The scanning speed is the speed at which the laser beam moves. A slower scanning speed means that the laser beam remains longer over the same area. This increases the amount of energy in that area, allowing you to engrave deeper and faster. But there’s a point where too much energy may overheat and discolor the surface.
Whether you need a fast or slow scanning speed depends on your quality and cycle time requirements. The key is to find the right balance between speed and quality. When we perform sample tests for clients, we show different results and let them decide which they like best.
Certain metals like aluminum can be engraved faster and deeper when they are preheated, as they reach the temperature required for ablation more quickly. Our tests showed that aluminum could be engraved up to 40% deeper within the same time.
Preheating can be done by including heating plates with the laser engraver.
The line width is the distance that the laser beam travels over a given line before starting a new line. Whenever the laser starts a new line, there’s a small delay of about 0.03 seconds known as the hatch speed. This delay may seem insignificant, but it adds up!
For a short line width of 1 mm, the hatch speed delay can represent more than 50% of the marking time. For a longer line width of 50 mm, it may only add up to 10%.
Put simply, the longer the line width, the faster the engraving speed. For example, engraving a small logo could be done at 1 mm3/s compared to 2.51 mm3/s for a large logo. This is why we provide speed ranges for our lasers.
Deep laser engravers are ideally enclosed in a manually operated laser marking machine. The main reason is that deep engraving is a long process that may take several minutes for a single part, or even several hours.
Since automation is unnecessary, deep engraving machines are more affordable than other types of machines. All you need to do is launch the process, then come back and load a different part when it’s done.
Regarding safety, you need to know two things.
The first one is that workers need to be protected from the laser beam. For this, all you need is a Class-1 laser safety enclosure, which is 100% safe according to international standards.
The second one is that deep engraving generates dust and fumes when it vaporizes the surface of your parts. Since a lot of material is removed, you need a laser fume extractor. This will make sure that you keep a clean air for your workers.
If you have a project and need a laser engraver, contact a laser expert to discuss your requirements and get your samples marked.