[ Log In ]
[ Register ]

Question #: 14235

Question: Will the 40W CO2 laser etch glass?

Current Solution

CO2 lasers can (40w included) can mark glass, but it is not actually etching the glass. When a CO2 laser's focal lasing energy is at the surface, or just past the surface of glass, the air inside that portion of the glass will expand and cause a tiny crack. This gives the appearance of etched glass, but not with the same fineness of etching from, say, sand blasting or acid etching (with hexafluorosilicic acid). If the laser "etching" of the glass is not to the fineness that you desire, you can laser cut the adhesive material used in the acid etching process as an alternative.

You also need to consider the glass you are using. I have learned that not all glass is created equal. Some glass will work well for this (dollar store glass we have tested and works well), and some will not. I believe that lasing tempered glass will probably give some interesting results.


Additional Information:

Respond:

Other Possible Solutions to this Question

  • Will the 40W CO2 laser cut through clear and color acrylic?

    Yes, from our test with clear and opaque acrylic, the CO2 laser can cut fully through.

    Click the link to add information to this solution:
    Will the 40W CO2 laser cut through clear and color acrylic?

  • WILL THE LASER ENGRAVER WORK ON NON-ANODIZED ALUMINUM

    no, it will only work on anodized aluminum

    Click the link to add information to this solution:
    WILL THE LASER ENGRAVER WORK ON NON-ANODIZED ALUMINUM

  • WHAT MATERIALS CAN THE GREENBULL MACHINE CUT? LASER ETCH?

    The Greenbull machine can cut a very wide variety of materials ranging from foam to aluminum. We recommend the use of our 2.2kW spindle to allow the greatest flexibility. Aside from that, the most important thing is to use an appropriate end mill for the material you are cutting and to use appropriate speeds and feed rates.



    BYCNC Response:
    Our 40W laser can cut up to about 1/4" materials ranging from wood and acrylic down through lighter materials such as leather, fabric, foam, etc. Speed and final cut are greatly enhanced by an air assist upgrade. We also offer an 80W laser which has approximately twice the capabilities of the 40W.

    Additional Information:

    Click the link to add information to this solution:
    WHAT MATERIALS CAN THE GREENBULL MACHINE CUT? LASER ETCH?

  • HOW TO COOL THE BLACKTOOTH 40W LASER TUBE

    Cooling is not as tricky as you might think. There is 3 ways to approach this, only 2 really matter for a low scale 40w setup. First one is the cheapest and easiest. The higher the temp of water the worse your performance will be, from what I understand anything in the 30C range is about the most tolerable it gets. Lower is better. But not frozen...from what I've been told a very experienced cutter, he found 8C was the highest power he achieved.

    1. Use a 5 Gallon resovoir system which gives you a fairly large space of water to heat up before you need to tend to it. Add about a cup of anti-freeze to the mix of DISTILLED water. You don't want ANY minerals in the water that might build up in your system. The anti-freeze works to keep algae and other ickies from growing in your water.

    2. Use a smaller resovoir system (or even closed loop) and install 1 or more radiators found in CPU cooling systems with 120mm fans attached. This will continously cool your water system to ambient room temperatures, but with a tiny resovoir it will be difficult to add things like ice-packs to drop the temps if the ambient is quite hot.

    3. Using an industrial coolant system. Overkill and unless your cutting A LOT, this is a very expensive option to take. You can also explore the idea of Peltier cooling but it is extremely expensive electricity/BTU wise compared to an industrial cooler.

    Click the link to add information to this solution:
    HOW TO COOL THE BLACKTOOTH 40W LASER TUBE

  • I am interested in getting your 40W laser system. How difficult will it be to increase the size to 48" x 48"?

    The blackTooth machine, as it is designed cannot be modified easily as the box within which it is contained also serve as its structure. We are currently designing a special mount for the greenBull (for the 40 watt tube) which will provide 5'x10' or 6'x12' work area and the machine is far less expensive than comparable 4'x8' laser systems. We are also developing a 4'x8' 80 watt system where the tube is in the horizontal orientation. More information can be found in the R&D section.

    Click the link to add information to this solution:
    I am interested in getting your 40W laser system. How difficult will it be to increase the size to 48" x 48"?

  • How fast can I cut 1/4" wood with the 40 watt CO2 laser?

