The Laser Project.

[Jammerm]

Pretty cool, personalized eggs.

I saw a video of someone Laser etching a photo onto a piece of polished Granite. Do you think yours would do that?

[Tweakie.CNC]

Hi Jammerm,

I think that Photo Etching is basically a 'raster process' and the purpose built raster laser machines have lightweight X and Y axis to allow high speeds and accelerations thus allowing the laser beam to possibly travel many miles and complete the job within a reasonable period of time.

Because my machine is basically a wood router and the mass of both the X & Y axis is quite high I think I will just have to content myself with vector use at present.  

Having tried a few different materials now I can confirm that Granite, Glass and Slate all engrave well (although I am expecting the glass to shatter anytime soon as I must have put incredible internal stresses into the material).

Tweakie.

[Jammerm]

Maybe mount the Glass or ceramics on a hotbed to try to evenly heat the material.

[Tweakie.CNC]

Good suggestion about the glass - thank you.

Tweakie.

[Kipper]

What a cracking read! :cheers:

[Tweakie.CNC]

Interesting but not quite what I had intended. This Calcium Carbonate is tough stuff and I was intending to go right through but despite two passes, no luck. Increasing the power setting was a total failure resulting in a burned mess.

Back to the drawing board with this one – I am sure it is feasible anyone have any ideas ?.

Thanks to Switcher for the DXF http://mydxf.blogspot.com/

Tweakie.

[routercnc]

Hi Tweakie

Really loving this post, great pioneering stuff.

Don't know anything about lasers, but the melting point of calcium carbonate is about 825 deg C.  How hot do you think the laser is at the focal point?

The other thing to think about is the chemistry angle.  I think vinegar will dissolve calcuim carbonate, so perhaps once you have engraved as much as you can, then soaking in this for a limited amount of time might dissolve the etched area and go right through before the main shell dissolved.  Hot vinegar would be quicker.

Or you could coat the whole shell with varnish, then etch away the image, then soak in hot vinegar.  This would be a bit like printed circuit board manufacture (sort of).

Good luck with it all 

Thanks
Barry

[Sam]

I have no educated idea really, but I'll throw an uneducated one out there... Ink the first pass in with black, as white reflects a good deal of the laser light on the second pass. I think Barry had a good idea with etching. Never tried to eat away an eggshell with vinegar, but it does make sense, as that's how coloring eggs for Easter works, I'm assuming.
I think they'll slice your brain up for examination upon your demise, Tweakie. It sure works in mysterious ways.

[Tweakie.CNC]

Thanks Guys, you have given me new ideas to try.

Tweakie.

[Tweakie.CNC]

Nobody would want my brain Sam. If they were to discover any joined-up thinking it would only confuse them. 

Hey look -  Revolutionary Egg.

Tweakie.