Speed of Engraving With a Laser Engraving Machine
Laser engraving machines use a powerful beam of light to mark surface areas on a variety of materials. The controller on the machine determines the direction, intensity, spread, and speed of the laser spot as it interacts with the material being marked. The machine uses this focused energy to create durable marks that are human- and machine-readable. Engraving is ideal for improved product identification and tracking, as engraved markings are easy to read and durable even when the products are handled frequently.
To achieve a high-quality result, the laser must first interact with the material in a way that darkens it. This is referred to as material carbonisation and occurs when the beam of light reaches the material surface, vaporising it and creating a dark marking that can be easily read. Some organic materials like wood can be engraved using this method, with the engravings being very clear and legible.
Other materials — such as paper, cardboard and linty papers — can be etched with lower power levels to create an artistic, distressed look. The laser beam also works well on many plastics, with hard engineering and PVC plastics being good examples. Other plastics may be able to be engraved but some types are better suited for other marking methods, such as routing. Some polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics, for example, produce toxic chlorine gas when vaporised and can damage a laser system.
What Is the Average Speed of Engraving With a Laser Engraving Machine?
After the material has been carbonised, it must be processed to remove any residues caused by sublimation. Some metals, for example, leave behind shards and soot that must be removed from the finished product. Depending on the specifics of the project, this process might involve shot blasting or heat treatment.
For more complex work, a laser beam can be guided by the computer to etch patterns on a material. Raster engraving is best for images with a lot of large, continuous engraved areas, such as bold letters or photos. The software used to feed the raster driver on the laser can be identical to a page-layout program; one pixel in the image corresponds to one dot from the laser, so this method is very similar to the way an inkjet printer produces a printed picture.
laser engraving machine can also be programmed to follow a vector pattern, which is based on lines that are etched at different depths. This is suitable for some materials, such as slate, where the engraved lines don’t need to overlap. The line width can be varied by increasing or decreasing the scan interval size. This type of engraving is a common way to give an architectural product a distinctive finish, for instance, or to create a custom-made label. Regardless of the technique, it’s important to make sure that the laser settings are correct for the type of material you’re engraving. Incorrect settings can forge deeper cuts and char the surface of the material, making the markings unreadable. This can be avoided by experimenting with the laser power and speed settings on a sample piece of your chosen material.
