Custom Laser Engraving... Pictures

[nipsmg]

Well, I know some people were curious, so I just got home and posted some quick and dirty pictures...

I'm sorry about the quailty, I'm working with a crappy digital camera and crappy lighting situations, so it didn't come out as good as I would have planned .  Hopefully when I have more time I'll do some more intricate engravings and set up an area to photograph them in.. (My garage floor isn't the ideal backgrop for any picture)


These engravings were done on garbage materials lying around the house, and they actually came out great (I don't know how well the picture demonstrates that).

We SHOULD be getting some better Acrylic and better hardwood for carving, so I can show the quality a little better.. and next time I'll invert the pacman picture on the Lexan (You'll see from the picture)  



On lexan, the etching feature comes out beautiful, and actually works pretty well in 3d mode (convert images to b&w and use it as a heightmap).

There's a million different things you can do with this, so if anyone has any specific requests they'd like to see done, let me know..

If anyone is interested in getting anything engraved for their cabinets, send an e-mail to mgerety@snet.net and let me know what you're thinking about having done, and I can give you a price estimate.

I hope to have better pictures up this weekend (I'll probably set up a webpage at some point so I can post more than a few).

--NipsMG

[Beley]

Dame that is a cool machiene

couple of questions:
Did you have to convert the image to a vector image before you plot it (when not using 3d mode)?

also, a little off topic, How does the laser engrave clear materials (lexan glass...) wouldnt the laser beam just pass though the material and hit whatever is behind it and burn that insted?

[nipsmg]

Acutally, the PacMan image was a bitmap.  I didnt' convert it to vector.. I converted it to B&W, and printed it in 3d mode.. It took white as the highest point, and engraved everything else according to darkness..  Vector art does tend to come out more clean, however.


As far as clear materials go, the laser has an autofocus feature, in which it brings the bed up to the point where it touches the laser, then focuses on the nearest surface, clear or not.. the engraving of Pacman in this picture was done with the paper OFF the lexan..

We will only have the machine for another month or so, as it is for an ENTIRELY different project, however, we're willing to use it to give cab builders the Personal Touch on their cabs while we have it.

IF anyone is interested, like I said, e-mail me at mgerety@snet.net and let me know what you want to do, and i'll give you a price estimate... We MAY get another engraver, but it's not definite, so if anyone wants custom Lexan etching, wood engraving, or custom metal badges for their cabs, speak now, or forever hold your peace (Maybe). ;-)


--NipsMG

[Lilwolf]

VERY COOL  

If I had built my own, I think it would have made a way cool marquee (full wood cabinet with a wood marquee!)

Some questions

Have you tried glass yet?  Might make a cool bezel.... but then theres the shipping...

And have you come up with some prices yet.  (not exact, but an exable for what you would charge for the pacman for instance)

[1UP]

Hey, there's a piccie of me on that glass!  

BTW, how deep can you engrave?  Can you set the height map so that it stands out in relief?  Would be way cool to have a little thicker lexan with 3D sculptures "suspended" inside!

If you've only got a month, better figure out those prices fast!