1. Wood

A. Log (unprocessed wood)

Wood is by far the most commonly used laser processing material and is easy to engrave and cut. Light-colored woods like birch, cherry, or maple are well vaporized by lasers and are therefore more suitable for engraving. Each type of wood has its own characteristics. Some are denser, such as hardwood, and require greater laser power when engraving or cutting. We recommend that before carving a wood that you are not familiar with, you first study its carving characteristics.

B. Plywood

Sometimes customers may ask you to engrave on plywood. In fact, this is not much different from engraving on wood, but you need to pay attention to the engraving depth. deep. The glued back edges after cutting will also turn black like wood. The key is to see what kind of wood the plywood is made of.

C. Wood cutting

The depth of wood cutting by laser engraving machines is generally not deep, within 5mm. This is because the power of the laser is small. Slowing down the cutting speed will cause damage to the wood. of burning. During the specific operation, you can try to use large-sized lenses and use repeated cutting methods.

E. Coloring

Wood will generally have a burnt feeling after carving. Matching the wood background color has a kind of original artistic beauty. The depth of the color mainly depends on the wood. Laser power and engraving speed. But some woods are usually softer and you can't change their color no matter what (such as birch). Sometimes a client may ask you to color the finished product, using acrylic paint.

2. Density veneer board

A. Ordinary density veneer board

This type of density board is the kind of wooden pallet we often use to make sign lining boards plate. The material is high-density board with thin wood grain on the surface. Laser can engrave on this sharp material factory, but the engraved pattern will be uneven and black in color, so it usually needs to be colored. Normally you can get better results by learning proper design and using 0.5mm two-color plates for inlaying.

B. Laser-specific density veneer

Some density boards are specially designed for laser engraving. The engraved pattern has a uniform color and has a good effect without coloring.

C. Cleaning

After engraving, you can use a damp cloth to clean the surface of the density board.

D. Color filling

Acrylic paint or alkyd paint can be used. When engraving, you can set the graphic color to 60% gray to make the bottom surface of the engraving somewhat pitted to improve the adhesion of the color.

3. Acrylic (a kind of organic glass)

A. Acrylic

Acrylic is the most commonly used carving material after wood, and it is easy to cut. and engravings, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are relatively low-cost. There are two production processes for plexiglass: casting and calendering. Laser engraving mainly uses plexiglass produced by casting, because the frosting effect it produces after laser engraving is very white, which is in sharp contrast with the original transparent texture. Plexiglass produced by calendering Plexiglas is still transparent after laser engraving and does not have a sufficient contrast effect. When purchasing, you must emphasize to the dealer that the material must be of high purity, otherwise the material you buy may melt during engraving or cutting.

B. Engraving

Generally, plexiglass is back-engraved, which means it is carved from the front and viewed from the back, which makes the finished product more three-dimensional. When back engraving, please mirror the graphics first, and the engraving speed should be fast and the power should be low. If the power is too high when engraving, uneven stripes will appear on the bottom surface. If you want to engrave deeper, try engraving a few more times. In the case of back engraving, the local coloring should be carved deeper first, and then polished with a flame polisher before filling in color. Without polishing, the color will not be uniform when viewed from the front.

C. Cutting

Plexiglass is relatively easy to cut. If the customer's requirements are not high, it can be delivered after cutting without flame polishing. Otherwise, an air blowing device should be used when cutting to improve the quality of the cut. When cutting plexiglass larger than 8mm, large-sized lenses should be replaced. (Note: Operators are not allowed to leave when cutting plexiglass, as there may be flames during cutting.

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D. Cleaning

Acrylic paints can be used, other paints may damage the smoothness of the plexiglass.

