Trotec Speedy 500 [44/61] Tips and tricks for laser engraving

8023 | V5.0_EN (11/2015)

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 Trotec Laser GmbH

Page 44 of 61

4.9 Tips and Tricks for Laser Engraving

The engraving depth can easily be varied through the laser power or the

speed. To increase the engraving depth, reduce the speed or increase the

power setting. This way you increase the amount of energy per area unit.

Engraving too deep, however, reduces the quality of the details. With coated

materials the required power depends of the kind and thickness of the coating.

With power set too high the individual lines become too thick and a sharp picture cannot be

achieved. The resolution of the graphics should usually be at 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:

Remove the protection foil from the engraving area. However, leave the

protection foil on the area that is not engraved, to avoid scratching of the

material.

Plastics:

Plastics for engraving are available in many different colors and thicknesses

and with many different coatings and surfaces. The majority of available

plastics can be well engraved and cut with the laser. Plastics with a micro-

porous surface seem to give the best result, because less surface material

needs to be removed. 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.