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Ask HN: Any low cost laser metal engraving machines out there?
I figured HN was the best group to ask about this sort of thing.
A google search for "laser engraving machines" is awash with B2B websites.
Are there any laser engravers (capable of engraving stainless steel) that are affordable ($5k max) for the typical hacker available yet?
I noticed kickstarter had a fulfilled laser engraving project here but I doubt the units are still available seeing as it ended over a year ago: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fsl/affordable-20x12-laser-cutter-engraver-assembled-i
- noonespecial 13y agoFull Spectrum has been around for years. I got one of their very early models when they were still importing the cheap chinese junk and replacing the controller boards. The product wasn't all that good back then, but the company and their support were very good. It looks like they've come a long way since then. You can just go to http://fslaser.com/ http://fslaser.com/ and buy one. Note: These lasers don't engrave metal. You can use them in a few interesting ways to get effects very much like this, especially if you're clever with powder coat and or printer toner. You almost certainly won't find a laser that can actually ablate metals that could be reasonably described as "low cost". The cheapest I can think of is probably a Kern(1) for around $80k. (1)http://www.kernlasers.com/metal_cutting.htm http://www.kernlasers.com/metal_cutting.htm
- mchannon 13y agoeBay search for laser engraver and you'll find units in the $600 range. They use CO2 lasers and seem to do ok, though you'll typically find yourself laser etching a painted surface off stainless rather than engraving the stainless itself. Most people don't mean engrave when they say engrave, though if you really want to remove hundreds of microns of thickness, you'll have to spend far more.