Hi y’all, it seems I have tried almost everything for something so simple which is etching on 2mm thick stainless (serial number plates). At 100% power my 22w diode laser marked mdf very crisp but doesn’t even warm up a piece of stainless. This seems more like a software thing rather than hardware given that 100% should have burned through the mdf. All input is appreciated!
I’m afraid you’ll need a different laser to etch or engrave metals. Either an IR or fiber.
A less durable alternative for your existing machine would be to use a marking medium such as Cermark or Brilliance Laser Ink.
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I bought this machine because I see youtubers using it to etch stainless no problem and it’s listed as a feature by Creality. Any idea if there could be something wrong in Lightburn?
It is not lightburn. You need a bigger module…and a much thicker piece of steel. Maybe, maybe…you can get colors from a 22…but that depends on the materials used in making that steel. You ‘could’ try a much slower speed at 100%…but you will warp most thinner pieces. If you are just looking for a black etching, there are different methods. Same as white ceramic tile, a diode will not mark it. But NWT, titanium dioxide coating applied first, is a ‘cheat’ around the limitations of a diode’s wavelength.
Not everything on the Internet is true, and this applies even more so for youtubers. Not all…just the majority of them. Look for ones that instruct slowly and concisely…not ones that just show end results.
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What is the specific result you’re looking to achieve?
Removing material so that you can feel or see depth and/or fill with enamel?
An etching (specific color?) that you cannot feel but can see?
Pretty colors for artistic work?
This is an excellent video that shows what can be REALISTICALLY accomplished with a machine like yours.
Same gentleman doing some testing.
Outside of this, things get iffy real fast for diode users. With current hobby grade machines, metal work is really best suited for fiber machines which start around $3000 and go WAAY up from there.
At this point I want to see any kind of indication that the laser had an effect on the surface. I am running at 100% power at 100 mm/m which, based on everyone else’s results should leave an ugly looking etch on the metal. Mine doesn’t show the slightest evidence of anything. No color, no fading, nothing. I’m starting to think they shipped me a refurbished or bad laser module.
You can try this, I can only assure you that it’s cheap.
Well, it turns out I made a very wrong assumption that the sheet it came with is in fact stainless. Thank you Fernando, you just saved my Friday.
You must be certain of your focus length. A tiny bit out of perfect and your ability to work stainless steel is gone
With a 10w diode, I can mark stainless tumblers with dark grey permanent color.