Impact Engraving.

[Tweakie.CNC]

This was created in acrylic from GCode produced with 'DotG' using an impact magnet. The image size is 105mm square and comprises of over 90,000 dots from over 270,000 lines of GCode and took just 2 ½ hours to complete at just over 9 dots per second. (for those that are old enough to remember - it makes a sound not unlike the ASR33 Teletype    ).
Like all things, practice and experience is required to get the perfect final result and it is evident here that my original image had just a little too much brightness and as a result some detail has been lost. Still practice makes perfect or at least I hope it does. 

Whilst Mach already has the Impact / Laser plugin, which relies on the LPT parallel port and the Mach engine for it’s timing DotG creates a ‘stand alone’ GCode and can therefore be used with USB and external motion controllers. Each has it’s own strong and weak points and I don’t think there is any direct comparison but it is always nice to have alternatives.

Tweakie.

[adprinter]

Cool stuff Tweakie!

[Tweakie.CNC]

Thank you adprinter, most kind.

To answer a question, asked in email, the black in the previous image is created by the background it has been photographed against. Here is the same item photographed against a sky background.

Tweakie.

[Dan13]

Nice, Tweakie. Where do you get all these pretty ladies' photos for your works

Does a clear acrylic become opaque at the impact points?

Dan

[Tweakie.CNC]

Nice, Tweakie. Where do you get all these pretty ladies' photos for your works

Does a clear acrylic become opaque at the impact points?

Dan

Hi Dan,

Yes, the impact creates a tiny conical depression which refracts the incident light and makes it opaque.

The lady is Lena Soderberg (we have discussed this one before) and her full length picture (which we can't show here) was featured as the centre fold in the Playboy magazine of November 1972. She is still an attractive lady to this day.

Tweakie.

[Tweakie.CNC]

Hi Guys,

This effect needs a lot more trials but based on the fact that my previous example (positive image) when viewed against a sky background appears as a negative image I decided to make a negative image and then view that against a sky background.
As I seem to be getting bit of a reputation for the ladies (thank you Jeff  ) this image is of my little helper ‘Bertie’.
It is overcast here in the UK today and it was impossible to find a patch of blue sky so I used a white background and cheated a little by altering the contrast level towards the blue in Photochop. Interesting nonetheless.

Tweakie.

[Overloaded]

Interesting indeed. Very cool process.
That Bertie is a precious pup.
I saved the other pic that you posted way back when.
Wondered then what the name was, but never asked.
Thanks Tweak,
Russ

[Tweakie.CNC]

Thanks Russ,

For the full story of Lena this thread may be of interest. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~chuck/lennapg/

Tweakie.

[Pinky]

Loving it Tweakie!

I remember doing a couple of these for a client about 5 years ago and he was over the moon.....as was I seeing as it was a first for me lol.

[Tweakie.CNC]

Hi Pinky,

Do you still have any pictures of your impact work you could post please ??

Tweakie.