So what happens when you take a top-selling product and offer your services to add some personal flair to it? In just one case, a construction company handed out logoed travel mugs in conjunction with the grand opening of a business building the company had built which resulted in new contracts for the company. But before that, this is a challenging technique to get right, and not suggested for beginners who struggle with the basics of operating a laser engraver. Paul recommends putting the laser up a few mm from the normal focus height to de-focus the beam slightly to reduce the power. robotic arm robot motoman welding robots industrial laser mechanical yaskawa technology cable automation engineering robotics services axis joints machine taken This is a great idea. Laser engraving and cutting machines are immensely powerful. Glass and ceramic were much worse. As noted earlier, you will need to experiment with different machine settings to get good results as every laser is different. Gotta get the laser frame locked down so it doesn't move when the gantry is moving at higher speeds. Copyright 2022 AP Lazer - All Rights Reserved. I've toying around with the idea of getting a laser engraver for some time now but I had no idea which one to get. Using this on a rotary is likely going to be more mess than it's worth unless you've come up with some way to make the media stick to the material while being rotated. reliantfinishingsystems There are lots of opportunities to sell personalized travel mugs to get your share of this burgeoning market. Laser Engraving Travel Mugs As mentioned earlier, the travel mugs this article is focusing on have a stainless steel body and some of them feature double-wall stainless steel insulation to keep beverages either hot or cold for a long time. But experienced owners know that they can tell you much, much more. For more information about AP Lazer, give us a call at 800-585-8617, email us, or fill out our online form. I would assume if you get the right process without burning the initial powder coat you should be able to do it. finmekanik manufacturing bearbetning hg Second, the media is tamped down into the pockets so the media at the bottom is squished in the roughed-up material. It's time for a quick chat on acrylic engraving, not to be confused How to Position Your Material and Laser in xTool D1? All fields are required. Other options here would be to create a duct to capture the fan's exhaust and send it elsewhere instead of straight down. Be sure to fill out everything as all fields are required. But in this case, that wasn't going to work. Hello friends! You might also look for recommendations from your peers. League City, TX 77573 And I expect it will take you some trial and error as well. With the 3.8W laser these products slightly adhere on stainless, but not to a good enough quality and durability. You can use either a CO2 or a fiber laser to engrave through the powder coating on mugs. Some users have reported issues with the engraving lining up when making two or more passes using the roller type fixture because the mug shifts slightly in the fixture. You can get these on various Chinese sites (BangGood, DealBest, etc) for about $150 - $175 if you get a coupon code. For what it's worth, another method I tried included adding it to water and airbrushing it on. If you are engraving bare stainless steel, you can use either a fiber laser or a CO2 laser. Owner of Powder Coated Finishes states: We are excited to announce a newly developed technology, the ability to laser engrave company logos and images and inlay different colors of powder coat! You need jtechphotonicscom: You don't have to charge the part, but you can if jtechphotonicscom: The 4.2W laser will be slow to cut 1/8" and 1/4" jtechphotonicscom: It starts where ever you put your laser. When laser engraved, the top coating is removed revealing the underlying color for contrast. Etching (burning, really) things like powdercoat, paint, acrylic, etc, put off some really nasty fumes. When paper met full-color printing, we had a new world of printed art and photos. Pretty much everyone agrees that one of the hottest sellers in retail personalization right now, if not the hottest seller, is stainless steel travel mugs. First, you need proper eye protection (tinted safety glasses). Simply fill out the form below and you will be added to our mailing list. 2911 South Shore BLVD A pocket. The powder coating technique is everywhere, from your home appliances, lawn furniture to industrial equipment, even AP Lazer is powder-coated. [emailprotected]. Selectively sanding would have been even more tedious. I did have the laser working previously, so Im not sure what happened and when my settings changed, but going through that setup process you described again did the trick and everything is working perfectly now! I received it on Wednesday. And with what we'll be doing later, assuming you can hold the material with your fingers is asking for heartbreak. If you engrave a lot of mugs and roundwork, a cylindrical engraving attachment is a good investment. Those owners want to add color on a smaller scale, color which flows with the material or sticks to the top of the material. What I did to solve this was crude but effective - I blocked up the fan's intake just before hitting the go button and unblocked it as soon as the job finished. Raster engraving and vector engraving are the two types of engravings done using a laser Acrylic Laser Engraving: Speed & Power Settings, Accessory and Material. Plus, they are nearly indestructible. I think it is quite incredible you can powder coat just about anything that is metal. Suite 150 When the media melts together, all the air between the dust particles is removed, causing the level of the material to drop. to 64 oz. JDS Industries, Inc. offers a line of powder coated travel mugs for engraving. It's that simple. Thank you for everything. Powder-coated water bottles are super popular right now and we're happy to find they laser engrave beautifully, too! It really does require a light touch to just *melt* the powder without burning it off. For materials like