Cermark Settings

[David Sabot]

I have been using Cermark for a few months and can't seem to get the setting correct. On a 25 watt machine, I had 100% power and 10% speed with 500dpi on a piece of stainless steel. The letters always seems a little hazy, not a rich dark solid black. I have increased the dpi to 600 with similar results. Any tips on some settings for a 25W machine?

[Gary Hair]

David,
I would bet that your application of cermark is where the problem lies, not in the speed/power. I am putting on a very thin coat of cermark, you can almost see the metal through the layer I apply. Thin to the consistency of milk and brush or spray it on in a very thin layer.

The first tests I did was with the cermark not thinned at all, I didn't know I should thin it. They came out a little blurry and took two passes at P100 and S10 to get it to stick at all. Now, I use P100 and S10 with one pass and it works great. I have a 30W, 80IPS machine so adjust your settings accordingly.

Gary

[Bill Cunningham]

I don't use a lot of cermark, so I bought the spray can one.. Although the marking was coming out perfect (also using P100/speed10)I was having a lot of problems with the can clogging..As it turns out, this forum provided the answer for me.. It seems, according to the ser# I had one of the 'bad' cans.. A quick call to my supplier (who was totally unaware of bad cans) and a followup email to Wanda at Ferro customer service, I had a replacement can within 48 hours.. I 'will' become a contributer to the creek just for this help alone..It's already a line listing in the new January 2007 budget...
As for keeping the mark 'black' make sure your metal is absoloutly clean, and free of oil or any other coating..I wipe mine down with methol hydrate before coating and have had no problems at all..

[David Sabot]

Gary,

Do you mix your Cermark in advance or as you have jobs that require it? What dilution mixture are you using?

[Gary Hair]

Gary,

Do you mix your Cermark in advance or as you have jobs that require it? What dilution mixture are you using?

I have a 50g container that I take a little bit out of and thin. I have about 2oz thinned and ready to go. If I need more I just add a bit more from the container and a bit of denatured alcohol.

I can't tell you the ratio that I use but I can say that the consistency is about that of milk. I am not as experienced as others here but I can tell so far that thinner is better. If you don't get the result you want then add a bit more out of your original container or apply and laser again.

I brush it on for most projects but have a job that will probably use up at least a 50g container and I'll certainly airbrush that on. I just can't see running it through the airbrush for a few small parts.

I think the biggest mistake you can make is to put it on too thick. I think that takes more power and isn't as sharp when you have too much to laser through/into.

Gary

[lynn pacas]

Hello I am new to the group and I am having issues with Cermark also.
I have mixed it 2 to 1 and brushed it on to my product, I read somewhere that it should not rub off mine however does. I engraved it at 15 speed and 95 power with the result of gray where I was expecting black. I purchased LMM 6060. Help Please

[Keith Downing]

Hello I am new to the group and I am having issues with Cermark also.
I have mixed it 2 to 1 and brushed it on to my product, I read somewhere that it should not rub off mine however does. I engraved it at 15 speed and 95 power with the result of gray where I was expecting black. I purchased LMM 6060. Help Please

Hey Lynn, Welcome to SMC. Cermark can be tricky, no doubt about it. I highly recommend you test a good range of settings on your machine. A couple tips that have helped me over the years:

* Clean the metal with DNA before you apply the Cermark
* Let the Cermark dry completely before engraving. Depending on humidity and temperature this may take a few minutes or a few hours.
* Use a decent amount of air to avoid heat buildup during engraving. I like air assist between 20-30psi.
* Try to find a good balance between speed and power that creates consistently good results. On our Boss laser we use 200 mm/s speed and 80% power for most stainless.

As to your question about the Cermark wiping off, that is normal in most cases. From my experience the newer stuff generally dries to a light film.

[Keith Downing]

Oh, and it's not the end of the world, but generally it's best to start a new thread as opposed to commenting on a very old thread. They often contain outdated information, and in some cases the original posters are no longer around to follow up.

In this case you commented on a thread that is just under 12 years old I believe.

[Doug Fisher]

>>I read somewhere that it should not rub off mine<<

The 6000 is the version that adheres well.

[Tony Lenkic]

Lynn,

To offer better solutions please tell us what machine you have.
Results are affected with power and speed setting.
I've never used LM6060. LM6000 works well and does not rub off with handling parts when dried.

[john passek]

I use the spray cans, on some pieces (stainless steel) the cermark flakes off after it has dried, I suspect it is because there is some kind of invisable film coating on the surface of the item.
Or could it be something else.