Hi all,
A friend and I are wanting to etch our logo onto polished stainless containers about 3.5" tall and 2.5" wide. We were told there is an attachment to do round objects in the laser and a fluid we must apply before etching. Does anyone have experience or know if we would have a problem doing etching onto the shiny polished stainless? Any other tips or info is welcome.
Thank You!
I’m sure someone from team laser will chime in, but the quick answer is YES, there is a Rotary attachment for using the laser on cylinders. There are also many braces for different sized items to use.
For stainless, you would use something like Cermark, which is available, however there is a process for using it. You spray this on, then laser your image onto it. The laser fuses the cermark to the stainless, while the rest washes away.
That’s the quick answer.
Look for the Laser 201 class on the rotary attachment to learn the process.
Depending on the shape of the container, you might need to design/implement/jury-rig an attachment for the rotary attachment to use in rotating the part while etching.
Another option (especially if the part has cylindrical sides) is to man a vinyl stencil and electo-etch the logo into the steel using 12V electricity, vinegar, and salt water.
Side note on this thread, I heard the rotary attachment may not be working properly right now. The teacher of that class is looking into it.
Please confirm this info, I believe the lasers etch a coating off, I don’t think they etch actual metal
Correct. The laser removes the anodization.
However, you can use CerMark to use the laser to make a black “etch” on metal. It doesn’t actually etch but it does show up.
I’ve used electro-etching with a car charger and it works pretty well.
I don’t think he’s talking about doing this at DMS.
Thank you all for the info. We are waiting for the next Laser 101 or other Laser class to attend. So far the ones we could make it to are full. I plan to keep checking back to get a spot in the future.
Is there anyone who has taken the laser classes required to use the lasers that we could work with (compensate) to test to see if the laser will etch onto our stainless container? Thanks in advance.
@RobertCarlton
Our lasers do not etch metal.
As noted above, we do have a product called Cermark. This is sprayed on the surface. The laser permanently bonds the Cermark to the stainless steel. The end product is a matte black coating. High detail is possible.
Side note:
Rotary attachment is not working. I have cancelled tonight’s class.
Note that Cermark doesn’t remove material like etching - it bonds material to the metal surface. The lasers we have are not capable of cutting/etching/removing metal at all.
Thanks, understood. Do we need to take laser 101 before attending the other laser classes?
Yes, take laser 101 which is taught very often, then you can sign up for 201 on the rotary, once it is operational. 101 gives you access to use the lasers.