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At Lasersgraphic we run CO2 laser systems. It is compact, self
-contained and fully-computerized unit that engraved directly onto the
material right from the design environment. What it lack in absolute
laser power, it make up for in flexibility and ease of use.
For the technically minded amongst you.
We use sealed beam, CO2 laser that generates a beam of pure infrared
radiation (heat) that is directed via mirrors to the engraving/cutting
head. This is controlled by an on-board computer that raster scans the
head over the work piece and turns the laser beam on and off as
required.
That¡¯s a dry description of a computer controlled ballet that reveals
the image before your very eyes. The head whizzes back and forth like
the print head on the old dot matrix printers and the laser is fired
when needed to create the image. It¡¯s a process we still stand and
watch ourselves!
How large can the engraving or the pieces be?
On normal set-up, we can handle individual pieces up to 24¡± across by
12¡± deep and up to 5¡± thick. For any bigger size you may have, we
can arrange to do as well but takes a bit more time.
How detailed can the engraving be?
If you can draw it we can engrave it! We can engrave bitmap or vector
files, text, graphics or photographs. We typically engrave at 500 DPI
(almost the same resolution as a laser printer) and can engrave at up to
1,000 DPI.
How clear all this detail is will depend heavily on the material and
artwork quality.
What do you need as Artwork?
There are two options available to you here.
a) Either send us what you have (however rough) and we will create the
artwork for you OR
b) Send us your existing computer artwork and we will use that.
For the first option we will assess the artwork and quote our studio
charge (if required) to get the artwork to an ¡°engraving ready¡±
state.
For the second option we prefer to receive artwork as an EPS file or CDR
file, sent via Email. We can also take floppy disks or CD¡¯s with your
artwork on them. We use CorelDraw on PC¡¯s to drive all our engraving
operations.
For electronic art, please bear in mind the following:
Ø Bitmaps should be high resolution prefer 300DPI above, JPG or
GIF files may be used as well.
Ø Vector files will always engrave with the highest quality.
Ø Remember, we can only engrave as well as the original artwork
we receive and that we normally engrave at 500 DPI.
Can each engraving be different?
Yes. Laser engraving is extremely flexible and allows us to handle name
changes easily. If there are long lists of names, or changes to each
product then simply send the basic artwork to us and supply the changes
for each product as a text file. We will handle all the changes from
there.
What materials can be engraved?
We¡¯ve had a go at most things (including cheese!) Below is a list of
the most commonly engraved materials. Of course its not exhaustive and
we are always happy to test your products free of charge.
Hardwoods All hardwoods engrave
excellently. Engraving is usually darker. We can engrave raw and
finished timbers.
MDF Engraves very well with even texture
and some darkening. Best results with veneered MDF
Plywood Engraves very well with a dark
brown/black engraving. Difficult to engrave deep due to glue lines.
Acrylic (Perspex, plexiglass) Cast acrylic
engraves excellently with a white engraving. Extruded is better for
cutting. Difficult to engrave more than 1mm deep
Leather Engraves well, dark/black against
the background
Glass Results are variable. It is a surface
mark with little penetration.
Anodised aluminium Surface marks
excellently. Engraving always looks white against the background
Poly resins Excellent engraving but no
colour change
Softwoods Excellent engraving with good
penetration. Depth will vary with grain. Some darkening.
What factors affect pricing? How much will it
cost?
The engraving cost is area dependant, not detail dependant. The larger
the area the more it costs. To give you an accurate price we will need
the following information:
The size and nature of the product
The artwork area
The quantity involved
Is it common artwork throughout or will there be changes
I¡¯ve heard that the product needs to be flat?
Yes technically we can only engrave onto a flat surface. So long as
there is a flat face for us to engrave onto, we can create jigs to hold
the piece so we can engrave it.
In reality we can cope with curved surfaces that have about 3mm of
variation from top to bottom. Beyond this we get great variations in
engraving depth and image distortion.
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