PDA

View Full Version : Glass Marking Compound



Rob Stolarz
08-28-2007, 11:26 AM
Hello All,

First off I'd like to send many thanks to all the members of this forum. This is the first time I've posted, since this forum is full of so much information, most of my questions were answered in a search. Thank You :)

I have an Legend 36ext, 120 watt machine and I'm trying to use the glass marking compound from Cerdec. I can't seem to get acceptable, consistant results.
The settings that I've been using that get me close are: Speed 20 - 25%, Power 38 - 41% @600 dpi.

Can any body help or recommend any settings? And does anyone use this stuff with a good success rate?

Thanks again.

Craig Hogarth
08-28-2007, 11:43 AM
I don't know offhand what I have, but it's the stuff from laserbits. Like you, I can't get anything consistent. Looks more like camouflage, even the color comes out green and grey. Vector marking comes out nicely though.

James Stokes
08-28-2007, 11:51 AM
I played with it some. Did not have a lot of luck. With my 100 watt laser my best engraving was Speed 25 Power 10 400 dpi

Adam Stacey
08-28-2007, 12:38 PM
I don't know offhand what I have, but it's the stuff from laserbits. Like you, I can't get anything consistent. Looks more like camouflage, even the color comes out green and grey. Vector marking comes out nicely though.

If vector marking comes out right, sounds like you need more sustained power to make it work. Try lowering your and increasing your power in 5% increments. Also use a higher DPI setting. I always use 600 dpi for metal marking as it always produces a finer black.

Sean Weir
08-28-2007, 3:30 PM
Hello Rob,

Sorry to hear that you (and some others!) are experiencing problems. I'll try to offer some assistance.

The glass/ceramic marking material is more difficult to use than our metal marking product. There is much less room for error in application and in marking settings. The key to using the material is in the application. The material must be applied evenly or you will experience inconsistent results. We recommend spraying the product on with an airbrush or spray gun.

Also as important is the amount you apply. You will need to apply about 3 wet mils of coating, or about the thickness of a good coat of house paint. This can be estimated fairly well on a glass substrate - apply just enough material to the glass so that if you hold the piece up to a strong light you will not see any light shining through.

If the material is not applied evenly you might see variation in amount of color or darkness or spotty marking (usually too light of a coat). You might see very thick marks that may be poorly bonded or can be scraped off (usually too heavy of a coat). It may require a little practice to get a feel for the right amount.

Power settings are different than for metal as well. We have found that lower powers and lower speeds work best. On our 45 watt machine we generally see the best results at about 20% power and 10% writing speed (40 ips machine). I'm sure your settings will be different, but low and slow works best. We typically mark at 500 DPI.

I've attached some technical info for you to refer to, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Bets regards,

Sean

Shane Turner
08-28-2007, 4:34 PM
Thanks Sean,

I've been having the same problem. Following your advice I'm now getting some good results. I was putting too thin a coat on it would seem.

Rob Stolarz
08-28-2007, 8:48 PM
Thanks for the input everyone. I still haven't gone through Sean's material, but for my 120 watt it looks like 1200 dpi is giving me pretty acceptable results at speed= 25, power= 10. At least as far as legability is concerned. Oh and two good coats of the glass marking compound. The color still isn't true black but it's dark.

If I get anything better I'll keep you all posted.

Cheers