Laser Engraving Service You design, we laser engrave: RIGID provides the materials needed for the engraving process, allowing you to send in designs, and have your data plate, control panel, or faceplate both laser cut in the exact shape you require, and laser engraved to have the features you need in the highest detail possible. RIGID’s laser engraving services are available for anything from a single unit to a mass production lot purchase. So, whether you need a single engraved sign, or a batch of laser engraved enclosures, RIGID has you covered! |  |
What is laser engraving? Laser Engraving has become an integral process in industries ranging from display through design to heavy engineering, Laser Engraving (or Laser Etching) is a surface technology. The laser interacts with different types of material in different ways: For Organic Materials such as Wood the laser burns the surface of the material, almost like a very accurate branding iron. The depth can be varied, and 3D effects can be created. For Polymers such as Acrylic the laser vaporizes part of the surface, changing its appearance. 3D effects can be created, but not as successfully as with Organic Materials. For Metals the normal method of marking is to use a YaG laser to alter the structure of the material surface. Coated metals are different - for example with painted brass we remove the paint, with anodized aluminum we change the color of the anodized surface. For Natural Materials such as Granite and Stone the laser actually causes tiny fractures in the surface, and this results in a textural and contrast difference with the surrounding material. We can only do 2D engraving with these materials.
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| Laser Engraving can work in two different ways | |
Raster Engraving uses a raster-based image such as a JPG and the laser treats this as one big piece of Art. To recreate this image the laser scans back and forth over the material and fires the power proportionate to the depth of greyscale in the image - black areas receive maximum laser power, white areas do not get engraved, the shades between the two get a varying amount of laser power. This allows us to create photographic images and 3D effects up to a resolution of around 600dpi. Raster Engraving is possible up to a maximum size of 3,000 x 2,000mm. | Vector Engraving is very different - it uses a vector-based file such as an Illustrator or AutoCAD file and the laser in effect follows the lines. The laser power is not variable, it switches on at the start of the line and switches off at the end therefore there is no varying the depth or the effect. The only difference between Vector Laser Engraving and Laser Cutting is power - if we set the laser power too high when engraving we’ll cut the material; if we set the power too low when cutting we’ll engrave! We can Vector Engrave up to 3,000 x 2,000mm work area.
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