Whether you are customizing dog tags or glasses, having a stainless steel fiber laser engraving machine can expand your product line to include personalized items while expanding the customization range of products.
Before you start laser etching stainless steel, here are ten basic tips for marking stainless steel.
Can stainless steel be laser carved?
Yes, stainless steel can not only be laser carved but also is a very fine and durable design material. From stainless steel glasses, jewelry, tools, and even custom logos, the right desktop laser engraver machine opens up a new world of projects, products, and potential!
What is the best laser for etching stainless steel?
The best stainless steel desktop laser engraver machine is a fiber laser engraving machine. This is due to the wavelength of the fiber laser, which is particularly suitable for engraving metals such as stainless steel, and provides deeper engraving and more pronounced and lasting marks in the material.
Six skills of stainless steel laser engraving
Start with small projects.
If you are just starting with a stainless steel desktop laser engraver, then taking on a small project is a great opportunity to find the right setup for your laser engraving machine. This can start with a small piece of scrap or something more complex, such as a stainless steel business card. This will allow you to fine-tune laser engraving stainless steel Settings such as speed, power, and focal length.
Play laser Settings.
If your test subject looks less than ideal, you may want to try out these Settings for the best results. Sometimes, the laser power may be too high, resulting in blurred engraving. If this happens, reduce the power until the mark becomes clear.
Other times, you may experience banding problems - a problem that leaves lines in the material and destroys the mark. This can usually be corrected by simply adjusting the focus setting until the lines disappear.
Make sure your focusing lens is clean.
Debris or contaminants in the lens can cause problems with engraving. Notice changes in the etching such as unclear images, lines, or other unwanted details. This may be due to dust or other particles affecting the lens. You can fix this problem by cleaning your focusing lens with a microfiber cloth or lens cleaning paper and solution.
Prepare stainless steel.
Just as your focus lens should be clear, you should also make sure your stainless steel surface is clean before carving. The original paper allows for more accurate and precise engraving. Clean the stainless steel with a cleaning solution to ensure that the surface is free of dust, grease, or other contaminants.
Clean the finished product.
After you have finished sculpting your stainless steel product, you may notice some discoloration or dark areas. Just use a cleaner to remove dark spots in seconds and leave your finished product sparkling! You can use an all-purpose cleaner, degreaser, or spot remover to polish your stainless steel carving.
Mark the appropriate focal length for different items.
If you are using a fiber marking machine to laser engrave stainless steel items in 2D and 3D, you should consider the focal height of the different objects marked. OMTech user Kristina from Kristhecreative uses tape to mark the best height for glasses and 2D objects on her fiber desktop laser engraver machine. This allows her to easily adjust the laser's Settings every time she switches items!