CO2 Laser Engraving
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If you have read more posts you probably have noticed I am a big believer of the benefits of the laser engraving system. You can engrave,cut, etch many different materials easily with laser. But the nature of laser vary as well. One of the most utilized laser is the CO2 Laser. So as you can easily realize engraving materials with a CO2 based laser is CO2 Laser engraving.
Carbon dioxide is an atmospheric gas comprised of one carbon and two oxygen atoms. A very widely known chemical compound, it is frequently called by its formula CO2. In its solid state, it is commonly known as dry ice. The carbon dioxide laser (CO2 laser) was one of the earliest lasers to be developed (invented by Kumar Patel of Bell Labs in 1964), and is still one of the most useful. Carbon dioxide lasers are the highest power continuous wave lasers that are currently available.
Due to CO2 lasers operate in the infrared zone, especial materials are necessary for their construction. Typically, the mirrors are made of coated silicon, molybdenum, or gold, while windows and lenses are made of either germanium or zinc selenide. For high power applications, gold mirrors and zinc selenide windows and lenses are preferred. Historically, lenses and windows were made out of salt (either sodium chloride or potassium chloride). While the material was inexpensive, the lenses and windows degraded slowly with exposure to atmospheric moisture.
Laser operation occurs when a medium (in our case CO2) is excited within a chamber. You can find models with chambers formed by sealed metal tubes. This light is focused to a small, intense beam that may be used for cutting or “writing” on variety of materials. Lasers function as components within a system and are commonly used in such applications as Engraving, Cutting, Marking and even 3D Prototyping.
Lasers are precision tools. A laser never comes into contact with the material it is working on – only its beam does. With focused spots as small as .002″ possible, damage commonly caused by mechanical machines – touching, dragging or tearing a material’s surface – is totally avoided.
Engraving Marble With Laser
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Marble is another material suitable for laser engraving.
Marble is a metamorphic rock resulting from the metamorphism of limestone, composed mostly of calcite (a crystalline form of calcium carbonate, CaCO3). It is extensively used for sculpture, as a building material, and in many other applications. The word ‘marble’ is colloquially used to refer to many other stones that are capable of taking a high polish.
Marble is a metamorphic rock resulting from regional or at times contact metamorphism of sedimentary carbonate rocks, either limestone or dolostone. This metamorphic process causes a complete recrystallization of the original rock into an interlocking mosaic of calcite and/or dolomite crystals. The temperatures and pressures necessary to form marble usually destroy any fossils and sedimentary textures present in the original rock.
Marble is a natural product and no two pieces are alike. The variations in color and pattern are always considered natural and give each piece of marble a unique beauty. Prism Marble is designed to make the ultimate corporate statement and to make a lasting impression. Each piece of Prism Marble is hand crafted and polished; as a result, slight variations in size and shape are considered acceptable. All items can be personalized using sandblasting. However, color filling is highly recommended to present a nice contrast in the engraved area.
One of the most common uses of laser engraved marble is as gravestone. A headstone, tombstone or gravestone is a marker, normally carved from stone, placed over or next to the site of a burial in a cemetery or elsewhere. Modern gravestones may include framed photographs of the deceased; photographic images or artwork (showing the loved one, or some other image relevant to their life, interests or achievements) These elements can now be laser engraved onto smooth marble surfaces.
laser engraving machine
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A Laser engraving machine is an industrial device especifically designed to engrave many materials. We can find many different engraving machines in the market. But now that the laser industry has achieve more notoriety and has improved its technology, laser industrial machines are a must.
If you are thinking about purchasing one of this kind of devices, you must consider many factors. The best family of laser engraving machines on the market are completely useless if you do not accompany these machines with proper and powerful software drivers. As you can notice, you must find the best combination of hardware and software to implement the more suitable engraving system to your needs.
If you are in the middle of laser engraving machine selection process you definitively must consider the following points and technical features.
- True 3D Engraving
- Auto Focus
- Pass-thru Ability
- Automatic Vector Sorting
- Air Assist
- Intelligent Rubber Stamp Engraving
- Upgradeable Laser Tubes
- Multiple or single job selection
- Linear Motion DC servo Control System
- Cutting Thickness