Trotec Speedy 360 [72/90] Speedy 360

Speedy 360

BA 8032_2.2_EN (05/2016) 72 / 90

www.troteclaser.com

8.9 Tips and tricks

8.9.1 Tips and tricks for laser engraving

The engraving depth can be varied by varying laser power or engraving speed. To increase the

engraving depth, reduce the speed or increase the power setting; thereby you increase the energy

input per area unit. Too deep engraving, however, reduces the quality of the details. For coated

materials, the required power depends on the kind and thickness of the coating. If the power setting is

too high, the individual lines become too thick, and a sharp picture cannot be achieved. The resolution

of the graphics should usually be 500 dpi. The dpi setting (number of laser dots per inch) depends on

the material. The lower this setting is, the lower the resolution of the engraved picture will be. This,

however, reduces flaming and increases the energy of a pulse, which can improve the overall result,

e.g. when engraving some sorts of plastic materials.

Protection foil:

Generally, remove the protection foil from the engraving area. However, leave the protection foil on

the area that is not to be engraved, to avoid scratching of the material. Protection foil can be useful to

protect adjacent material from debris during cutting.

Plastics:

The majority of available plastics can be easily engraved and cut with the laser. As most plastic

materials have a low melting point, a low PPI setting should be selected to reduce the danger of

melting.

Acrylic:

There are two different types of acrylic – cast and extruded. The cast acrylic becomes white or mat

after engraving, the extruded acrylic remains clear. Use extruded acrylic for engravings that are filled

with paint and cast acrylic for normal engravings. Cast acrylic can be best engraved without protection

foil. It is better to engrave the entire surface with a low energy setting.

Photo Engraving:

Scan the desired picture with a resolution of 300 dpi. Adjust brightness and contrast so that lighter

colors become lighter and darker colors become darker. The photo may look better if you use a filter to

sharpen the contours. Select a raster from the software. Use a raster with 20 to 100 lines per inch.

Increasing the number of lines per inch decreases the size of the points. With increasing number of

lines per inch, the size of the points decreases. If you cannot select a raster in your software, the

printer driver will select the raster automatically.