buy another CO2 right now. So I'm seriously considering a 50W JPT Fiber laser with a bunch of different lenses. It would allow me to do more industrial engraving but I'm hoping it will also help do some of my normal work.

I know I can anneal brass plates with it. I know it can act as a semi-substitution for Cermark. I know it can deep engrave brass, stainless, and aluminum. I also know it does a great job with coated steel like flasks, knives, guns, and anodized aluminum. I also assume it can do a very good job with black coated brass.

How does it do with other awards type metals? Coated brass plated steel? Coated Aluminums? Materials like that.

Also, any fiber features I should be specifically looking for? I was looking to potentially buy from Ray Fine and get a bunch of lenses, 50W JPT source, 80mm Rotary, and power Z.

"Annealing" brass isn't the same as SS or steel; with brass you're literally roasting the brass...when a fiber hits brass it turns it yellow, and from there more heat results in darker shades of yellow, then brown, to near black. With steel and SS you can get a near black without actually engraving the metal. Brass either engraves or it doesn't. And FWIW I haven't had good luck deep engraving brass, but then, I've never really needed to so I haven't tried that hard ;)

for Trophy metals, fibers work wonderfully, as long as you can live with NON-glossy silver and gold base colors like you get with C02's. With fibers, gold's turn yellow, silvers turn white... And while C02's love "laserable" trophy aluminum, the coating on them that allows C02's to work is like kryptonite to fibers. But there's a very simple fix: buy non-laserable trophy aluminum, it fiber's wonderfully.

As you know I've bought 3 of my 4 fibers off ebay, the last one my 50 watter, to my door for under $5k, it came with a rotary and a 150 M85 lens (the bigger ones). In M85's I also have a 70mm, 175mm, 190mm, 220mm and 300mm. I buy them off ebay too, for under $70. Never had a problem with them. Same with the smaller M52 lenses...

There's quite a learning curve with the things, but that's half the fun! Frustrating sometimes, especially with deep engraving- imagine "engraving" with an acetylene cutting torch ;) -- Like with cutting torches, fibers generate SLAG, that piles up along the borders, and after 5 years I'm still trying to figure out better ways to deep engrave and get smooth edges. But to this day every time I use one it fascinates the bajeezus outta me :)

Just get one. Once you've had it 3 days you'll wonder why you waited so long!

[John Lifer]

Yep, I'd second Kev's comments. It works well on metals, the only one that really doesn't work really at all is pure copper. And brass is easy to get a white engraving on, the black takes time and gets super hot. (aluminum and steel seem to keep heat more localized, brass will disperse to the entire part really well.

[Ross Moshinsky]

Thanks for the feedback. Not exactly what I wanted to hear. I was hoping it could do a bit more double duty.

[Kev Williams]

I'll try to run a few side-by-side samples on video to give you more of a 'realistic' depiction of what to expect, in real time... bear with me :)