Best way to identify new materials

[Kristopher Powers]

So with this fancy new laser video out... no no not getting into it. I got to thinking about new materials, iphone cases and computer and what not (also wondering how it engraves on aluminum, with 40w). Where can I go/whats the best way to identify new settings for your laser.

[Bert Kemp]

Alum with a 40watt???? cermark maybe. Best way with new material is trial and error . Most lasers when you buy them should have a sheet with general setting for most materials. But these are just a starting point.its always best to have some practice materials on hand to test your settings.

[Dave Sheldrake]

Alum with a 40watt???? cermark maybe. Best way with new material is trial and error . Most lasers when you buy them should have a sheet with general setting for most materials. But these are just a starting point.its always best to have some practice materials on hand to test your settings.

And Brass and Titanium Bert

[Kristopher Powers]

And Brass and Titanium Bert

I just assumed the macbook was Alum is it not? Don't have any macbooks/iphone lying around to trial with.

[Gary Hair]

A good rule of thumb is to start with high speed and low power, that will give you the lightest possible mark, if any at all. Then you have two variables to work with - reduce speed and/or increase power. I generally try to use the highest speed possible and increase power, that should give you the fastest processing times. Now that I have an 80 watt machine that happens quite a bit, full speed and some percentage of power. Not all machines can handle high speed and turn out good results, fortunately I made a good decision on my purchase and it does work that way.

[Gary Hair]

I just assumed the macbook was Alum is it not? Don't have any macbooks/iphone lying around to trial with.

Yes they are aluminum, but they are anodized. Raw aluminum isn't going to mark well, if at all, with a co2, especially 40 watts. Anodized will mark very well but since the "i" products tend to be natural color (silver) you won't get much contrast with the mark. For a lot of people that's ok, some want black marks but you won't get that without a fiber or a higher power co2 that can burn through the anodized layer.

[Jack Clague]

Anodized I am cool with, but has anyone here tried brushed aluminum? typically found on the cheaper Chinese phone cases and some laptops like Toshiba use this method of finish, its not a flat coat like anodized but has viable brush lines in it which i presume is why they call is brushed aluminum

[Kev Williams]

Pretty much any aluminum that's designed to handled is going to be anodized or chem-filmed. Chem-filmed or raw aluminum can be done with Cermark, but it likes lots of power...

[Mike Null]

The iPhones, iPads and macs can be engraved with a 40 watt co2 laser. I do them often. Most are natural colored aluminum, as Gary said, and engrave to an off-white color so the contrast isn't great but they are easily readable. The other aluminum colors, black, gray, gold also engrave to an off-white but are more easily readable due to the higher contrast provided by the aluminum color.

ipad mini.jpg

[Kristopher Powers]

Mike, Man that looks nice.
So now time to figure out how to cut cookies.


another thing i wanted to do was to do sheets of stickers that should be interesting trying to cut one layer of vinyl but not the next.

[Jack Clague]

Mike, Man that looks nice.
So now time to figure out how to cut cookies.


another thing i wanted to do was to do sheets of stickers that should be interesting trying to cut one layer of vinyl but not the next.

Make sure you are cutting laser specific vinyl not the standard stuff, Normal Vinyl is deadly in a laser, produces chlorine gas which is nasty stuff (mixes with moisture in your lungs to form hydrochloric acid) and will turn your laser into a rust bucket quick sharp.

[Kristopher Powers]

Make sure you are cutting laser specific vinyl not the standard stuff, Normal Vinyl is deadly in a laser, produces chlorine gas which is nasty stuff (mixes with moisture in your lungs to form hydrochloric acid) and will turn your laser into a rust bucket quick sharp.

How do I know what "specific" vinyl is?

[Ross Moshinsky]

How do I know what "specific" vinyl is?

Assume all vinyl is PVC unless they specifically say otherwise.

[Gary Hair]

Make sure you are cutting laser specific vinyl not the standard stuff, Normal Vinyl is deadly in a laser, produces chlorine gas which is nasty stuff (mixes with moisture in your lungs to form hydrochloric acid) and will turn your laser into a rust bucket quick sharp.

There is no such thing as "laser specific vinyl" - it's either vinyl (PVC) or not. There are lots of materials that are a replacement for vinyl, polyester being one of them. I cut Anchor stencil for sandblasting, it's a polyester based material specifically designed to be cut with a laser. Prior to this most sandblast stencil was vinyl due to the abundance of inexpensive vinyl plotters to cut it, inexpensive compared to lasers anyway. There are also polyester sheet materials that can be used instead of vinyl for signs, wraps, etc. Most of the metallic material is polyester not vinyl.

[Jack Clague]

There is no such thing as "laser specific vinyl" - it's either vinyl (PVC) or not. There are lots of materials that are a replacement for vinyl, polyester being one of them. I cut Anchor stencil for sandblasting, it's a polyester based material specifically designed to be cut with a laser. Prior to this most sandblast stencil was vinyl due to the abundance of inexpensive vinyl plotters to cut it, inexpensive compared to lasers anyway. There are also polyester sheet materials that can be used instead of vinyl for signs, wraps, etc. Most of the metallic material is polyester not vinyl.

Sorry you are correct, although what irks me a little is the marketing of such material is usually named "laser safe vinyl" or sum such.. but in fact it is a different material altogether, usually like you said polyester based.