CerMark Issues

[Sean Smith]

Hi,

I've been using the cermark product for about 8 months (on and off) and the main thing I do is make plates with wording and numbering and then outlines boxes. My plates are 20 Stainless. Everything had been fine until recently, when I go to wipe off the excess CerMark the lines I make wipe off, the wording and numbering stay but the the lines just wipe off with water.

I use a Jamieson MT-530 Laser. The wording and numbering is on a laser scan at 100% around 15-20 mm/s and the lines are a laser cut at 100% and then 10-15 mm/s ( I even went to 5 mm/s and still got the same result.

Has anybody else ran into this issue or have any other suggestions on what the problem could be? I've also ran the alignment and cleaned my mirros (which I'm about to go do again).

Thanks,

Sean

[Bruce Volden]

Sean,

Welcome to 'da Creek. First off I assume the stainless is the same type you have been using? No coatings? Secondly, are you thinning the Cerdec adequately-you should almost be able to see through it once it dries on the steel. When you say "lines" wipe off maybe they are too thin and need to be bumped up a thickness or two. I have my CD program set so I can see the lines on screen but the laser won't raster them-only vector them. HTH

Bruce

[lee chitwood]

Sometimes the simplest....clean off with de-natured alcohol or laquer thinner before Cermark. Oily films are retained from the manufacturing process.