The standard CO2 lasers that are used for engraving today won’t work on metal, but yet people see engraved metal all over the place, all the time.
The reason behind that is the YAG laser. It can do a lot of things that the CO2 laser just can’t handle. However, it’s not good for acrylics and other applications. Unless you’re going to be engraving a lot of metal, an investment in the YAG laser probably isn’t a good one.
Brass, brass plated steel, aluminum, and anodized aluminum are some of the most common metals that are engraved with a laser, and they’re all different so they have to be handled differently, as well. In addition, gold and silver and other metals can be engraved, too. Once again, be sure what metal you’re engraving before you start, because different metals require different techniques, and mistakes can be costly.
Tags: engraving metal, metal
November 12th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
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