Newbie- Tips And Helps for laser engraving art

[Shade]

Im starting this thread to share some tips and shortcuts that i have found while searching the net and engraving


Repost of skipw (Great ref for helping ppl)

Laser pictures info

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These are kind of basic but it's a good start. Reposted from an earlier post.

As I know there is no direct information to show how to get a good results in engraving images by using any software, but in general the concept is to convert the image to gray scale mode then black&white , or black&white directly, but the software must have a verity of options to use when converting to black&white, this can be found in Adobe Photoshop & CorelDraw, for example (Halftone, error diffusion, ordered, line art, stucki, ...).
choosing one of these methods will give a deferent engraving effects according to the pattern & number of dots produced.
the steps can be as follows:
-the image resolution should be 300dpi to get a good result
-if the resolution is less than 300dpi then rescan or resample the image
-convert the image to black&white using diffusion Dither, stucki, or Halftone method to get the best details on the engraved image.
-convert the image to black&white by any other methods to get artistic effects on the engraved image.
-every image need some fine tune before or during conversion.

Steps in CorelDraw(12 & 13):
->import the image
-> select the image
- -> select Bitmaps Menu
- -> select Mode
- -> select Black& white 1-Bit
->select conversion method [stucki] and vary the intensity

Steps in Photoshop:
->open the image
-> select image Menu
- -> select Mode
- -> select Grayscale
-> select image Menu
- -> select Mode
- ->select Bitmap
->select method [Diffusion Dither] and output 300 pixels/inch


Thx to Skipw

Shade

[Shade]

I have found a good site for ppl trying to convert color pics for engraving that dont have something like photograv but have photoshop

ePaperPress
Download the action file and load (preset for photoshop) and use the pen and ink one
This should get u very close in a few clicks

Shade

[Shade]

I havent tried this but i heard a few ppl say they did i this way

When engraving th front of a mirror u will destroy ur laser by having the beam bounce back from the mirror
The way ppl have gotten around this was to put wet paper down on the surface (the wet keep the paper from catching fire and the paper reduces the reflection greatly

Shade

[Shade]

I have tried this and it works well

When engraving glass or other hard surfaces if u then want to go along and colorfill (put paint or other color agents in the engraved grooves) but dont want it to stick to the unengraved surface
Spray the surface with water and 10% dishwashing liquid with a spray bottle on the surface which leaves a very thin clear oil based film and when u engrave it burns away only the point of contact giving a point to attatch to

This should make it easier to clear away excess coloring

Shade

[Shade]

many thx

shade

[Rodney Gold]

There is a huge amount of info at
Engravers Forum
Search for "the gold method" or "gold method" there for a free alternative to photograv

[Rodney Gold]

Originally Posted by Shade I havent tried this but i heard a few ppl say they did i this way When engraving th front of a mirror u will destroy ur laser by having the beam bounce back from the mirror The way ppl have gotten around this was to put wet paper down on the surface (the wet keep the paper from catching fire and the paper reduces the reflection greatly Shade

Thats not really accurate , the laser actually microfractures the glass when it hits it and does not reflect back due to the shatter , you might have reflections if you try engrave highly polished metals. The wet paper on glass is actually a damper so the microfracturing is controlled and it actually acts as a heat sink for the glass around the point where the laser fires so that you have more control over the fracturing - the laser acts by heating impurities and the glass itself and the tremperature gradient makes it fracture..However your wet paper on glass is actually a very good tip as it gives much smoother engraving , the laser does not do glass well, the paper gives a more sandblasted effect.

[herby08]

hi all
I am new to laser and bought a 40WCO2 china laser.
now I try to find out what it could be that I can not regulate the laser current
with the pot, does not matter how I turn it the current stays pretty much the same 2 - 5 mA only if the laser has to go a longer way across it jumps for a fraction of a second to 15 to 20mA
any help would be apriciated
thanks walt

[bpoulin]

Originally Posted by herby08 hi all I am new to laser and bought a 40WCO2 china laser. now I try to find out what it could be that I can not regulate the laser current with the pot, does not matter how I turn it the current stays pretty much the same 2 - 5 mA only if the laser has to go a longer way across it jumps for a fraction of a second to 15 to 20mA any help would be apriciated thanks walt

If you want this question answered, you really need to start your own thread.

[windtigertim]

Hi, this is my first post.

I have built a CNC mill using the eBay TB6560 4 axis driver board.

I recently bought a 12 Volt LASER diode and driver board capable of burning/etching into timber/dark plastic..

I am not worried about PWM etc. I just want the LASER to turn on/off with a Z axis movement.

I can build a TTL triggered relay to interface between a pin and my laser driver board.

What I am wondering is how do I physically wire my LASER Diode & Driver to this particular board?

Are there any outputs plugs on this board that i can directly wire to, or do I need to solder a wire from the printer port connector?

Thanks