Early in the 1960's scientists discovered, that they could create a light source, focus the energy and have a tool powerful enough to affect a variety of materials. Laser marking is the preferred marking method when aesthetics or permanency is desired. Sometimes laser marking is referred to as laser etching; unlike conventional etching, it needs no masks or chemicals. Etching provides a permanent message on an in-process or finished component
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Like many inventions of recent times, lasers were conceived in a laboratory. Virtually all materials can be laser engraved or laser marked. With advanced software you can laser engrave practically anything including Bar Codes, 2D codes, photographs and company logos and laser engraving of graphite is a clean operation. Think of a laser as a light source that is similar to a light bulb; a light bulb will emit energy all around it.
The ability to laser cut complex profiles can eliminate the need for additional operations, making this type of cutting highly economical. The laser metal cutting option can be added to some of the laser cutting machines. This cutting adds high precision, reduced contamination or warping, and a quality finish to industrial cutting applications.
You can mark most plastics from cattle tags to backlit day and night key switches. Typical industries that use laser marking include promotional, engineering and medical industries. Because no inks are used it is both permanent and the process is kind to the environment.
Some of the items that Co2 lasers and Co2 laser systems can be used include: marking and etching glass or quartz, in the manufacturing of glass doors and windows, for in permanent serial numbering, ANSI safety information, for customer logos, in some decorative or specialty glass manufacturing, in manufacturing data related to plant, production date and line, and/or in part numbers. Laser marking services can be used for many thousands of applications from computer keyboards to promotional gifts. It's flexible, programmable and environmentally clean.
Laser engraving can be used for most of the jobs currently being carried out by industrial engravers. It's also available in most engraving specialty stores because it's now the most common type of engraving.
Laser engraving, cutting and marking is a versatile technology that's being used by many engravers to improve productivity, add more services to their customers and increase profits. Engraving metal uses the most power especially if the metal is a hard metal. There are no consumables to contend with so operating costs are minimal, and the laser machine and system, if properly exhausted, runs clean, so that costly cleanup or by product disposal is unnecessary.
Deeming a laser engraving machine as adding 'sophistication' to any design a company produces would be a fair assumption. Laser engraving is a relatively new technology that has not been around for very long. Already its' reputation within the industry as a clean and accurate designing method is well-known. 2-D and 3-D engraving is created of a higher quality and standard through laser cutting and etching, and the development of high standard laser engraving machines has followed on from this.
A good place to start when searching for quality laser equipment would be to look at the Epilog company website. You can find that the equipment for laser engravers comes in a three tier range, starting from a starter series to a more mass-scale production line at the Fiber Mark level. The Starter series fits perfectly for both high-level recreational, meaning engraving ones' own accessories, or for a business in its' first steps of existence. The quality of function for this series is by no means low-quality, it is simply the level of production, size, and range of materials that the equipment can efficiently cut and engrave upon. They traditionally cut acrylic or wood materials but are able to also cut marble or glass.
The second series allows for higher definition of quality but again range of materials it is able to cut should be well researched depending on the needs of the company or individual. The top of the range Fiber Series can cut and engrave metals of almost all kinds and is available for companies with a high production output.
These laser etching devices can be easily made compatible with any computer, or is freely compatible with already exiting software such as CoralDRAW or any ADOBE design program installed in most computers. If not, the laser engraving machine will come with a software which can just as easily be installed and navigated.
The cost for these laser engraving machines is a cost to be carefully considered but the profitability once a purchase is Wainlux laser engraving machine made is not often one to be argued. The quality that any laser engraving machine brings is second to none. Cost wise, a high standard machine could come at anywhere between 60,000 to 70,000 dollars, while the lower range will usually cost around 10,000 to 12,000 dollars.
Of course, as with any engraving machine, not just laser, the equipment will come with not only a guarantee, but also with technical assistance, meaning any laser engraving device, regardless of its particulars, will not be much of a gamble.