IV. Two-color board

A. Two-color board

Double-color board is a kind of composite material composed of two or more layers of colors and is specially used for engraving. The specifications of engineering plastics are generally 600X1200mm, and there are also a few brands with specifications of 600X900mm. American ROWMARK is recognized as the best product with stable quality and complete varieties. The engraved two-color board is usually used for various instruction signs and nameplates... It has the characteristics of uniform color, clear pattern, and durability. Two-color plates can be divided into two categories: mechanical and laser. Some of the mechanical plates can also be used for laser engraving. The characteristics of laser engraving boards are that the surface color layer is thin (<0.1mm), and the entire board is thinner than mechanical boards (laser boards are generally 1.3mm&0.8mm, and mechanical boards are generally 1.5mm). When users purchase a two-color board, if they are not sure whether it can be used in a laser machine, they can first consult the dealer or take a small piece and try it out first/Our experience is that if the surface color of the board is very thin, it is generally OK Laser engraving, if the surface color is thick, you can try engraving twice.

B. Engraving

If you use a laser plate, the engraving effect will be very good, with obvious contrast and clear edges. When using a mechanical plate with a thin surface, the engraving effect is not much different from that of the laser plate. If you look carefully, the edge may not be as clear as the laser plate. Users generally do not use mechanical plates with thick surfaces, otherwise they have to adjust the laser power to a smaller level and repeat engraving to clear the bottom surface. The final effect may not be very good. On a two-color board with a large contrast (such as a black and white board), grayscale images can be designed and engraved. The two-color plate itself may be somewhat deformed after a large amount of engraving. It can be heated with hot water and leveled by hand.

C. Cutting

Generally, users will ask you to cut the two-color plate. If you prefer to use a laser plate, you can cut it after engraving. Be careful not to go too slow. Don't cut through in one go. Just do it three or four times. This way, the edges of the cut material will be smooth and there will be no traces of melting. When engraving, the power should be just right and should not be too high to avoid melting marks. If you use a mechanical board, you can only cut it to 50% depth, then break it off by hand and smooth the edges with sandpaper. If the user has a mechanical machine, he can cut it on the mechanical machine first, and then move it to the laser machine for engraving.

D. Cleaning

After engraving, you can use a damp cloth or alcohol to clean the surface. However, it should be noted that if the laser power is set too high during engraving, a layer of smoke and dust that is difficult to wipe off may be attached to the surface of the two-color plate.

E. Color filling

If the user's requirements are not high, dots can be used to express the different colors in the logo. If you must paint the painted area, you should carve the painted area deeper. You can use acrylic paint or alkyd enamel paint. Other paints may damage the surface finish of the two-color board.

5. Glass

A. Glass

Laser can engrave on the glass surface, but the engraving depth is not deep and cannot be cut. Generally, laser can create frosting or shattering effects on the glass surface. Usually, users want to get the effect of frosting rather than crushing. The key depends on the texture of the workpiece and whether the hardness is consistent.

B. Engraving

Glass engraving is usually difficult to control. Follow the following steps to create a smoother frosted surface: Apply a little cleansing to the area to be engraved. , cut out a piece of newspaper or napkin that is slightly larger than the area to be engraved, soak the paper completely with water, squeeze out the excess water, and place the wet paper on the area to be engraved and lay it flat without wrinkles. Place the glass in the engraving machine and engrave while the paper is still wet. Then remove the glass, remove the remaining paper, and then clean the glass surface. If necessary, lightly polish the glass surface with 3M scotchBrite. Generally speaking, the laser power setting should be smaller, the accuracy should be set at 300dpi, and the engraving speed should be faster. You can try to use large-size lenses for engraving.

Note: You should be extra careful when engraving lead-containing crystal with laser. Lead-containing crystal has a different expansion coefficient from ordinary crystal, which may cause the crystal to crack or break during engraving.

A smaller power setting can avoid this problem, but you should always be on the lookout for breakage.

C. Combined use of laser engraving and sandblasting

The laser engraving machine can replace the cutting plotter and directly complete the cutting of the sandblasting protective film on the glass. This process eliminates the need to transfer the protective film, saves time, and improves the quality of the finished product.

D. Cleaning

After engraving, you can use a damp cloth to clean the surface.

E. Coloring

Acrylic paint can be used for coloring.

