Full Version: 304 Stainless Steel
From: John (ICTJOHN) [#5]
11 Apr 2005
To: Zonas [#1] 12 Apr 2005
Zona,
A YAG laser WILL mark stainless steel and some other metals, a co2 laser will NOT mark metal. That is where the Thermark & Cerdec come in, they each do the same thing using a little bit different chemical compound. They allow you to put a black mark ON the metal. It really bonds the chemical to the surface of the metal using the heat generated by the laser. The mark is on the surface of the metal and will not be "engraved into" the metal. As Harvey said, it is a medium black mark, not a dark, rich black.
You may want to get a sample to show your customer before switching them over. It is much easier to cerdec/laser than it is to rotary & color fill. Another benefit is you would be able to put barcodes & logos on much easier if the need is there.
From: Rodney Gold (RODNEY_GOLD) [#6]
11 Apr 2005
To: Zonas [#1] 12 Apr 2005
Cermark (and any of the other many metal marking pastes - some of which are much cheaper and better) will work on stainless and the mark will be permanent.
A YAG need not just engrave thin lines , it can do the same as a Co2 in terms of how it can engrave.
Your rotary will do just fine however , the expense of a Co2 and even more pricey YAG wont be worth it for that job unless you are doing vast volumes of 'em.
In terms of Stainless engraving , ideally you should use a high speed steel cutter , not a carbide one , you need a bit of ooomph in your motor , the cutter should be bottom supported with the least amount of protrusion possible (IE a very short cutter than cannot flex).
The most important thing is the speed and feed and removing heat from the material. Very high rotational speeds and slow feeds actually work harden the SS and result in poor engraving. Some sort of lubricant or coolant system is vital to be able to engrave SS at resonable rates.
What machine do you have , what is the power of your spindle motor, what type of bits are you using and exactly how do you engrave it?
EDITED: 11 Apr 2005 by RODNEY_GOLD
From: Zonas [#7]
12 Apr 2005
To: Rodney Gold (RODNEY_GOLD) [#6] 12 Apr 2005
I use cutters from Bruce - EH-8 (I think that is what they call them) for stainless steel, yes I use a cutting solution. I have a Vision Phoenix machine. Some of these 304 plates take 4-5 repeats to get deep enough to color fill, which is my second problem getting the cutting solution out so that paint will stick. They are very labor intense. Reading all the replys has convinced me that I will have to continue doing them this way as I don't believe the thermark/cermark will meet the specs for the building. Not all the orders are color filled and they are going into manufacturing businesses that have to meet all kinds of chemical restrictions. I've always wondered if there was a better (i.e. faster/cleaner) way to do them. Thanks everybody for the answers.
Zona
Zona's Engraved Creations
From: JayBeeOz [#8]
12 Apr 2005
To: Zonas [#7] 12 Apr 2005
Hi Zonas
I use Cerdec on Stainless and it has been tested with alot of different chemicals & acids for resistance. According to the Test sheet, the sample SS was even heated to cherry red and plunged into water. While the metal showed discoloration, the mark apparently was unaffected.
On the VERY rare occasion that I do have to rotary engrave SS, I normally use a strip of 'Blue Tac' rolled into a snake, and used to form a dam around the edge of the plate surface. I then pour in a 50/50 mix of Methylated Spirits and water to a depth of about 2 - 3mm. Then engrave away. The Solution keeps the cutter tip cool, and lubricates at the same time. I use the same process when engraving Brass, Bronze & Aluminium Plates.The upside is, once finished, rinse off the plate, dry & colorfill. No oily residue to try and remove. The downside is that you will get a slightly shorter cutter life.
John
From: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY) [#9]
12 Apr 2005
To: Zonas [#7] 12 Apr 2005
Antares makes a special spiral cutting bit for stainless steel. I have purchased one in .010, (I believe), and need to test it. It is supposed to be a great improvement.
From: Engravin' Dave (DATAKES) [#10]
12 Apr 2005
To: JayBeeOz [#8] 12 Apr 2005
John,
I use that same process when drilling mounting holes through glass, using only water as the coolant. I can't believe I didn't think of it for metal engraving applications. Thanks for opening my closed mind a little bit further.
From: laserman (MIKEMAC) [#11]
12 Apr 2005
To: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY) [#4] 12 Apr 2005
Harvey,
FWI
Thermark and Cermark are now the same Ferro Corp. just finished the purchase of Thermark. In fact the two companies started as one (Cerdec) and then split and now are back together again.