I am new to laser engraving and just purchased a laser master 3. I am asking what are the best settings to engrave stainless steel tumblers.
Tammy
I have a 10w laser. For tumblers, I usually use 100% power and 2200-3000 mm/m.
There is a lot of variability in tumbler and coatings, even the color will make a difference (blue is harder to get good results as the color absorbs the laser).
Any case, you will need to do a lot of testing. My Ortur gets much better results with scan rotation angle set to 90 degrees vs set at 00 degrees.
Plan on wasting a tumbler (or 3) getting your settings right. You don’t have to do the whole design, a small square or circle and maybe a letter or two of text will show you all you need to know to make your adjustments. Take notes! You will not remember what worked, when you come back to it again.
Try running a materials test.
I recommend not starting there. Steel is not the best material for a diode laser and a tumbler (as being round) introduces many challenges to the use / setup.
I suggest starting with simple plywood and get used to settings, starting modes, coordinate systems, etc. And then go back to tumblers.
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Keep saying this to yourself until you say it in your sleep.
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This is sound advice.
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