6. Painted copper plate

A. Painted copper plate

Normally, copper cannot be laser engraved. But now there is a material with a special paint film attached to its surface. The laser can completely vaporize the paint film on the surface, and then expose the underlying copper plate. Usually manufacturers will polish or perform special treatment on the copper plate before plating it so that the exposed area after engraving can have enough smoothness and can be preserved for a long time. If the copper surface has not been treated, a protective film needs to be applied after engraving to prevent oxidation and surface staining over time.

B. Engraving

Generally, low power and high speed can be used, and the accuracy is set above 500dpi.

C. Cleaning

After engraving, you can use a damp cloth or alcohol to clean the surface.

D. Color filling

If the user's requirements are not high, dots can be used to express the different colors in the logo. If you must paint, you can use acrylic paint. Other paints may damage the surface finish of the copper plate.

Application of laser engraving in carton packaging

The carton packaging industry is a mature industry in coastal areas, especially in the Pearl River Delta, and is closest to the most advanced international production technology. Above-scale production in the carton packaging industry started in the Pearl River Delta in the early 1980s, 10-20 years later than in the mainland. The carton packaging industry in the Pearl River Delta region matured in the mid-1990s. After fifteen years of rapid development, mainly Hong Kong businessmen, Taiwanese businessmen, and local entrepreneurs boldly introduced foreign corrugated cardboard production lines and carton production lines, and through introduction, absorption and digestion until they fully mastered foreign advanced production technology. The corrugated carton production in the Pearl River Delta has made a huge contribution to my country's entire carton production and processing technology. The Yangtze River Delta region started earlier and developed later than the Pearl River Delta. It has learned from the successful development experience of the Pearl River Delta and has avoided many detours. At present, the total production volume of the corrugated carton packaging industry in the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta accounts for more than 60% of the country's carton packaging, and the production technology is also relatively advanced.

In the mid-to-late 1990s, with the successful development of laser engraving technology, corrugated carton packaging printing plates gradually applied laser engraving technology. In fact, corrugated carton packaging is divided into two categories, one is sales packaging and the other is transportation packaging. Sales packaging generally belongs to the inner packaging, which needs to be seen by consumers during the sales process, such as toothpaste, soap, and cigarettes (one pack and one package). Transport packaging generally belongs to outer packaging, such as the outer packaging of full boxes of toothpaste, soap, and cigarettes. Basically, it does not meet the consumer during the sales process. Its main function is to facilitate storage and transportation. In addition, air conditioners, color TVs, refrigerators, and rice cookers are both transportation packaging and sales packaging. The printing requirements are around 60 lines. The transportation packaging is generally around 40 lines. The sales packaging above 80 lines is color offset printing. According to statistics from relevant departments, more than 90% of my country's cartons are transportation packaging, and most of them are produced using carton printing equipment.

Laser engraving machine is a high-tech product in the world today. The product has high optical, mechanical and electrical integration technology content. Laser engraving has automatic engraving functions that are efficient, fast, precise and clear. The output power of a laser engraving machine is only 900W. Practice has proved that laser power processing is energy-saving and environmentally friendly processing. Laser automatic engraving and plate making can achieve 40-60 line printing effects, while manual plate making can be below 40 lines. Laser engraving plate making completely replaces manual engraving plate making. Due to the low cost of laser engraving plate making, only a quarter of the cost of resin plates, currently, the carton industry generally uses laser engraving plate making and resin plates as printing plates for corrugated carton packaging. Yueming laser processing equipment is widely used in the market, and resin plates generally use BASF and TDR plates.

Advantages of laser engraving plate making

1. Comparison between laser engraving plate making and manual engraving plate making

Laser engraving plate making completely imitates and optimizes the manual plate making design. Laser engraving plate making After the plate making was introduced to the market, within ten years, through software upgrades, the engraving had a 0.3MM slope and the light attenuation at the engraving corners was automatically compensated. Improve automatic engraving speed. Basically hand-engraved platemaking is eliminated. In addition, laser engraving plate making completely eliminates engraving errors and the inevitable engraving errors caused by manual engraving. The original manuscript is good, but one mistake during manual engraving will cause the entire page to be scrapped. If not discovered in time, the entire batch of cartons will often be scrapped. Laser engraving uses software to input the original document for automatic engraving, and there are no engraving errors. It turns out that the more than 20,000 hand-engraving and plate-making employees in the Pearl River Delta have basically disappeared and have all changed careers.

