Laser Engraver

Are these any good for PCBs and front panels?? They seem to be reasonably priced:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HIGH-PRECISE-AND-HIGH-SPEED-USB-CO2-LASER-ENGRAVER-ENGRAVING-CUTTING-MACHINE-i6-/260879170860?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3cbd9c3d2c#ht_13962wt_1185

Cheers

IAn

I don't see why not...

Like all things in life, you get what you pay for.

Maybe ask the seller to send you a sample of the machines output to see if it's precise enough for your needs.

Regards

Paul

Most regular lasers only reflect off copper or so I've read.

From all I've read...the chinese machines are hit or miss when they come straight from china. The ones that people are happy with are ones that a reseller has bought, tested and upgraded.

BTW, you won't fit a front panel in that model.

This would not work for PCBs, but might work for engraving anodized aluminum.  Gemini is correct, I've actually tried doing a PCB on a much larger, maybe more (certainly not less) powerful machine.  At full blast it didn't even leave a mark on the copper.  Too reflective. Same machine would not cut any metal, it's mostly used for cutting MDF, acrylic, that sort of thing.

Igor has posted that he has a laser rig he made from some kind of dental laser or something. 

And Chae engraves for people here (and elsewhere I'd guess). 

Maybe they'll chime in.

anyway, there are lots of plans for CNC routers online, I would think a CNC laser engraver would be easier, assuming you could source the laser, due to the fact there are lower physical strength requirements on the machine. 

I think it's the wavelength rather than the power that matters for etching copper... (I want to say maybe a green laser-without googling it right now)

To cut through copper you will need much more powerful YAG* (I am not sure if any CO2 would be powerful enough to be able to leave even a mark on metal). To make PCBs you will need to remove lots of material, so it will be extremely slow and inefficient process, which will leave burning marks on phenolic. Real mess! It is just not right machine for the task--you'd be much better with a CNC router.

*That's beside the point for the price of the YAG you will get a life supply of PCB's made in professional facilities, and still left some dough for a bunch of real good whisky, wine, theater tickets, or whatever you prefer, to enjoy your evenings.

Best, M 

I've thought about asking if my local engraver would let me try etching some thick black paint off of a copper sheet. But I don't think they know enough about using the machine to be able to cleanly remove all the paint, or if it's even possible.

Then it's just a matter of etching with chemicals, and your "toner transfer" is laser precise.

gemini86 said:

I've thought about asking if my local engraver would let me try etching some thick black paint off of a copper sheet. But I don't think they know enough about using the machine to be able to cleanly remove all the paint, or if it's even possible.

Click to expand...

If you adjust power at the right setting it should remove the paint nice and clean... at least it does a nice job on a powder coated surfaces. Another cool way of leaving marks on metals is using laser with Cermark.

Best, M 

That could be a great alternative to screen printing!

Chae, have you messed with Cermark at all?

Thanks for all the info. Looks like its a non starter for PCBs.

Cheers

Ian

Yes and No on the PCBs

I saw online a video somewhere what they do is etch a PCB but they use the CO2 laser to get the etch mask on there!
Basically they spray paint the copper clad with black spray paint. Then laser the "don't keep" areas away and you have a perfect etch mask for a DIY pcb .

Think about it. This is much easier then the laser printer tone transfer deal

Chuck

I use the same principle for engraving panels as well.

Powder coat a raw panel with a nice thick even coating
Cover the whole thing with the widest masking tape availible
CO2 laser the engraving ,  use mulitple passes until you hit bare metal and burn away the powdercoat.
Now go outside and spray that sucker with spray paint to backfill the engraving. do a couple of coats. 
Wait for it to dry Peel off the tape

Engraved!
The best part besides the cost (super cheap if you have access to a laser) is that you can do any graphic or font you want and are not limited to the engravers fonts. Also you can draw it up in Adobe illustrator or Corel which is way easier then a FPE cad program.



Chuck

Hey this is great! My community college has a laser engraver they let the community use. I am going to try this for making my RCA BC3C preamp boards. Thanks!

ChuckD said:

I use the same principle for engraving panels as well.

Powder coat a raw panel with a nice thick even coating
Cover the whole thing with the widest masking tape availible
CO2 laser the engraving ,  use mulitple passes until you hit bare metal and burn away the powdercoat.
Now go outside and spray that sucker with spray paint to backfill the engraving. do a couple of coats. 
Wait for it to dry Peel off the tape

Engraved!
The best part besides the cost (super cheap if you have access to a laser) is that you can do any graphic or font you want and are not limited to the engravers fonts. Also you can draw it up in Adobe illustrator or Corel which is way easier then a FPE cad program.



Chuck

Click to expand...

That sounds awesome. Do you have any pics of a finished panel you've done?

I have some better ones but no photos up yet.

Here is one blue powdercoated with no backfill
http://www.chucksaudioelectronics.com/chucksaudioelectronics/My_Albums/Pages/Quad_312s_with_Instrument_DI.html#0

Here is a White One with Black and red  backfill 
http://www.chucksaudioelectronics.com/chucksaudioelectronics/My_Albums/Pages/NightBird_51X.html#8


It is super cheap and easy to do. On the white ones I actually put some clear coat overtop because of the cartoon logo decal but all the black type is cheap black spray paint backfill.

That's f*ckin slick, chuck...

nice! I always wanted to try that but only recently found an affordable laser guy.  You are using powdercoated panels? I am thinking of using automotive polyurethane paint, I mentioned the masking tape technique to the guy, I'll talk to him tomorrow to see if I can get this thing done. I've got a GSSL panel which would make a nice testbed.

My only fear is that when I asked the guy about lasering painted (powder or auto) materials, the guy mentioned that it can sometimes cause problems with actually re-melting the paint, since it's a sort of plastic in the end. Have you experienced this at all? Is the resolution perfect on the paint (the way it would be on anodized aluminum? Do you know the power/type of laser used on your panels?

Also, when you paint after the laser engraving, how long do you wait before peeling the tape off? Do you let it completely dry?

thanks!

Yeah let it dry as wet is just too messy to deal with
Epilog C02 45 Watt machine

Laser it at a lower setting moving fast and do 2 or 3 passes maybe 4. Do not try and do it all in one pass as it will melt and tape will catch on fire.

Resolution is better then anything I've ever seen. Silk Screen doesn't come close. Engraving can't do this small detail. Ovelay and decals are great but mine delaminated so that sucked.

Powdercoat works the best and is the cheapest. I didn't try automotive paint but unless it is fully cured it may cause problems I think. And paint take forever to cure. Use powdercoat.

Chuck