    CO2 laser will not cut wood material fast at all. This is just the nature of the laser energy. The wood is a very low absorbent of the laser energy and you will need to run probably around 10 ipm to cut through the wood. CNC is much more efficient for cutting and laser as more efficient at marking or slowly cutting if you need the small kerf. You will also need a relatively high output air source to cut efficiently. The air will blow away the char (carbon) on the wood. The black char will absorb most of the laser energy not allowing the wood to be cut well. We use a compressor for the air source, but you can use a commercial hydroponic air pump instead.

    Click the link to add information to this solution:
    How fast can I cut 1/4" wood with the 40 watt CO2 laser?

  • What warranty is there on the 40W laser and power supply?

    Most of our products have a warranty that extends for 1 year; however, there are parts like end mills and laser tubes which are considered consumables. These parts, when used, become worn, or the usable life is decreased. Laser tubes are parts that, when used, shorten its life, and especially when proper methods are not used (i.e. running the tube with water), can drastically reduce the life of the tube. Therefore, the warranty for laser tubes are 30 days if the laser tube was not used.

    Click the link to add information to this solution:
    What warranty is there on the 40W laser and power supply?

  • How much is your ; blackTooth Laser Cutter and Engraver CO2 40W

    You can find all of the information including the price on the blackTooth Laser cutter and engraver page found here: https://www.buildyourcnc.com/blackToothLaserCutterAndEngraver.aspx

    Click the link to add information to this solution:
    How much is your ; blackTooth Laser Cutter and Engraver CO2 40W

  • Trying to cut 24, and 26 G steel sheets in various shapes. Will CO2 laser be enough? And will it cause alot of heat in the product?

    A CO2 laser will not be suitable for cutting steel. You would likely need a very powerful fiber laser to cut steel, and even then you have to take into consideration the reflective properties of steel which can pose danger to the machine.

    Click the link to add information to this solution:
    Trying to cut 24, and 26 G steel sheets in various shapes. Will CO2 laser be enough? And will it cause alot of heat in the product?

  • Are there any instructions for use the USP breakout board for a CO2 laser?

    The instructions to connect the USB CNC Interface for the blackTooth Laser Cutter and engraver can be found on instruction #18 on thispage: https://www.buildyourcnc.com/blackToothLaserCutterAndEngraver.aspx

    Click the link to add information to this solution:
    Are there any instructions for use the USP breakout board for a CO2 laser?

  • CO2 laser tube problem, power lose

    How old is the laser tube and how do you have the laser tube connected?

    Additional Information:
    6 months yes

    Additional Information:
    No

    Click the link to add information to this solution:
    CO2 laser tube problem, power lose

  • HOW CAN COOL THE LASER TUBE?

    Cooling is not as tricky as you might think. There is 3 ways to approach this, only 2 really matter for a low scale 40w setup. First one is the cheapest and easiest. The higher the temp of water the worse your performance will be, from what I understand anything in the 30C range is about the most tolerable it gets. Lower is better. But not frozen...from what I've been told a very experienced cutter, he found 8C was the highest power he achieved.

    1. Use a 5 Gallon resovoir system which gives you a fairly large space of water to heat up before you need to tend to it. Add about a cup of anti-freeze to the mix of DISTILLED water. You don't want ANY minerals in the water that might build up in your system. The anti-freeze works to keep algae and other ickies from growing in your water.

    2. Use a smaller resovoir system (or even closed loop) and install 1 or more radiators found in CPU cooling systems with 120mm fans attached. This will continously cool your water system to ambient room temperatures, but with a tiny resovoir it will be difficult to add things like ice-packs to drop the temps if the ambient is quite hot.

    3. Using an industrial coolant system. Overkill and unless your cutting A LOT, this is a very expensive option to take. You can also explore the idea of Peltier cooling but it is extremely expensive electricity/BTU wise compared to an industrial cooler.

    Click the link to add information to this solution:
    HOW CAN COOL THE LASER TUBE?

  • Do you sell 1000mm long 40W laser tubes?

    Our 40 watt Laser Tubes are approximately 712 mm or 28 inches in length. May I ask why are you looking for a longer laser tube? If you need the length to be able to fit in your existing machine, you should consider creating a new mount within the machine so a shorter tube can be mounted in the same location.

    Click the link to add information to this solution:
    Do you sell 1000mm long 40W laser tubes?

