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View Full Version : Items not to laser and reasons why



James MacNab
07-07-2007, 11:10 AM
Hi all, I'am new to the laser field and have seen some items on materials not to laser. It would be nice to get then updated and all in one place.
One thing I came across was a piece from Chuck Howertonfrom Lazaire Precision Products on ( dichrolic glass ) About the coating when blasted of redeposited on the lens which causes spot. I believe this is right. Check his message.
Another one I seen was on pvc By Mitchell Andrus These all great things to know. Now if we could get them all in one place every one goul benefit Thanks for listening
Jim

Gary Hair
07-07-2007, 11:32 AM
The only two that I know of are Teflon and PVC - both emit toxic/caustic fumes when lasered. There are other materials that you need to be careful with, but none that I know of that are as nasty as those two.

Leather and denim seem to fog up my lens pretty quickly, if you laser them be sure to clean before, during and after.

Anything that seems to produce an inordinate amount of smoke/soot will require more frequent lens cleanings as well.

That's about all I can think of - looking forward to seeing what else shows up here.

Gary

Mike Null
07-07-2007, 12:02 PM
Like most I'm not fond of poring through owner's manuals but in the case of a laser engraver I would strongly suggest reading and re-reading it.

If your machine doesn't have an owner's manual I would check each of the laser manufacturer's web sites as all offer good technical information and application information.

Your knowledge of the machine and your skill in getting the most out of it can determine whether you'll be satisfied with what you produce and whether you can make money from your investment.

Expertise in the use of CorelDraw is equally important.

Larry Bratton
07-08-2007, 10:04 PM
Another note on lens cleaning. I lasered a 24x36 piece of glass last week and it had over 2 hrs of engraving on it. The apparent amount of "dust" created fogs up the lens something awful. If you do glass in any quantity, be sure and keep your optics checked and cleaned.

Peter Zacarelli
07-08-2007, 10:15 PM
I have read here in one of the posting that PVC is not only toxic but might also damage your lens. I also thought that I read that using PVC will void your warranty. Maybe it was on another forum.

Gary Hair
07-08-2007, 11:20 PM
I have read here in one of the posting that PVC is not only toxic but might also damage your lens. I also thought that I read that using PVC will void your warranty. Maybe it was on another forum.

Not just your lens but anything metal as well. PVC emits chlorine gas which mixes with the moisture in the air to form hydrogen chloride - nasty stuff to humans as well as anything metal.

Gary