Working with glass & crystal can be tricky process. Sometimes the results maybe not be dark enough and that is where CerMark comes into play.

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Leo Adams
6 years ago
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Ornaments Being able to offer your customers personalized items to share with their families at the holidays each year is a rewarding part of laser engraving.

There are many ways ornaments can impact you and your customers as you offer ornaments in a variety of materials. We will focus on ornaments made from acrylic, glass and on pre-cut glass shapes.

Controlling this micro chipping process can be tricky as the surface may have a tendency to have large flakes come off and create a very uneven look.

1 Ornaments Being able to offer your customers personalized items to share with their families at the holidays each year is a rewarding part of laser engraving. It might be to commemorate a special loved one that has passed or celebrate the birth of a baby. There are many ways ornaments can impact you and your customers as you offer ornaments in a variety of materials. We will focus on ornaments made from acrylic, glass and on pre-cut glass shapes. Glass & Crystal Precut Shapes Laser engraving on glass/crystal is a micro chipping process. Heat energy from the focused laser heats the surface and causes the flaking away of the glass or crystal. Controlling this micro chipping process can be tricky as the surface may have a tendency to have large flakes come off and create a very uneven look. Dampening the intense heat (by placing a damp piece of white printer paper on the surface to be engraved) from the laser will give a smoother, more professional look to the engraved product. Working with glass & crystal can be tricky process. Sometimes the results maybe not be dark enough and that is where CerMark comes into play. Thermal bonding is a process that has been proven for many years for the application of metal marking. The heat energy of the laser is used to bond the special coating to the base material. Advances in material development now offer the ability to bond on glass, crystal or ceramic tile of any type or surface.

Acrylic When cast acrylic is laser engraved, it turns a frosty white color.

size. These large sheets can be molded into several sizes, ranging from a thin 1/16 of an inch to a larger

For ornaments, you will need to be able to cut through the acrylic.

Extruded acrylic is formed into sheets by a large machine much like a printing press.

2 Acrylic When cast acrylic is laser engraved, it turns a frosty white color. Cast acrylic sheets are made from a liquid acrylic that is poured into molds that are up to 4 x 8 feet in size. These large sheets can be molded into several sizes, ranging from a thin 1/16 of an inch to a larger 1 and 2 inch thickness. The cast acrylic available at 1/8 inch thick can be both engraved and cut. For ornaments, you will need to be able to cut through the acrylic. The second type of commonly found acrylic is extruded acrylic. Extruded acrylic is formed into sheets by a large machine much like a printing press. Being a high volume manufacturing technique, this process allows sheets of extruded acrylic to be less expensive than cast acrylic. Again, for both engraving and cutting, the acrylic will need to be at a thickness your laser is able to both engrave and cut.

3 Color Filling acrylic is a great option in added value to the product. The number one rule when color filling acrylic is to use an acrylic based color. The results of using a solvent based paint can be disastrous and include cracking and crazing around the engraved area where the solvents have interacted with acrylic. Other acrylic options include mirrored acrylic and colored acrylic.

Wood, quite obviously, is a natural product and not man-made.

take full advantage of the maximum amount of usable timber

The wood boards are then chemically treated and dried in

During the drying process the moisture content is accurately

The final moisture content of the wood is important for the

Well dried woods will allow minimal shrinking after

The ideal wood type for laser engraving would be one that is

4 Wood, quite obviously, is a natural product and not man-made. Each tree is graded for quality and then precisely sawn to take full advantage of the maximum amount of usable timber available on that tree. The wood boards are then chemically treated and dried in large ovens or kilns. During the drying process the moisture content is accurately measured so the wood dries free from cracks and splits. The final moisture content of the wood is important for the woodworking shop that will receive the timbers. Well dried woods will allow minimal shrinking after fabrication and produce top quality finished goods. The ideal wood type for laser engraving would be one that is light colored and has high resin content for dark engraving. Below are wood ornaments engraved and one that is color filled. The ornament below was engraved and Laser Foil was used to add color.

5 All of the acrylic and wood ornaments above were cut using designs from a template CD by LaserBits. Sometimes starting is the hardest part. Follow this link and you will receive four ornament designs from the above CD free! This is courtesy of LaserUniversity & LaserBits. All materials are sold by LaserBits at Submitted by Kathryn Arnold, Senior Developer at LaserUniversity, sponsored by LaserBits Inc. of Phoenix, AZ. She can be reached at or laseru@laserbits.com. Or visit

Uses Fabrications Decoration Signage Artwork Glass alternative

Uses Fabrications Decoration Signage Artwork Glass alternative Acrylic A very popular sheet plastic often sold under the trade name Perspex in a variety of colours and finishes such as opaque, clear and translucent. Tough, versatile and available in many thicknesses,