Metal marking issue

I’m going to bump this over to #beyond-the-manual for you. Posts in the Problems and support section open a trouble ticket with support, and they aren’t able to assist on non-Proofgrade materials and settings.

That said - what speed and power are you using? Several people have started using this spray, so maybe one will chime in with what has worked for them.

Is your material clean? I would recommend giving it a wipe with a cleaning agent - the Zeiss wipes would work fine. Or just some regular alcohol. Something to get any oils, etc. off of the surface.

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Have you tried searching threads about metal marking? (and not in problems and support–the GF is not designed/intended to work on metal, so they are usually in “beyond the manual” category). Even with a coating that is reactive with the laser and the surface does not always work with the GF given its power and type, but lots of folks have had success with some alloys and methods…

Trying to mark a metal cuff bracelet

But, exactly what are you doing?

Are you putting the stuff on first, then zapping it? How are you putting the stuff on the metal? What are your laser settings? We can’t help without details.

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Yes, we still need to hear exactly what process you’re following before we really can help. I don’t use Brilliance, but do use LaserBond. I spray an even coating on the metal, let it dry then use these settings;
300 full power LPI 450

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Seems like setting up a jig to stand the bracelet up and getting the proper height set would be of critical importance for something like that.

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No. Ha ha!..they’re flat. Then use a ‘bending bar’ to curve them after the fact.

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Spray layer of brilliance
Let dry
Full power
Full speed
1355 as suggested

Are your blanks made of aluminum or stainless steel? Even with various products (Cermark, LaserBond, etc) I’ve heard that they sometimes don’t ‘take’ on aluminum, even though they say they will work on it. I used stainless steel.

Wait a minute…

What does ‘full speed’ mean? What number? Full speed on the Glowforge is 1000…which is way too fast. You’ll notice that I only use 300. That might be your problem…the laser doesn’t have time to bond the coating to the metal…it’s just zooming right across it.

If you found those settings listed on the product, it’s quite likely that they don’t translate well to the Glowforge.

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Learn something new every day! Back to my corner… :slight_smile:

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I agree, 1000 is going to be way too fast. I think I used a speed around 400/full power and LPI 450 when I used it.

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yeah…we’re right in the same ballpark…

Thank goodness for that, right? Me, too…I love it. Your corner is an infinite supply of things you’ve learned, so is indeed a good destination, anyway. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Full speed was a typo…i was at 500…will try slower

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I was able to mark on the ImpressArt keychain using the settings: 300 speed, Full power, LPI 450 (from what others have posted).

I put two light coats of Brilliance on the keychain. I learned that after it dries (before putting in the Glowforge) that the Brilliance can easily wipe off :anguished:

But, I was very pleased with the results:
IMG_8335 IMG_8337

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I havn’t used Brilliance, so this may not apply
However, you can also run into problems if you put the spray on too thick. Usually you just want the bare minimum amount to get it fully covered. Then let it dry completely before you laser it.

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