2. Comparison between laser engraving plate making and resin plate

Laser engraving plate making has a low one-time investment. A set of equipment for a 2-meter photosensitive flexible drying machine is no less than 400,000 yuan, and a laser engraving machine is about 40,000 yuan.

The production cost of resin plates is high. The average price of resin plates in the Pearl River Delta region is 1.25 yuan/in2, and laser engraving plates are 0.32 yuan/in2. Although mass production of resin plates can reduce the production cost to 0.90 yuan/in2 , however, not every company can do it. Even if it can be done, the cost is still much higher than laser plate making.

Laser engraving plate making has low energy consumption and no pollution. Resin plate processing is highly polluting. Although using a plate making liquid recovery device is better than not having one, the plate making liquid recovery rate cannot be 100%, and pollution is unavoidable.

The size of laser engraving can be infinite, and the production space only requires more than ten square meters. However, the working space of the resin plate printing machine cannot be less than 40 square meters. The smell during production is pungent, and the production space must be Separate independently. In addition, the processing size is limited by the machine model. The 2-meter photosensitive flexographic plate machine can only produce resin plates within 2 meters. 5. The laser engraving plate uses a 0.3MM slope, and its durability is basically close to the resin version. Only the resin version with characters below size seven is better than the laser engraving version in terms of printing clarity.

3. Practical application of laser engraving plates and photosensitive resin plates in the corrugated box packaging industry

Currently, in the economically developed areas of the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta, photosensitive resin plates and laser engraving plates Resin plate is very popular due to its high flexibility and clear printing mark. In the carton industry, transportation and packaging printing marks account for 30% of the market, while laser engraving plate making is fully accepted. The original hand engraving plate making accounted for 70% of the market. 90% of corrugated boxes are transportation packaging, and the printing mark requirements are generally around 40 lines, while the carton printing machinery can only reach below 80 lines, and color offset printing is generally used for more than 80 lines. For electrical appliance packaging between transportation packaging and sales packaging, laser engraving plates can be used. Due to the habits of some manufacturers' operators, resin plates are now mostly used.

4. Competition and prediction of low energy consumption, environmentally friendly and economical laser engraving plates and photosensitive resin plates

Applications in electrical appliances and food packaging between transportation packaging and sales packaging In addition to economic reasons for using laser engraving plate making, the more important thing is environmental protection. In the practice of carton packaging printing, printing with air cushion or sponge liner with good elasticity can achieve high resolution and improve the printing effect by 10-20 lines. At present, many carton packaging companies have tried this method and achieved good results. A more stable approach is to use resin plates for some smaller text patterns on this basis, and laser engraving for text patterns above size seven. Example: Zhuhai Doumen Qianye Paper Products Co., Ltd. uses this method to manufacture export packaging cartons for Gree air conditioners. Except for the text and patterns below size 7, which are made of resin, the rest are all made of laser engraving. This reduces plate making costs while ensuring quality. If all photosensitive resin plates are used, a set of printing plates will cost no less than 2,000 to 3,000 yuan. If laser engraving is used mainly to make plates, and photosensitive resin plates are supplemented, a set of printing plates only costs more than 500 yuan. Enterprises should do everything possible to reduce production costs. , paying attention to the environment is more valuable.

5. Diversified competition in plate making technology

Competition not only provides more choices for the carton packaging industry, but also greatly reduces costs and improves economic benefits for the carton packaging industry. Before the advent of laser engraving plate making, the average price of photosensitive resin was 5 yuan/in2. At that time, almost every industrial zone in the Pearl River Delta had photosensitive resin plate production and processing sites, and there was a strong trend of their spread.

