Alumamark

[Nick Adams]

I remember that some Epilog users were having a hard time lasering this product with good results. At the very least non consistent results.

They have since added a little bit of info to thier product flyer.

Epilog Users

Base settings

Epilog TT 35w 10p/30s
Epilog 24ex 40w 25p/30s
Epilog EX 75w 25p/30s


Side Note for Epilog Users

Autofocus adjust should be between +90 and +115 with autofocus turned on. If you have the options change RC(Ramp compensation) to 9, and AC(acceleration compensation) to 6. This will help yeild a consistent and rich black mark.

This will work for most of thier products under this name. However satin silver uses a bit more power.

From the 2 large jobs I am running today on my machine it seems as though they were right on. Power and speed on my 32ex 75w were only 1% off. That could just be my shop being colder then most.

Good luck and I hope this helps the few that have been waiting for some sign that Alumamark was trying to help fix this issue with inconsistent results.

For the time, I still hold to the belief that thier product varies up to 5% on power needed from one batch to the next. i will continue to ask them for a sample square of any Alumamark product they sell. Hopefully they will send out a 2x2 square of the product you are buying in the future with each purchase.

[Joe Pelonio]

I have had good results on my 45W consistently with settings of
90 speed 70 power, way off from what you are giving. Next time I'll have to try the 30 speed 25 power and see what happens, rather use less power when possible.

[Dave Fifield]

Hi Joe,

Looking at those speed to power ratios yields:

Your settings = 0.9/0.7 = 1.286

New recommended settings = 0.3/0.25 = 1.2

That's pretty close already.

I don't know if there's any difference in the Alumamark process due to the peak power that the chemical is hit with. I rather suspect its all about the total energy delivered, in which case you could vary the speed to power ratio all you want as long as the ratio was correct for the process.

Dave Fifield

[Joe Pelonio]

Hi Joe,

Looking at those speed to power ratios yields:

Your settings = 0.9/0.7 = 1.286

New recommended settings = 0.3/0.25 = 1.2

That's pretty close already.

Dave Fifield
Good point Pete, so I guess it's a matter of speed to get the job done.

[Nick Adams]

Hi Joe,

Looking at those speed to power ratios yields:

Your settings = 0.9/0.7 = 1.286

New recommended settings = 0.3/0.25 = 1.2

That's pretty close already.

I don't know if there's any difference in the Alumamark process due to the peak power that the chemical is hit with. I rather suspect its all about the total energy delivered, in which case you could vary the speed to power ratio all you want as long as the ratio was correct for the process.

Dave Fifield
I too have found on most materials that a ratio system works to maximize speed. However with this material it never seemed to work well. So I was rather happy to see something in the flier regaurding this.

This material seems to react with UV light generated by a CO2 Laser. However I feel that great/perfect results are determined by not only the intensity of light hitting the surface but also the duration that it is in that spot. This material if left outside for a week shows nearly no signs of UV reaction, over a 3 month time frame it is obvious that it will bleach the carbon from the surface of the material.

My educated guess would be that these settings given to use are so that the material hold true to its claims of wear and resistance. More so on quality then speed. I however have no scientific ways of calculating these types of wear/degrading characteristics.


I also believe that 10% is relative and not definite. With my laser , although I havent tested it with a meter I believe that 10% is not 7.5w but rather some scaling power graph. I would like to at sometime try this by renting a meter.

It is possible that Brewer has done this before. I really have no clue.

With respect to your post I will try all settings near a 1.2 speed/power ratio though and try to report back.