Laser engraving question

[Bryan Lisowski]

Laser engraving is a topic I know very little about, so I’m looking for those that do it to educate me a little bit. Also if after you read the rest, if I’m out of my mind, please tell me.

I am looking to do a custom engraving for a lacrosse team that I manage. Is it possible to engrave a vulcanized rubber lacrosse ball? If you have done something similar what could a person expect to pay for something like the following:

side 1
2022
SJV
Lax

on the opposite side
last name
number

How long does it take to engrave something like the above? At what depth do you need it to show good depth. I assume you need a fairly high tech machine to be able to hold a round object, so me buying a small hobby machine probably isn’t a realistic option.

Thanks

[Mike Null]

All you need to hold the ball is a cardboard or plastic tube--for that matter, a drinking glass will do nicely.

A CO2 laser will do what you want and I would engrave to about 3/64" depth. Keep the image size rather small. I would try a one inch diameter.

Price will depend on quantity but for a dozen I would guess about $12-$15 each should be about right.

[Bryan Lisowski]

Thank you Mike for the response.

[Bert Kemp]

One thing to remember is you'll need laser with a decent Z axis to engrave the ball. I would guess 5 to 8 inches

[Kev Williams]

I engrave them for one of the local high schools, this is a screenshot of the setup in Corel-
477470

It's been a couple of years since I did any,
don't have any pics but I remember they look pretty good :)

Note, the ball as I drew it measures 2.2" in diameter,
and the square that surrounds the logo/name is 1"x 1".
My notes say 'focus not an issue', and that's using a 2" focus lens...