Engraving means removing material from a surface to carve a pattern in it. Traditionally engraving was done with hand-held tools. Although the skilled craftsmen could do it quite precisely, the machine-like precision came with the invention of laser beams, which have excellent precision.
Laser engraving is a technology that uses laser beams to carve or engrave desired shapes into certain materials. Laser beams generate sufficient energy to carve through plastic, glass, wood, and even metal. Although professional laser engraving is underway for many purposes, mini laser engravers have now become available in an affordable price. Therefore, you can do your laser engraving, through portable engravers, which can be connected to computers or even power banks. Let us have a look at how these engravers work and what are their benefits.
Laser
Laser is a familiar terminology; it is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Production of lasers is a phenomenon of physics, where the emission of radiation is used to produce a monochromatic, highly concentrated beam of flight. The beam has sufficient energy to vaporize materials and create desired patterns. The quality of laser that allows it to be so useful is the precision. A laser beam travels in an extremely straight line; hence it is very precise in marking and engraving.
With the invention of mini laser engravers, it has become possible to control the direction of the laser beam and use it to one’s desire.
What Are Mini Laser Engravers?
Laser engravers use the production of laser beams to cut and carve through any surface for commercial, architectural, or purposes of crafting. Laser engravers have mechanisms to generate laser beams, at sufficient energy to cut through a certain material, without the hassle and wear and tear of tools. It needs no sharp tools to cut through wood, glass, or metal. Just the heat generated from a laser beam cuts through the substance with maximum precision and efficiency.
A laser engraving machine has three main parts: a laser, a controller, and a surface. The laser itself is used to generate the beam, the controller to control the speed, direction, and intensity of the laser beam. The three components can be combined in a mini laser engraver.
Mini laser engravers, as the name suggests, are portable instruments that can be used by a lay-man to etch or carve designs into whatever material they want. When buying a mini engraver, you must first process the type of material that you are going to carve through to ensure you buy the one that can provide sufficient energy for the procedure. Check out our article on the best mini laser engravers to opt for the right one.
Two Methods of Laser Engraving
The two basic methods of laser engraving are raster and vector engraving. Raster engraving is the standard method where a portrait made out of pixels is engraved on a material point to point or line by line. On the other hand, vector engraving traces curves or lines one after the other that is whole vectors, engraving them at the same time. If a large area is to be engraved, raster engraving is the standard method, but for the carving of merely thin lines or curves, vector engraving is preferred and is faster.
Who Can Use A Mini Laser Engraver?
Mini laser engravers are essentially DIY tools that do not require much skill. Plus, you can easily make engraved patterns on anything you like using them. All you may need is a guide on how to set up the machine and learn to adjust the intensity and direction of the laser beam so you can carve exactly what is in your mind.
Procedure
Mini laser engravers are Do-it-yourself tools that can be connected to a computer or powered by a power bank. The desired design is selected, and quite like a printer, the engraver carves it on the surface of the material that you want, which only needs to be placed properly at the surface. The mini laser engravers use the X-Y axis during the carving. The surface to be engraved remains stationary and the beam is directed to carve the said design.
Laser beams are precise as well as very efficient. This is because a laser beam directs the energy on the surface in such a way as to convert most of the light energy from the laser beam into heat. The heat generated is sufficient to cause sublimation – a process of direct vaporization of the material without ever converting it into a liquid. In non-reflective surfaces the conversion from light to heat is more than 100 percent, leading to heating up of the instrument. The instrument hence requires an elaborate cooling system.
The controller controls the movement of the laser beam while engraving. The trace of the laser beam is carefully regulated to achieve a consistent removal depth of material, to ensure that a smooth engraving is achieved without any crests and troughs in the design.
Advantages
A mini laser engraver can interface with a computer, allowing a person to layout the design and templates and select the particulars such as the scale as required. If set up properly, it can be used as many times as you need. They can be used to carve material ranging from wood, plastic paper, and metals like aluminum. They are the perfect tool to create a beautiful customized gift or very accurately carved logos and designs onto personal objects.
There is no additional cost of tools. Since the mini engraver uses only a laser beam, there are no extra tools that need to be sharpened and repaired or replaced as with machine engravers.
Another advantage is that they are not very costly for the type of function they perform, and can be used many times. They are portable, and it is not a hassle to move them around – called mini for the same reason.
They can be used by anybody and do not require specific skills. Just sufficient knowledge and guidance on using the machine will enable you to use the engraver without any problem.
What to Look For When Buying a Mini Laser Engraver?
Whether you want to buy it for home or work, the following things must be considered.
Price
The price itself is dependent on the purpose the machine is going to serve. For a simple do it yourself machine, you may want a rather inexpensive small one that can serve the simple purpose of crafting at home. As you increase the price, you can buy bigger, more commercial-use engravers.
Size
Are you looking for a small engraver to fit on your desk as you attach it to the computer or are you looking for a bigger machine? Carefully evaluate the purpose of the machine and select the appropriate size.
Material
The engravers come in various powers. Before buying one, carefully consider the materials that you are frequently going to engrave. Low power ones may be ineffective against metal if that’s what you are looking to carve. Save your money from going to waste and study the power that corresponds to the type of material that can be cut through.
Software Compatibility
Mini laser engravers can interface with a computer system. Therefore, you should ensure that the engraver you are buying is compatible with the software available in the computer system you own.
Final Words
Laser engravers are an easy and inexpensive alternative to machine cutting and engraving. Precision and efficiency are the two major reasons why they are better than ordinary machine engraving. Laser engravers are not only great for commercial use, but also for art enthusiasts who want to create their art pieces, beautifully creative and accurate. Hence, investing in a mini laser engraver is an excellent choice.