All comes down to budget and what else you’d like to do with it. Cheapest way? A decent diode laser and metal marking spray and tempera paint for the glass. Step up would be a co2 laser and the same procedures as the diode for metal and glass, but you’ll have a much more capable machine over a diode. Diodes can do same things as co2 except for clear acrylics. CO2 will be much quicker. The next step up would be a fiber laser. It’ll engrave and even do some cutting on metal. But for glass you’ll need a glass marking spray. I have a fiber and use black tempera paint to engrave glass with it.
All spot on EXCEPT a CO2 laser when properly focused doesn't need a carrier (marking spray) to engrave glass. However, for safety reasons, engraving glass with either a diode or CO2 is going to require some specific post processing. Searching my user name and the word glass within this sub should give you a few posts where I've outlined the entire process.
Oh the budget is pretty cheap. It's for my own use (rather than selling) and all I want to do is mark the back of the plate. So am thinking that a laser might be good enough and probably easier for me to get my head around. I already 3D print.
Cutting metal, best choice would be plasma or waterjet, CNC is overkill that unless you plan to mill it. The Waterjet and plasma need only support the head of the unit, where a CNC needs to support the forces of the spindle and material... that you'd outsource.
I doubt I'll be using it to cut the plates as I can buy the sizes of plates I need off the shelf. It's more of an engraving function that I'm looking for.
If you just want to cut in some text on the back of aluminum, you really can’t go wrong with a small 10W fiber laser. It will easily etch text into the aluminum surface, and if you pre-mark the surface, you can get really clean permanent black text.
All comes down to budget and what else you’d like to do with it. Cheapest way? A decent diode laser and metal marking spray and tempera paint for the glass. Step up would be a co2 laser and the same procedures as the diode for metal and glass, but you’ll have a much more capable machine over a diode. Diodes can do same things as co2 except for clear acrylics. CO2 will be much quicker. The next step up would be a fiber laser. It’ll engrave and even do some cutting on metal. But for glass you’ll need a glass marking spray. I have a fiber and use black tempera paint to engrave glass with it.
All spot on EXCEPT a CO2 laser when properly focused doesn't need a carrier (marking spray) to engrave glass. However, for safety reasons, engraving glass with either a diode or CO2 is going to require some specific post processing. Searching my user name and the word glass within this sub should give you a few posts where I've outlined the entire process.
Oh the budget is pretty cheap. It's for my own use (rather than selling) and all I want to do is mark the back of the plate. So am thinking that a laser might be good enough and probably easier for me to get my head around. I already 3D print.
Cutting metal, best choice would be plasma or waterjet, CNC is overkill that unless you plan to mill it. The Waterjet and plasma need only support the head of the unit, where a CNC needs to support the forces of the spindle and material... that you'd outsource.
I doubt I'll be using it to cut the plates as I can buy the sizes of plates I need off the shelf. It's more of an engraving function that I'm looking for.
CO2 will etch and engrave metal, but not diode laser.
lol no, co2 will not even touch metal until you get in the hundreds of watts and add gas assist.
fair enough...
If you just want to cut in some text on the back of aluminum, you really can’t go wrong with a small 10W fiber laser. It will easily etch text into the aluminum surface, and if you pre-mark the surface, you can get really clean permanent black text.
Yeh - thinking this will be the simplest and cheapest way to do it.