After laser engraving plate making was introduced to the market, the price of photosensitive resin plates dropped sharply, to 1.25 yuan/in2 today, and the production scale also shrunk. The benefits of platemaking competition to the carton packaging industry are obvious. To sum up, in the future, corrugated carton packaging companies will continue to compete in printing plate technology, and the competition between laser engraving plate making and photosensitive resin plates will continue, and it will be more exciting. According to predictions by experts in the corrugated packaging carton industry. In the future, photosensitive resin will be completely withdrawn from transportation and packaging carton printing plates. For product printing between transportation and sales packaging, photosensitive resin plates still have a slight advantage. About 60% use photosensitive resin plates and 40% use laser engraving plates. Originally, photosensitive resin plates were used. The resin version has undoubtedly become a thing of the past.

At present, laser engraving plate making in the corrugated carton packaging industry accounts for 75% of the market share, and it continues to expand. Although photosensitive resin has high stability and high-definition printing effects, The cost issue is the bottleneck restricting its development. Even if the cost can be reduced, environmental protection issues are the most critical issue restricting its development. Therefore, economical and environmentally friendly laser engraving plate making is the future development direction of printing plates in the carton packaging industry.

The development status of laser engraving equipment

There are many kinds of laser equipment on the market, which can be roughly summarized into the following products: laser marking, laser welding, laser cutting, laser engraving, laser Drilling, laser demonstration, laser plate making machine, laser beauty, laser medical treatment, laser inkjet printing, laser heat treatment, etc. They are all the crystallization products of laser technology and software control technology, bringing vitality to modern industrial civilization.

At present, with the development and promotion of laser engraving equipment in application technology and technology, the manufacturing and sales of laser plane marking and engraving equipment have shown a good upward trend. The number of domestic companies engaged in the development, manufacturing, and sales of laser equipment, as well as companies acting as agents for foreign laser equipment, has increased rapidly. Competition is also becoming increasingly fierce.

However, all laser equipment in the domestic market is still at the stage of laser plane engraving, and no company or scientific research unit has yet come up with a three-dimensional laser engraving system. Some fine three-dimensional mold carvings still rely on computer machine carving or hand carving. However, both machine carving and hand carving have great weaknesses and limitations, which restrict the development of some fine craftsmanship. Several domestic laser research institutions are conducting research on laser three-dimensional engraving machines.

In the field of fine carving, Beijing Jingdiao is the best in domestic traditional mechanical carving equipment, and it has won a huge market and success in solving fine carving molds. However, due to the inherent limitations of mechanical knife carving, there are still many high-precision carvings that cannot be realized. In some areas, we have to rely on superb manual craftsmanship to perform hand carving or mold repair work. In terms of laser engraving molds, there is a new light source laser, which mainly uses powerful laser marking machines to be sold to the mold manufacturing industry. The current sales situation is good. However, because its engraving technology can only engrave flat text and patterns, it is still a long way from laser three-dimensional engraving, so it cannot yet show its talents in this field.

The three-dimensional laser engraving system (English name: 3D laser engraving system) is another new member of the laser equipment family. It is another important symbol of the progress of laser technology and a powerful tool for the mold manufacturing industry. Laser three-dimensional precision mold engraving refers to using a high-energy laser beam to carve the two-dimensional or three-dimensional shape you need on the mold material or copper electrode. At the same time, it is fundamentally different from the current crystal engraving machine. The three-dimensional concept of the crystal engraving machine is a three-dimensional image created by a certain density of point clouds, and it can only be applied to crystal handicrafts. The laser three-dimensional engraving machine realizes the engraving of three-dimensional solid space through precise CAD software technology, so it can be applied not only in the field of general product finishing, but also in the field of mold manufacturing.

Abroad, some equipment manufacturers have developed corresponding laser three-dimensional engraving systems and applications, and have extended their sales tentacles into the country. There are several merchants who represent this type of equipment, but there is no prototype yet, and its price is more than 1 million yuan. For example, FOBA.G-SERIES developed by Canadian VIRTEK company is currently mainly used in the mold engraving industry.

