Being new in the engraving business and wondering about what more can I engrave. I would like to know if a laser engraver (25watts) can engrave metal, like brass, gold plated metal, aluminum, etc. I know a rotary system looks good but can a laser? Do I need to do something to the metal before laser engraving it? Some people are asking me for photos on their dog tags and other jewelry. Does anyone have some answers to my question? Also, I need a manufacturer of professsional looking (finished) metal blanks that I can engrave. Any websites out there? I’ve looked and can’t seem to find any.
I’m pretty new to the business too, but I believe in order to engrave on any non-coated metal you’ll need something like Cermark in order to make any kind of mark. I’ve not tried it yet, but from what I understand you spray it on the metal, engrave, and wipe the piece off leaving a black mark where you lasered. Try www.laserbits.com for “Cermarkables” and Cermark.
We’ve been engraving metal (stainless steel and steel mostly) for about 5 years now. You do have to use Cerdec or TherMark for pre-treatment prior to engraving. Soft metals (copper, brass, & aluminum) will not mark with either of these materials. The rule of thumb is the harder the material, the better it marks.
When you do stainless steel, make sure it is uncoated metal.
For the photos on polished metals you’ll need an impact engraver. Roland has a model for about 2,500 bucks. I saw one at a trade show a couple weeks ago and the results are pretty impressive.
So what your saying is that I cannot laser engrave brass, copper, gold, etc. if the metal is a soft type. Wonder why this is?
The coatings that you use for marking steel (cerdex) is a combination of iron powder suspended in clay. Iron and soft metals do not bond well. Metal can be engraved with a YAG laser, but it is an investment of about $51,000 from Trotec.