Some More Laser Basics

You have looked around a little bit and this whole "laser engraving" thing sounds interesting. What do you need to know to decide if this is the right road for you? (BTW, yes, we know that some of this is a bit repetitive, but the repeats should be useful in this discussion)

First, let's talk about some of the basics. With what materials do you want to work? Do you want to work with wood, plastics and acrylics, glass, marble, leather, and a long list of organic materials? If so, then CO2 lasers are the road for you. The wavelength of light that is created for the CO2 laser beam is friendly to many materials, most of which are organic in nature. If you want to work with metal, you need to know, is it coated or bare metal? I you have a bare metal, you'll most often look at Fiber lasers. The Fiber wavelength is friendly to many metals and you can engrave (more on this in a moment) directly in or on the metal without a solution. If you will work with coated metal (anodized, painted, screen printed, powder coated, etc) most will gravitate to the CO2 lasers although Fibers will also work in many cases. Again, there are some notable exceptions to these comments. CO2 lasers can work with bare metal but in most cases the power needed is quite high, say 400 watts or so, or you'll need to use a marking solution. Sometimes Fiber lasers can work with plastics or coated metals. Ultimately, let your sales professional give you their best advice on what format will be best for the material you need to laser.

The next step is figuring out, what do you want to do with a laser? To help you start this thought process, let's do a little work on terminology. Generally, but certainly not always, "Engraving" means using the laser beam to burn in to a material to achieve a desired depth and contrast. "Cutting" is usually the term used when someone wants to use the laser to burn completely through material resulting in a piece that falls out of the original part. "Marking" is a term that usually refers to, in some way, creating a nearly smooth surface image on your part. So, with that, do you want to Engrave, Cut or Mark materials?

Third, you'll want to look at some estimated production details. How many pieces of a product do you expect to produce in a specific amount of time? In many cases the power of your laser tube will dictate the speed at which you can produce product. A low power laser (25-35 watts) does much the same thing that a high powered laser (75-120watts) does, it just does the job(s) slower. You need to have an educated guess as to your daily production level so that you do not buy a laser that is incapable of reaching said level. Next, you need to know what the largest single sized piece is that will go in to your laser. Yes, that means length and width, but don't forget height or diameter. If you are working with a 12x24 laser table and you need to decorate a 16x20 cabinet door, you will likely find that to be difficult, if not impossible. Also, if you have a rotary attachment, be sure that the Z-axis clearance allows you room to engrave the largest diameter piece that you expect to use. Or, if you need to engrave a "tall" item such as a jewelry box or knife block, be sure you have the clearance. As mentioned in a previous post, there is no doubt at all that the most common complaint we hear after someone buys a laser is, "I wish I had bought _____" with the blank being filled in by "more power" or "a larger table". In some instances you can upgrade the power of your laser tube but there's no way to make your table bigger. Be sure, to the best of your ability, you purchase the right laser when you are first shopping.

Next, investigate the options available. Some accessories can be purchased at any time. The rotary attachment, for instance, is something that you can buy when you purchase your laser or at any time down the road. However, the Dual Head option is something that needs to be installed at the factory when your laser is being built. Look carefully in to your options and understand where you have flexibility and where you need to decide before placing your order.

Fifth, where are you going to put your laser? Is it going in to an established workshop? In to your home? In to a mall kiosk? Knowing this will help you select other components. As an example, if you are in a workshop, you'll probably have no trouble using an exhaust fan and blowing the residue and odor created by the laser engraving to the out doors. If you're in a mall or if you travel and do craft shows, you may not have this option and then you'll need to look at filtration equipment. Understand your environment and select an air evacuation method that works best for your situation. Also in this paragraph we should look at the computer. How many people need to print to the laser? Where will your computer(s) be placed and how will you hook up to the laser? If you will have only one workstation and it will be close to the laser, then you don't really have too much to worry about. You'll hook up to your laser with a short cable (USB or Ethernet) that creates direct communication. If you have several people who need the ability to send jobs to the laser, you will need to work with a network. Hook the laser in to a hub and then you can have an unlimited number of computers that can send job files to the laser. Keep in mind that this can be a bad thing as inexperienced workers can send art files that are not properly configured to your laser. Sometimes this is only an annoyance but other times it can cause havoc in your laser if a poorly constructed file is run.

Finally, we should look at the work area around your laser. Do you have enough lighting to clearly see your finished products? If not, how can you properly clean, assemble and package your products? Do you have enough table space to do those same tasks? It can be a real headache to try and clean parts if you don't have a decent amount of elbow room. Do you have storage areas near your laser? You'll need somewhere to put your rotary attachment, cutting table and extra lenses as well as your masking tapes, cleaning solutions, tools, etc. A good amount of cabinet or shelf space is never something that you'll regret.

So, this will complete my thoughts for today, I hope you find them helpful as you think about a potential laser purchase.