ceramic, a low-speed test will be better, as you have to destroy the hard finish. Simply fill out the form below and one of our staff will contact you right away. That means your iced drinks stay cold (even in warm temperatures) and your hot drinks like tea and coffee stay hot. I really dont know what I would suggest for improvement. Hi Aplazer, You might need to make two or three passes with the laser to completely remove the coating, engraving slow and hot on the first pass and faster and hot on subsequent passes. This is not something one normally does with a laser, and can lead to the laser going into thermal shutdown because it gets too hot. The picture above shows a panel on the left that has not been cured and one on the right that has been cured. We purchased ours from. Kitchen-grade 18/8 stainless steel and double-wall vacuum insulation work to keep your favorite beverage at its desired temperature for extended periods of time. Thanks for the write-up! Suffice it to say that by taking a quick look around, you will see potential customers everywhere. This tutorial is orginally written by Cobey Schmidt, a proud xTool D1 owner, and is published by xTool with full authorization. Use rubbing alcohol or Goo Gone and a plastic-bristle brush or sponge to remove any residue. More or less, get yourself a little scoop of media, and gently dump it onto your material. Aerosol is easiest to apply but the paste is more economical, especially if a large area needs to be covered. In this case, it can tell you the combination needed to get the pocket depth you want. If the machine settings arent right, the black mark will rub off. The open-architecture design of our laser machines allows for the cutting and engraving of wood, plastic, stone, glass, metal and more with no weight or size restrictions! Whether an established business or just starting out, when you finance a laser machine, you open up many business opportunities . finmekanik manufacturing bearbetning hg Feel free to subscribe to Cobey's YouTube Channel if you find this post inpiring and helpful to your creation. He also says that his business has perfected the powder coating process to ensure the coatings are consistent and durable on the mugs. Position Precision of Laser Head and Material, That's a problem for any engraver that doesn't have. Engraving Powder Coated Mugs But a laser beam is tiny, ruling out melting media in mass quantities all at once. You dont have to charge the part, but you can if that is your normal process. Ready to grow your business? Beyond selling them as individual personalized gifts, consider the promotional products market where there are nearly unlimited potential customers. Basically, a static charge is applied to a metal object. View our full line of Co2 and Fiber laser engraving and cutting systems to see which is right for you. Unfortunately, the amount of laser required is different for the different materials we use (they have far different machining characteristics as well) and is some combination of material grade, thickness, and if it has been clear-anodized or not. How to Prevent the Laser Module Fan from Blowing Powder Away? The laser acts as a heat source to flow the paint and adhere it to the part in the regions where you want it to adhere. Schools use them in fundraisers. One of the techniques he uses involves powder coating the metal and, instead of curing it in an oven, using his laser to set the image areas in the powder coat. And, we can also use the laser to dig into some materials, carving away some of it. These colorful bottles are easy to engrave - whether you go with a holiday design or other personalized message, these colorful bottles make great gifts for nearly any occasion. Press J to jump to the feed. In the case of stainless steel, it can be marked by applying a laser-markable chemical coating prior to engraving. In brief, you home your machine, use the jig to set the laser module's position, and go. Rubbing alcohol or Goo Gone + plastic brush for residue removal. The Mugs And if you engrave a lot of powder coated cups, there will be a good deal of extra labor involved. Step 6: Spread and pack pockets with media. Wash and lightly scrub the panels to remove the excess powder coating. Johnson Plastics Plus is a supplier of drinkware and CerMark metal marking products. What power and speed settings did you use for this? This simple technique will bring in a wide range of new markets such as powder-coated sign blanks for outdoor commercial signs, indoor and outdoor art, personalized appliances and furniture and so much more. Other laser system manufacturers also can offer suggested machine settings for their lasers. The popularity of personalized travel mugs is continuing to soar, so much so that there is plenty of room for you to cash in on your fair share of it. You'll probably still have some stuck on the material, especially if it's wood. (Google YouTube YETI or RTIC challenge sometime. Laser in action (here I was testing the feasibility of cutting through painter's tape on a bare box to use as a paint mask): http://i.imgur.com/qyEpHJt.jpg, Powdercoated box, fresh off the laser (no cleanup): http://i.imgur.com/gMTfCWG.jpg. Customers can hand these out at any promotional event to all of their clients to leave a great lasting impression of the business and its services. It didn't take long to figure out that simply melting powder coating media wasn't going to work everywhere. Advanced optoelectronics for Industry, Research, and Enthusiasts. Covid-19 Update We are Still Open for Online Orders, HODOR Door Stop Project Game of Thrones, Setting Up Mach4 with ESS and J Tech Lasers, Dewalt 611 All-in-One Laser and Mounting Kit Bundle, 5 Amp Adjustable Safety Compliant Laser Diode Driver, Laser Safety Goggles for 445nm and 405nm Lasers, 250nm to 520nm Laser Shielding - 12" x 12", Generic Magnet Mounting Bundle Instructions, Makerbot Replicator 2 and 2x Laser Upgrade, http://www.eastwood.com/hotcoat-powder-coating.html, Cutting Acrylic with the 2.8W Laser Upgrade Kit, Making Prototype PCBs with J Tech Laser Upgrade, Making an Aztec calendar using VCarve Pro and a J Tech laser.