Essential Tips To Consider For Engraving Laminates

Laser machines have come a long way to prove themselves as immeasurably helpful tools for engravers, manufacturing companies, and retailers. Although there is a spectrum of materials that can be engraved with the help of a laser, there are some considerations and adjustments you would have to make while engraving certain surfaces. Listed below are some techniques that would be instrumental in the procedure for carving laminated shells.

Soft Focus

If, in case, you have the job of conducting a reverse engraving of the given materials, you can consider making a second pass with a soft focus that would facilitate the creation of a supple glass-like finish for the end product. For this, you would have to focus your laser beam on the material’s surface and let the first raster pass. After that, you would have to reduce the laser out of the focal point by 0.5 millimeters to run for the second pass.

Bottom-up Engraving

You can use your laser to start engraving from the bottom of the material instead of the usual orientation. This simple reversal of the procedure would eventually lessen the generation of residue produced in the duration of the process over the surface of the already engraved material. In addition, this would provide a solution for the residue being re-deposited on the heated core of the material, thereby making it incredibly difficult to clean afterward.

PPI or Resolution

If you can reduce the number of pulse firings per inch, especially in engraving comparatively larger text or objects, it would help you retain the cooler temperature of the material on which the engraving is being done. In addition, make sure that you set your PPI at around 500 to facilitate the photo engraving process to decrease the so-called branding effect, which is a common problem that can be found throughout the process of fabrication.

Color Contrasting

One of the primary problems one faces while dealing with white core colors and comparatively darker top colors is achieving distinctively sharp, white engraving on the product’s surface. Here again, the previously mentioned bottom-up engraving technique would assist you in minimizing the redistribution of the pigmented residue that can form over the white surface. However, to achieve this, you must increase the power in 5% increments and conduct multiple processes to generate an end product that would align with your preferences.

Vector Cutting

If you can make use of protecting masking in the place where you would be conducting vector cuts, it is recommended that you implement this technique into the procedure. The integration of this technique would assist you in reducing the generated residue, helping you minimize the efforts required in a cleanup. For this to materialize, you have to ensure that the device’s laser beam is placed in such a manner as to focus on cleaner and smoother cuts.

Air Assist

This procedure is habitually taught in vector cutting applications to get rid of the heat and combustible gases that can be emitted from the cutting of the surface. This is done by channelizing a steady stream of air across the surface that is being cut to minimize potential framing or scorching. If you happen to require custom laser cutting and engraving services, you can solicit the services of IPPL Laser Technology & Capabilities.