How To Understand Laser Engraving

Engraving with a laser is actually a simple process. A laser is merely a tool. Laser can engrave most materials today. The most popular materials in the engraving fields are coated metals, wood, acrylic, glass, leather, marble, plastic, and a host of synthetic materials made specifically for lasers. Although it's confusing sometimes laser marking is referred to as laser etching. Unlike conventional etching, laser etching simply needs no masks or chemicals.

It was back in the early 1960's when scientists first discovered, that they could create a light source, focus the energy and have a tool powerful enough to affect certain materials. Laser marking is the favored marking method when permanency or aesthetics are needed. It didn't take very long for the engraving industry to notice lasers and soon lasers were being used for a wide variety of industrial applications including welding, heat-treating, etching and engraving.

If you think of a laser as a light source similar to a light bulb you'll know that a light bulb will emit energy out all around it. And the term laser etching is basically just another name for laser engraving.

The ability to laser cut complex profiles can eliminate the need for additional operations, making laser cutting very economical. And laser cutting offers a superior cut-edge quality with parallel sides and with no burrs. Laser cutting adds high precision, reduced contamination or warping, and a good quality finish to industrial cutting applications.

The laser metal cutting option can be added to some of the laser cutting machines. A laser works very well for the cutting of acrylic (Plexiglas), PETG, thin polycarbonates (Mylar), styrene expanded PVC (Sintra), wood, paper and fabric.

You can easily laser mark in batches of anything from 1 to 10,000. Co2 lasers can provide excellent results for the marking of glass and also provide significant reductions in operating costs and the cost of supplies. Laser marking is also preferred when the part to be marked is too small or has too complex of a shape to be marked with anything but laser etching.

The typical industries that use laser marking include the promotional, engineering and medical industries. To review, laser marking is a process in which material is indelibly marked at very fast speeds (milliseconds per character). The laser marking of glass by Co2 lasers on the fly or while moving can be an excellent addition today for many industrial environments and applications for glass marking.

Also you nay have seen some of the kiosks in malls and specialty stores for laser engraving services because it's now the most common type of engraving. Quite a few companies today make laser engraving machines, laser marking systems and laser etching equipment.

Laser engraving can be used for most of the jobs currently being carried out by the conventional industrial engravers. Of the many items being engraved by lasers today, iPods and laptops rank among the highest in the consumer marketplace. And the laser engraving of metal uses the most power especially if the metal is of the harder type.

For more information on laser engraving and laser engraving machines, laser marking, laser etching and laser cutting go to http://www.EngravingLaser.net for tips, help, facts, free resources, including information on all types of laser engraving

Easy Guide To Laser Engraving

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

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.

For more information on laser engraving and laser engraving machines, laser marking, laser etching and laser cutting go to http://www.EngravingLaser.net for tips, help, facts, free resources, including information on all types of laser engraving

Custom Engraved Dog Tags: Laser Engraving Explained

Two types of custom dog tags are being used by many types of businesses and individuals for promotional purposes: authentic military dog tags and military “style” dog tags. From wedding and party favors to tradeshows and conferences personalized dog tags are gaining in popularity. Authentic military dog tags are embossed, a process involving letters, numbers and some special characters being stamped into the metal giving the text a raised look. These tags are made from stainless steel and feature a rolled edge. Embossed stainless steel dog tags have been used by the U.S. armed forces since WWI. Military style dog tags are made from anodized aluminum and lack the rolled edge. These dog tags are personalized using a method known as laser engraving to reproduce text as well as logos on one or both sides. Whereas authentic military dog tags are typically produced in silver or brass, military style engraved dog tags are available in a wide variety of aluminum colors (i.e. black, blue, red, green, purple, gold etc.). Both styles of custom dog tags can be outfitted with rubber dog tag silencers as well as neck chains or split rings for keys. Other less common customizing methods for personalizing dog tags include pad printing and full color process printing. Both of these methods are capable of reproducing designs in one or more colors whereas laser engraved designs show up bright white. This article is concerned with the process of laser engraving to produce custom engraved dog tags.

LASER is Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. A process when applied to anodized aluminum and other materials produces a permanent mark that won’t rub or scratch off. Laser engraving is a superior marking process to conventional screen printing and pad printing which wears off over time. Laser engraved dog tags will keep your name, logo or message visible at all times…a clear advantage for a promotional product.

Laser engraving produces custom dog tags by removing the colored anodized coating exposing the raw aluminum beneath the surface. The process of anodization is used to produces a durable coating on the metal which can also be of a certain color. In addition to colorizing the metal it also serves to protect the surface from becoming weathered and scratched.

So how does a laser work it’s magic to produce custom engraved dog tags? There are two types of laser engraving systems being used to customize dog tags: CO2 systems and Nd:YAG systems. To engrave, both systems focus a beam of high intensity light through a lens. This high-powered focused beam of light has enough energy to vaporize the anodized coating exposing the aluminum beneath the surface thus producing a visible mark on the material. A CO2 system manages the forming of the image much like a conventional dot matrix printer scanning left to right as it moves down “through the image” while pulsing it’s vaporizing beam onto the material. The Nd:YAG laser system achieves the surface image by steering the beam of light through a lens by means of mirrors controlled by a computer.

When it comes to producing engraved dog tags both systems are not equal. The much slower CO2 system produces marks of varying quality depending on the product color (anodized coating) being marked. Quality is defined in terms of brightness of the mark. The brighter the better. A high quality laser engraved mark appears bright white no matter what the color of the material. With CO2 systems, some marks take on the color tint of the material being marked resulting in a less desirable looking image. Trouble colors include red, blue and black. Rarely, if ever will a CO2 laser produce a bright white mark on custom dog tags of these colors. Take home message: when placing an order for laser engraved dog tags always inquire about the equipment being used. If it’s a CO2 laser you can expect that your image on some colors will not look very attractive (for example it will look pink on red, light blue on blue and grey on black colored products). A more consistent and higher quality engraved dog tags is achieved with Nd:YAG laser systems. In addition to producing the desired bright white mark that screams quality, Nd:YAG lasers are much faster than CO2 lasers resulting in lower run-time costs and savings for you. Custom laser engraved dog tags personalized with names, logos and messages are promotional products that will sure to make a great first and lasting impression on the recipient.

Visit www.dogtagsinc.com for a complete selection of wholesale custom dog tags from authentic military and engraved dog tags to full color imprinted, blanks, dog tag supplies and dog tag making machines all offered at the absolute lowest wholesale prices.

Scott Shenkel has been in business since 1991. His company RMG Accesssory Gear specializes in the manufacturing and custom imprinting of functional and unique promotional items for both business and individuals. On-line since 1999 with, Scott’s online business continues to grow through the development of a diverse range of product and informational based websites from custom engraved keychains (http://www.keychainsinc.com) to lanyards (http://www.justlanyards.com). He attributes his online success to offering great customer care along with superior product quality and selection at the guaranteed lowest wholesale prices.