I am having an issue marking stainless with the laser tree K30, the issue that i have is, when i do a materials test, i get colors and they look good, but when i try to use the settings for the color on the test, it doesn’t mark in color. does anyone have any ideas on what i should try?
To understand why it is not working, you have to understand why it did. This link will help explain why stainless can obtain various colors. When you read the process, try to imagine controlling it with your laser. Heat + Time = Desired Color.
Pretty impressive for a visible light laser… Even many fiber lasers have difficulty with this…
I notice the advertisement didn’t say anything about metal, but the video shows them doing a rather large object with color variations…
I know if you change the metal type, thickness and lens you will have different values since the heat is removed very fast by metal…
I would think you should be able to duplicate their stuff… might be worth asking … doubt they will help you but it’s worth a try…
I have a 60W JPT MOPA that is difficult to control doing this… Wish I had some good words of wisdom, but you already surprised me…
Left is varying only the speed and power… On the right is a chunk of steel… colors work best on stainless and titanium.
Good luck… I’m watching…
2 Likes
I am a part time machinist, I know why the colors change. I am looking for answers as to why I cannot replicate it when assigning the parameters from the test piece to other pieces.
That makes this part easier…
Those squares are very localized heat. The laser remains in that small area for a finite amount of time. Stainless is not very heat conductive, so it will discolor in spots. A propane or MAP gas torch will show this effect. Imagine heating a spot next to the one you just heated. Because SS is a poor conductor, the first spot will continue to heat as you heat the second. If you want to heat a large area of SS, it is best done in am oven, with very strict temperature control. Trying to colorize it with a laser spot is a real challenge. One that is way beyond my patience. 
This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.