What are the hottest trends that require the use of a laser engraver?
Laser cutting/engraving systems are exceptionally versatile, so it’s interesting to see new and exciting ways our technology is being used,” says James Stanaway, director of marketing, Epilog Laser. “Signage is a huge market for Epilog; however, we’re seeing an uptick in a variety of areas including paper/invitations/crafts as well as fabric and textile cutting/engraving. Because you can dial down the settings so precisely with a laser you can cut/engrave incredibly detailed and ornate designs from very delicate materials like paper and fabric.”
Some of the latest trends in laser marking include dimensional sign cutting and ADA and wayfinding applications,” says Anthony Harris, application specialist for Gravograph. “Precision cutting, with the added benefit of a flame-polished edge, opens up the ability to produce inlay elements and decorative effects not accomplished by any other technology.
“Certain software systems, like Gravostyle, you can design a job layout for your laser that can also drive the router table’s braille process. This improves workflow efficiency, reduces the software learning curve and provides consistent job registration between machine technologies.”
Creating customized signage through a combination of digital printing and laser technology is very popular,” says Josh Stephens, business development, Trotec Laser. “Many retailers are making acrylic signs that are back lit, which would require a lot of post processing without a laser. ADA compliant signs are another very popular laser application.”
What are some highly profitable applications for engravers?
ADA signage, industrial tags and rating plates and point of purchase display fabrication,” Harris says.
Customers are encouraged to laser cut preprinted materials (laminates, acrylic, plastics, paper, wood, etc.) Stephens says. “This can yield high profit margins because a laser can create custom signage, displays, stationery, and more with unique shapes and sizes that will appeal to any customer.”
Electronics customization is a higher-return application,” Stanaway says. “Since the product is customer-supplied, there are no material costs for this type of project. Additionally, due to the expensive and high-end nature of electronic devices, people are willing to pay a premium to make their mass-produced phone, tablet or computer really stand out.
Another high-profit margin application is photo engraving. Engraving a photograph gives it that ‘forever’ feel. Over time, photos can get lost or damaged – engraving them onto a beautiful wood or marble plaque allows customers to capture a very specific moment in time forever.”
What specialty products are you seeing your customers create?
Our customers are creating various custom cut, engraved and digitally printed awards, signage and promotional items,” Stephens says. “The possibilities of customization with a laser are endless because of the ability to integrate with other technologies, the vast array of materials that can be processed, and the ease and speed they can be processed with.”
We have a fan group on Facebook, the Epilog Laser Fans, and from that group of 5,000-plus members we see a great variety of new products and projects,” Stanaway says. “Particularly popular right now are laser-cut (hand assembled) corn-hole game sets with laser-etched bean bags for throwing; laser-etched stainless steel tumblers; and personalized map engravings.”
With oversized machines with generous pass-through capabilities, customers are finding interesting niche applications such as lasering wooden doors, cabinets and decorative screens quite profitable,” Harris says.
What are some newer or trending applications that may require shops to upgrade their laser power or increase their table size from their current engraver?
Your laser may need to be upgraded to a higher power or larger table size when you are processing items like Corian, glass, marble, wood and specialized composite materials like 3-Form," Harris says. "The need for higher power is especially evident when processing thick substrates like 1” acrylic with polished edges."
We are seeing many sign shops that want to expand their product offerings and engraving/cutting capabilities on different mediums," Stanaway says.
"While CO2 laser engraving/cutting systems are ideal for more organic materials like wood, stone and acrylic, they were not designed to tackle bare-metal marking applications that are more industrial in nature. These types of applications are better addressed by a fiber laser system.
Epilog recently launched the Fusion M2 Laser Series, which features the Fusion M2 32 and Fusion M2 40, two systems with dual-source laser capabilities that can perform all kinds of applications on nearly any material. The systems in this series are available with both CO2 and fiber laser sources within the same cabinet. This allows designers and manufacturers to use one piece of equipment for two very different applications much more seamlessly and in a smaller area.
This cutting-edge laser series also includes exceptionally precise camera recognition capabilities that allow users to quickly and easily cut pre-printed graphics from cardstock, acrylic and nearly any other medium. The eView Camera Module has been exceptionally well-received by the signage community in particular.
The eView makes cutting printed graphics incredibly easy and produces exceptionally precise results from anywhere on the table. There’s no need to line up your graphics to the top-left corner of the machine, or even to align it to the x and y-axes - users simply add registration marks to their graphic and the cameras detect exactly where to cut.
After users have placed their graphics on the table, Epilog’s Job Manager shows a real-time photo representation of the laser table with the printed graphic and its true position on the table. From the Job Manager, operators click the registration marks they want to use, and the eView Camera software does the rest.”
In the signage industry multi-material signs are making customers consider upgrading their machines,” Stephens says. “For example: A customer may upgrade to a dual-source laser if they wish to create products with an organic material and metal. A dual-source machine allows for cutting, engraving and marking. In order to create larger signs, customers are also upgrading to larger format machines with pass through capabilities. Finally, many engraving shops are adding vision systems to their existing machines to ensure accuracy and increase production with preprinted materials.”
Is there a big difference in what shops should be looking for in a laser engraver if they want to do more cutting than etching?
“When it comes to cutting, wattage is the most important factor,” Stephens says. “The general rule for optimal cutting speeds and quality is for every 1/8" of material, 30W is needed. Ventilation is the second most important variable. With the right power and speed settings, it’s simple to achieve perfect flame polished edges with zero post processing.”
“Accuracy of optical registration when cutting printed media, insuring the program compensates for scaling, stretch, skew and rotation,” Harris says. “For heavy cutting applications efficient exhausting and an accurate finned cutting table are essential for consistency.”
“Higher-wattage options,” Stanaway says. “Having a higher wattage laser (75 -120 watts) allow our users to both cut through thicker materials – up to about ?” of hardwood or acrylic – as well as engrave/etch faster than lower-wattage machines. If sign shops are looking for higher production values, a larger format, high-wattage machine is definitely the way to go.”