  • What is the difference between the tinted laser goggles and the Honeywell laser CO2 goggles

    The Honeywell brand goggles meet ANSI certification Z136.1, relating to the safe use of lasers, and are calibrated to optimally block the specific wavelengths of light produced by CO2 lasers (the details are available in the website description here: https://buildyourcnc.com/item/laser-components-goggles-safety-honeywell.) The generic tinted goggles also block the specific CO2 laser wavelengths, but a good deal of other wavelengths as well. That and frame style variation is the basic difference.

    Click the link to add information to this solution:
    What is the difference between the tinted laser goggles and the Honeywell laser CO2 goggles

  • CAN BOOST THE POWER OF MY BLACKTOOTH LASER?

    Upgrade your mirrors to SI coated mirrors, using a HQ ZnSe lens and even pushing up to a beam expander will all boost power. The ideal order of experimenation for lowest cost would be changing out for a higher quality lens labeled HQ ZnSE lens. Next would be SI mirrors, which will absorb less heat and reflect better, the last would be to use a beam expander which expands the beam, reducing the heat signature on the mirrors and makes a tighter focal width.

    Click the link to add information to this solution:
    CAN BOOST THE POWER OF MY BLACKTOOTH LASER?

  • HOW CAN YOU ENHANCE THE BLACKTOOTH LASER CUTTER?

    Temperature probe monitor. Very valuable. This keeps you up to date on your coolant temperature levels.

    Voltage meter. This will tell you the exact level of voltage/power you are running telling the laser to run at instead of an arbitrary mark on a drawn wheel around your POT.

    Ammeter sensitive to 1mA. This will be sure your not over driving your tube and reducing it's life significantly.

    Hour meter. This will tell you exactly how long your system has been 'on' giving you a more accurate bead on the length of your tubes life.

    Exhaust fan upgrade. The current fan included is 100CFM. You can buy 120mm fans that push 250CFM and I have included a guide on how to go about doing this here. http://buildyourtools.com/phpBB3/viewto ... 8cdd1802bf

    To push the exhaust fan even further, if you have the room/power, I would highly recommend investing in a 600+ CFM "Dust Collector" system. 250CFM is still not suffice to draw all the smoke that can come off of 3mm or 1/8 MDF cutting job.

    A cutting surface. I bought myself a aluminum 'egg crate' mesh from my local HVAC company. They are used a cover for fluorescent lights and work great for low impact cutting surface. They come in 4'x8' sheets and are easily cut to fit. The other side is if you can find a steel honeycomb cutting bed to fit. These can be quite costly or fairly affordable depending where you are looking. The benefit of a steel honeycomb is you can use high power magnets to hold material down.

    Click the link to add information to this solution:
    HOW CAN YOU ENHANCE THE BLACKTOOTH LASER CUTTER?

  • WHY DO MY 40W LASER POWER SUPPLIES KEEP FAILING?

    check your in-going power and make sure that you have a good neutral connection. Frequently the issue is not the power supply but the power coming into the power supply that causes the problem. There is a chance that the power is good coming in but there is a loose neutral connection and that causes it. This is the neutral connection that runs all the way back to the panel in your home.

    Click the link to add information to this solution:
    WHY DO MY 40W LASER POWER SUPPLIES KEEP FAILING?

  • WHAT ARE THE SHIPPING DIMENSIONS FOR VERTICAL LASER

    Shipping crate size 121" X 36" X 92"

    Weight 511 LBS

    Click the link to add information to this solution:
    WHAT ARE THE SHIPPING DIMENSIONS FOR VERTICAL LASER

  • WHAT IS THE SYSTEM PASSWORD FOR LASER CONTROL UNIT?

    The password is: 608

    Click the link to add information to this solution:
    WHAT IS THE SYSTEM PASSWORD FOR LASER CONTROL UNIT?

Get Help with:
This Product
Orders
Tech Support
Sales
This Product
Order Query
Tech Support
Sales
Not logged in. Log In Register
Track Order(s)
View Order(s)
I Want to Schecule a One-On-One Paid Tech Support Session
Book an Appointment Pertaining to a BuildYourCNC Product (Free)
Ask a Quesion Below (Free):
Book an Appointment Pertaining Other Equipment ($60/half hour)
Book an Immedite Appointment Pertaining Other Equipment ($120/half hour)
Ask a Quesion Below (Free):
Waiting for response... I may not answer immediately, but I was notified on my cellular phone so my response is forthcoming. If I don't respond immediately, you can always go to the [My Account] page to see all of our chats at any time.