I have a glass and window business and came across a laser machine at a trade show and was immediately sold. Have had our machine for about 6 mo. now and am getting pretty good. We bought it for doing custom shower doors and storefront type glass. But in the mean time our bread and butter has been the small pieces of marble, glass, tile, etc. The big pieces (of glass) I’ve done have taken up to 10 hours. So pricing accordingly sort of scares me at the moment.
I have a few questions to start, if I may. In regards to pricing, I have checked numerous websites and think I am in the ballpark, but would like some opinions. For example 6″ x 6″ $65.00. 8.5 x 11 $125.00 (glass or marble). Some websites are more and some seem to give it away.
Another question, I’ve received a few ideas about pre treating glass before engraving (such as dish soap), but does anyone have any other input in this regards? And it sure is hard to get “an even layer” on a 4′ x 5′ piece.
Lastly, about doing the face side of mirror. Is it safe? I have heard rumor that lasering the front side could reflect the laser back to itself and be destructive to the laser. We do the back of mirrors all the time with great results.
I guess I had never heard that about mirror fronts I have had my laser for over a year and have done close to 150 mirrors on the front they turn out very good the first one I did I did with the rep standing next to me during my training. He never said not to do the front in fact I believe I was told it was OK. As for price that really depends on area my market won’t pay quite that much while I know others that charge, and get more. I have to charge less for glass then I can charge for marble or wood. As for small glass sheets I lay them on a damp paper towel. I have never had a glass peace crack.
I was glancing through the archives and when I saw this I had a thought. Instead of strictly using the laser to etch the doors (or large glass pieces), why not use it to cut large stencils that take the initial time up and then you can use them over and over with more traditional methods of etching like chemicals? You would end up with faster turn around on the big pieces (for your costs) and you would have a ready library of stencils for potential customers to see full size and be ready to work up for them. Just a thought.
Yeh , you can do that , however you have problems with insides of letters and any fine detials which cant be weeded. We do do etching using a laser but apply the mask to the material beforehand, ablate it with the laser , sandblast the piece to clear any lasered residues and then use hot ferric sprays or etchants like hydrofluric acid (for glass). We alos often apply polyester films to glass , laser ablate em and then blast and we get some EXCEPTIONALLY fine detail. Chemical etching requires extremely good adhesion at the edges of the ablated sections, especially if you use stuff like ferric chloride on metals. It is far cheaper to vinyl cut masks and use an application tape to apply it than to use laser friendly vinyls or other resists if the lettering or detial is weedable. You also have to cut a stencil for EVERY job. For production work, one generally makes a screen and screens either an acid resist on the workpiece or a soft rubber ground (for blasting) and this is VERY cheap and VERY fast for large amounts of the same item. The biggest problem with tough masks and resists is removal after the etch. Acid resist inks dissolve in alkalis and are very easy to remove, varnishes and solvent dissolvable grounds are also easy. Worst is polyester vinyl that is laser friendly.
What sort of polyester film?
Shiny mirror vinyls are all mostly polyester.