Can you raster CD media?

[Larry Bratton]

Again, in advance of receiving the machine, I am trying to learn all I can. I appreciate everyone's help.
I have a HP computer that will label a CD supposedly using the same laser that it uses to read the information on the CD (music etc.) Lightscribe is their name for it. You purchase a special CD media to use it. It puts a pretty nice image down for a label etc.
Is this possible with a CO2 laser? If so, has anybody tried it?

[Joe Pelonio]

I never heard of that, but yes, I have used the laser to etch CD's, started using an old music CD that I didn't care about, use the lowest power possible to mark, and it doesn't damage the data. Now when you vector cut them that's another matter.

[Dave Jones]

I don't know for sure, but I would seriously doubt it. Those discs respond to a specific (low) power of a specific wavelength. CO2 lasers put out a completely different wavelength. The CO2 laser puts out a 10.6um (10,600nm) wavelength. From what I've found on the web the lightscribe uses 0.05 Watts of 780nm.

[Larry Bratton]

Hummm..interesting. Given the cheap cost of CD media I don't suppose it would cost much to do a few tests on blanks before doing one with data on it. Joe,lowest power, highest speed then?
(I gotta get the machine here first LOL!)

[Dave Jones]

When I asked about lasering CDs last fall, either here or an another forum somebody that used to work at a CD plant warned that doing so might weaken the CD to the point that it could shatter, especially in a PC which spins the CDs at as many as 50x the speed of an audio CD player.

[Larry Bratton]

When I asked about lasering CDs last fall, either here or an another forum somebody that used to work at a CD plant warned that doing so might weaken the CD to the point that it could shatter, especially in a PC which spins the CDs at as many as 50x the speed of an audio CD player.

Now that's a disturbing thought. I never knew what was going on inside there. :eek: Guess I'll stay with Lightscribe. Thanks for the info.

[Carol VanArnam]

Larry- check the past postings and you will find a thread on this subject. I remember reading it. The postings said that if you laser very deep at all you will mess up the data on the bottom side. Can't remember much more than that but it has a lot of postings too it....

[Tom Buzz Bernard]

A CD is actually a clear piece of plastic, the data is burned into the backside of the top layer. If you laser too deep into the top layer you will effect the data.
Most people worry about scratching the bottom side of the CD, (this does however effect the reading of the liner on the top of the cd) but the data is stored on the backside of the top liner.
I did not know this until recently, I asked my computer guru why can't a CD be lasered? Another Trivia question for the achives:)

[Kevin Huffman]

Everytime we have ever tried to engrave one, the cd never worked again after that. The heat is just to much for it.
We tried both, engraving then writing to disk and writing to disk then engraving.
Even with as little heat as possible to be able to see it, it still damaged the cd itself.

[Dave Jones]

It may be different for "real" CDs as opposed to CD-Rs also. Since the real CD has the data stored in a metalized layer embedded in a stamped plastic layer in the middle of the plastic while the CD-R has a dye layer that is modified by the laser in a CD-R drive.

I've also considered trying to engrave onto the coated surface of an inkjet printable CD-R, which has some kind of white coating on the top to accept the inks.

But haven't tried that.

[Aaron Koehl]

There are so many solutions for labelling CDs, but I did make a very nice one out of LaserLights for a CD that was not mass-produced; some say LL is too heavy but we haven't had any problems reading the CDs.

[Mike Hood]

Yeah... but then the Label costs more than the CD :)

[Larry Bratton]

From what has been stated here, labeling a CD with a CO2 laser is not a practical application. Enuff said.:)

[Aaron Koehl]

Yeah... but then the Label costs more than the CD :)
Not necessarily..

That CD had 3 custom software installions on it valued at $6000. We figured for $6000 the customer could have a nice CD label. :D

[James Jaragosky]

has anyone tried to cut a cd with a laser?
just wondering
jim j

[Mike Hood]

Not necessarily..

That CD had 3 custom software installions on it valued at $6000. We figured for $6000 the customer could have a nice CD label. :D

You could always use a LaserThin and engrave that. :)

I wonder if a CD will dye sub? (hmm.....)

[Larry Bratton]

You could always use a LaserThin and engrave that. :)

I wonder if a CD will dye sub? (hmm.....)
or CLTT? I know that CLTT can be applied to plastic, I've done it, just wonder what the heat would do to the recordability. hummm again

[Lamont Ellingson]

has anyone tried to cut a cd with a laser?
just wondering
jim j

I've done it. Works quite well. A friend's son was doing a project for his high school physics class. The classic mouse trap-powered car. He was using CDs for the wheels and we cut circles out of them to lighten them and add some looks. Also needed to cut inserts for the center hole to make it fit the axle.

This works best using wet newspaper on the CD to help cool it to avoid burning.

The project was a success. Cutting the CDs however left a residue on the lens that needed to be cleaned.