Looking at getting a metal engraver, but unsure which one?

[Rodney Gold]

Those are Laserpro/GCC lasers, thios type lasers will not engrave metal at all , you need to coat the metal with a liquid , let it dry and then laser it and you get a black mark , it is not at all engraved , it sits on top of the metal. The mark is pretty permanent tho , it doesnt rub off etc and you will struggle to remove it on most stuff , even if you try sandpaper it off.

You need a rotary type engraver , ie an engraver with a motor that uses a cutting bit to engrave metal with any depth
However a LASER will be a much better tool than a pure rotary engraver , it will do MUCH MUCH more like cut and engrave acrylic , wood , plastics and so on. It will expand your business horizons much more. The Spirit is the best of em all – get at least 40 watts.

[Nick Atkinson]

Thank you for your reply. Its much appreciated.

I had a look at some of the specs for the laserpro models last night and from what I could see there wasn’t much difference between the Mercury II model and the Spirit (albeit the price) with both of them having up to 1000dpi also the work space area seems to be similar with doors open or closed. The rotary element, is this an add on or can you buy specific rotary models? There seems to be warranty on the laser tube, is this something that will typically need replacing every 2 years or so? and would you happen to know the difficulty of getting this done, or is it quite simple? Also the liquid coating, I understand this aspect, as am I right in thinking its this that burns the patten etc.. onto the metal? How long would you say the drying time for this liquid would be before the metal is ready to be lasered?

Thanks again!

[Rodney Gold]

I think the spirit is the faster of the machines , it is a lot faster than my old mercurys. the DPI is irrelevant , you will be working at 500/600 almost all of the time , the pass thru doors are also useful but not essential , in 12 years of lasering , and having 8 lasers right now , we have only used pass thru ONCE!!
The Rotary attachment is nice , but all its useful for is engraving glasses and bottles , it’s not an essential.
A warrantee on the tube is vital , a tube will cost you 3000 quid to replace , the claimed hours are 10 000 + , but in general if you work the laser hard , you will see 3-5 years use out of it in a worst case scenario. some tubes give problems early , some go for 10 years.
In most cases , your agent would have a back up tube which is dead easy to install and yours would be sent away or they would swap , worst case scenario is thast you might be without a tube for 3 weeks to a month if they dont have a back up or swap.
The metal compound dries quick , you really need to spray it on thinly , an airbrush is best for this. I suggest you join and read posts on this forum , it is a huge laser forum
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/forumdispla … vers-Forum

[Nick Atkinson]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge on this topic.

Laser engraving is something I am seriously considering, but with the outlay involved it is something I want to make sure I am being realistic about and looking at all the options and above all it has the capabilities I am looking for. I will have a look at the forum you suggested.

Thanks again for your advice