Laser Marking on Chrome

This is an Epilog Laser Cutter/Engraver I worked with when teaching at Buffalo State in 2006 during a summer Professional Development Series called Engineers of the Future. We were using the laser to hit a photosensitive paint called o wk, which turns black and bonds to the surface of metal. Chrome contains a lot of nickel so it works nicely. The laser is a piece of rapid prototyping equipment that we have in my classroom as well because it can be used for so many endless applications. By passing a low voltage of electricity through CO2 gas, a photon beam is produced, spanning a series of angled mirrors to the head of the machine which moves on an x/y axis. This model produced a 60 watt beam and could engrave at 1200dpi, sensitive enough to etch a piece of paper, and capable of cutting out a 1/4 piece of acrylic in one pass. You could engrave the Mayan calendar on something the size of a quarter without losing any detail.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• laser
• cutter
• tech
• ed
• buffalo
• state
• engineering
• chrom
• etching
• marking
• cermark