Featured! Laser engraving ten common problems

For long-term use of laser engraving machine industry, or DIY enthusiasts, in contact with the laser engraving will always be more or less encounter some problems. For different materials, the parameters of laser engraving and the use of different methods. So, how to adjust these, in order to achieve the desired results? This issue brings you the top ten common questions about laser engraving, for different materials and machine use to give you advice.

1. About solid wood, hardwood, some of the engraving recommendations.

In the engraving of hardwood we recommend covering the surface of the wood, which can reduce the residue penetration into the engraving area, easy to clean.

Use the ‘bottom-up’ engraving mode. In the laser software we use, RDwork, it is possible to change the working mode of the laser head, allowing you to engrave from bottom to top instead of the usual top to bottom. This has the advantage of minimising smoke and debris being pulled into the engraving area as the laser head moves.

Once you're done engraving, use some glue remover to clean it up a bit. This is because the gum in hardwoods will blacken when burned at high temperatures.

2.Is it really possible to engrave glass? What are the tips?

The first thing to know is that not all glass is flat. Whilst you may think you need to buy some more expensive and higher grade glass to get better results, this is not actually the case. We have many customers who use wholesaler's glassware for engraving, but the engraving results can be great.

We have some advice for you about engraved glass:

• Use a lower resolution, about as little as 300 DPI to get better results;
• Change the black in the graphic to 80% black, this will improve the quality of the engraving.
• We have found that laying a damp paper towel over the glass helps to dissipate heat and improve the quality of the engraving, but make sure this paper is not creased.
• Use your fingers or a paper towel to apply a thin layer of soap to the area to be engraved, this also helps to dissipate heat.
• Polishing the engraved area with ScotchBrite or a similar item to remove glass chips.

3.What do I need to know about engraving on plywood (tricot) or balsa?

This material is better suited for applications in cutting rather than engraving because plywood can be uneven in texture and have different layers of glue in it. And when you are going to carve on it, the material matters a lot, unevenness, or a particularly high or low amount of glue can affect the carving results. Of course if you find a better quality plywood, the carving will still look great, like a woodcut.

4. I want to expand my business to include leather, will this be difficult?

Laser engraving or cutting leather is fine, and we also have many customers in this industry, want to customise wallets, handbags logo.

5.What is the best setting for engraving faux leather?

This will depend on your machine and wattage, but you can find the laser parameter table on Fineworkcnc Laser's website where to download. If in doubt, you can test it yourself starting from a relatively high speed and low power. Because of this, as long as you don't move your material, you can engrave again until you get the results you want.

6. I hate wasting material. Are there any cooler projects that a laser engraver can do with waste material?

Using scrap is a great idea, not only to create new projects, but also to use scrap to test out more challenging engravings, such as photographs. We've seen a lot of customers using scrap to create all sorts of things such as small acrylic illuminated signs, jewellery, labels and more.

7. I have an Apple computer, can I use my Fineworkcnc laser engraver?

Our system can run Windows based design software, most of our customers choose CAD and CorelDRAW. MAC computers cannot connect directly to our system, but you can use our machine by installing a virtual machine to run windows.

8. How do I properly maintain my machine? How often should I clean my Nova35 or Nova24?

Thundelaser provides a maintenance plan which lists the items to perform maintenance on and how often to perform it, as detailed in our user manual. The most important maintenance items: one is the cleaning of the machine; the second is the cleaning of the optics. Cleaning the optics helps ensure that the laser produces the most accurate engraving and cutting results.

9. Can I use the laser engraver for my investment in the garment industry?

That's for sure. Fineworkcnc Laser's machines can cut and directly engrave all kinds of textiles. We have many users engraving jeans, cut-out fabrics and more.