Applying Cermark: Thickness, Consistency, Too Thick?

[Gary Gilbert]

Hi folks,

I used some Cermark for the first time yesterday - diluted about 1:1 with denatured alcohol.

Can it be too thick?
Is there a guide for applying this consistently?
Do you think spraying is the best method?

I applied to stainless steel and it looked incredible. It's fantastic.

However, on Aluminum, it didn't adhere very well. I'm concerned that aluminum is a better heat sink and might adversely affect application. Or maybe I applied it too thick?

Any advice or thoughts on this?
Maybe pointers to articles, etc.?

Thanks,

Gary

[Wil Lambert]

Cermark is best sprayed on very thin.Thinner than you would think. I can see the metal below the Cermark when applied. For aluminum it will work but you have to slow down the laser. Aluminum will "soak" up the heat better than stainless. You have to compensate for this.

Hope this helps,
Wil

[Joe Pelonio]

I agree with Will, and I find an airbrush to be the best way to apply it.

[Tracey Bakewell]

I've had many replies on this topic in the past from this forum, this place is great! I've diluted and diluted, and used a spray on method as well. Just enough to get a nice even opaque coat.

As far as aluminum, it's not come out as nice as the stainless does. I've actually had better luck, running the laser first on raw aluminum, then using a nice paint brush, and brushing on a thin layer of cermark, then run the laser again. I usually have taped down the item so when I paint on the aluminum I don't move the object.

[Mike Null]

Gary

This has come up many times. If you do a search on Cermark/Thermark
you'll turn up quite a bit of info.

[Mark Winlund]

As far as aluminum, it's not come out as nice as the stainless does. I've actually had better luck, running the laser first on raw aluminum, then using a nice paint brush, and brushing on a thin layer of cermark, then run the laser again. I usually have taped down the item so when I paint on the aluminum I don't move the object.

I have had pretty good luck doing steel this way (not stainless). I had to do some machinist tools that were tool steel, and a coat of lacquer, engrave, apply cermark, engrave again. Without the lacquer, the steel would turn dark all over from a chemical reaction with the cermark.

Mark

[Sean Weir]

Hello Gary,

To try to answer your questions:

Yes, it can be applied too thick. If it is too thick you will have difficulty getting it to bond to the substrate. Try to apply as thin a coat as possible, only enough to hide the surface of the metal underneath. We recommend spraying to get an even, consistent coating. Airbrushes work extremely well, and there is very little overspray.

CerMark should work well on aluminum too, but you have hit the nail right on the head, aluminum is a better heat sink! It will tend to soak the heat away from the marking spot. You'll need to compensate by slowing down your writing speed or increasing the DPI. You may even need to do both if the part is very thick, or if your laser is 3o watts or less. On our 45 watt we run at 100% power and about 5% speed when marking .020 inch thick aluminum tags.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions!

Sean