[Edit this paragraph] Five elements for choosing a laser engraving machine

1. Selection of format size

Customers should choose based on their business needs and financial situation. Choose the model and power of the engraving machine that suits you.

Generally, small format engraving machines are 600mm×600mm and 600mm×900mm, and the feed width is 700mm. Engraving two-color plates is the most basic application of small-format engraving machines, and its receptivity is very good. The price of a smaller engraving machine is about the same, but when engraving two-color boards, you need to cut the boards, which is more troublesome and causes unnecessary waste. Large-format engraving machines include 1200mm × 1200mm, 200mm × 1500mm, 1500mm × 2400mm, and 2400mm × 3000mm. The width of the engraving machines of the above models is more than 1350mm. The size of plexiglass and PVC boards currently on the market are both 1300mm × 2400mm, so these models are more suitable for customers who need large-format engraving machines.

2. Spindle motor

The spindle motor is an important component of the computer engraving machine, and its performance has a vital impact on the performance of the computer engraving machine. Machining spindles are usually divided into two categories: precision machining spindles and high-power cutting off spindles.

1. The characteristics of the precision machining spindle are low noise, high speed and height, which is suitable for processing particularly fine workpieces, such as seals, nameplates, badges and gifts, etc. This type of motor is usually a high-speed variable frequency motor with small power, generally below 250W. The disadvantage is that it has poor ability to cut thick materials and is not suitable for cutting thicker materials.

2. The high-power cutting spindle is mainly used for cutting and high-power engraving. It is characterized by high power and strong cutting ability. It is especially suitable for cutting Yu and three-dimensional characters. Of course, it can also be used to make nameplates, nameplates, etc. Seals, etc. This type of high-power spindle can generally be divided into brushless high-speed AC motors and brushed AC motors according to the characteristics of the motor. The main differences are:

A. The brushless variable frequency motor has a high speed and a variable speed range of 70060000 rpm, while the maximum speed of a general brushed AC motor does not exceed 24,000 rpm:

B. The brushless variable frequency motor has high rotation accuracy, small wear, low noise, and the operating noise is much lower than that of brushed AC motors. Motor;

C. The brushless frequency converter motor has good stalling characteristics. Because there is a special current limiting circuit on the inverter, the motor will not be burned if it is stalled for a short period of time, while the brushed AC motor will operate at overload. Or when blocked, it will quickly smoke and burn, and cannot be repaired;

D. The brushless variable frequency motor adopts variable frequency control technology to regulate speed. It is a professional-grade product with a long life. The manufacturer provides a 1-year free replacement guarantee. In the future, the motor can be maintained by replacing high-speed bearings. However, the brushed AC motor has to replace the motor or motor carbon brushes after its service life is about 300 hours, so the carbon brushed AC motor usually does not have a one-day warranty.

3. Selection of control mode and speed: The control mode can now be divided into three types:

A. All calculation work is completed under computer control. When the engraving machine is working, the computer is in working status and cannot perform other typesetting work. , which may cause waste products due to computer misuse.

B. Using single-chip microcomputer control, this controller can perform typesetting while the laser engraving machine is working, but cannot shut down the computer. This is actually equivalent to saving a computer and reducing the cost of the computer. Waste products caused by misuse.

C. The USB port is used to transmit data, and the system has a memory capacity of more than 128M. As long as you save the file, you can immediately completely disconnect from the computer, shut down the computer, or perform other types of layout. This method greatly improves the working efficiency of the laser engraving machine.

4. Guide rails

Large-format engraving machines must use widened imported square guide rails, whose load capacity and accuracy retention capacity are more than 30 times that of circular guide rails, ensuring The high quality and high speed of laser engraving machine.

5. Precision

If a small-format machine engraves 1mm Chinese characters, or a large-format engraving machine engraves 1.5mm small characters, they can be seen very clearly under a magnifying glass.