here is a puzzle, sea creatures theme. I remove a hole next to each fish aim to ease to put them out by fingers. Is there any body like this? Please let me know where can be better.
I run a small customisation business and already have both diode and CO₂ lasers, so I’m not completely new to laser engraving.
Lately, I’ve been wanting to experiment with more glass products, especially 3D engraving inside glass and crystal. That’s what got me looking into UV lasers.
The problem is, UV still feels like a much smaller and newer category compared to diode and CO₂, and I’m having a hard time figuring out which brands are actually reliable. A lot of the videos I’ve found are demos or sponsored reviews, so it’s difficult to tell what long-term ownership is really like.
I’d especially love to hear from anyone using one for glass or 3D crystal engraving. Are UV machines generally stable enough for regular small-business production, or do they still require a lot of troubleshooting? And which one would you recommend buying?
I am looking to make individualized business cards. I understand that it may take a more powerful and expensive laser to actually etch the metal. I am also open to doing the non-etching where it just removes a layer of paint.
I don’t know that I will get into it as a hobby, so it might just be this one project. I am willing to buy a more expensive machine if I need to, then potentially resell it later.
Does anyone have any advice on specific machines or cards to purchase? Any other general advice?
You can get this file from freelaserfiles link below.
Another Greek Pantheon themed coin. Apollo.
I found this tiny stainless steel milk churn and immediately realised it looks almost exactly like a helmet from THE FINALS that I use constantly.
I’d like to reproduce the helmet details on the churn, visor slit, vent holes, panel lines, etc. Ideally, I'd like to do this without cutting through it or changing the structure. At this scale I think dark engraved/marked shapes would sell the illusion perfectly.
I know basically nothing about laser engraving, so before I start looking for someone locally:
- What type of laser would be best for this?
- Can bare stainless be marked dark/black reliably?
- Is there any risk of warping something this small/thin?
Photos are the tiny churn + the helmet I’m trying to imitate.
Any advice on how you’d approach it would be massively appreciated.
I hope everyone is having a good day like I did. I need guidance my doods. I have 0 experience on laser engraving/cutting but I own a 3d printer. Please point me into the right direction regarding software, learning materials (informational youtubers,etc.), tips and tricks of the sort. I have started assembling it and had to leave for work. I would really appreciate any help. Thanks in advance!
Decide exactly what products I’m bringing
Make enough inventory in different designs and price ranges
Inspect every engraving for defects
Clean and finish each piece
Package or bag finished products
Add price tags
Prepare a few premium/display pieces to attract attention
Bring examples of custom engraving work
Decide whether I will take custom orders at the market
Know my material cost for each product
Know approximately how much machine time each product takes
Include finishing, packaging, and market fees in my pricing
Have clear prices customers can easily see
Offer products at several price points
Decide whether I want bundle deals, such as 2 for $___
Decide whether custom engraving costs extra
Table
Tablecloth
Display stands or risers
Small shelves or crates for different heights
Product holders for plaques, tags, signs, or engravings
Business/shop sign
Price signs
Custom-order sign
Good lighting if the market allows it
Extension cord if electricity is available
Tape
Zip ties
Scissors
Pens
Paper/notepad
Cleaning cloth
Cash box or money pouch
Small bills for change
Card reader
Phone fully charged
Portable battery pack
Venmo/PayPal/Cash App QR code if I use them
Receipt option if needed
Business cards
Etsy/shop QR code
Social media QR code
Contact information
Small cards explaining how to order custom work
Packaging with my business name when possible
Have an order form ready
Record customer name
Record phone/email
Record exact text to engrave
Confirm spelling with the customer
Record product/material
Record dimensions
Record design/reference requested
Record price
Record deposit/payment
Give an estimated completion or pickup/shipping arrangement
Photograph or save the approved design/details
Low-cost impulse-buy items
Keychains
Dog tags
Small engraved signs
Coasters
Magnets
Ornaments
Personalized name pieces
Gaming-themed engravings
Fantasy/mythology designs
Pet-themed items
Local-themed designs
Medium-priced decorative pieces
A few large premium pieces that show what my machine can do
Which products sell
Which products people pick up but don't buy
Designs customers ask about
Requests for products I don't currently make
Most popular price range
Number of custom-order inquiries
Total sales
Cash sales
Card/digital sales
Market fee
Approximate profit
Best-selling design
Slowest-selling design
Chair
Water
Snacks
Sunscreen for outdoor markets
Jacket/rain protection if needed
Hand sanitizer
Trash bag
Extra phone charger/battery
Count total sales
Subtract market fees and other expenses
Record what sold
Record what did not sell
Restock best sellers
Follow up on custom orders
Save customer requests as ideas for future products
Take photos of the booth so I can improve the setup next time
Note what I forgot to bring
Decide what to change for the next market
1. What actually sells?
Don't judge only by what looks coolest. Track what customers actually spend money on.
2. What price sells easiest?
Figure out your strongest impulse-buy price point and keep several products in that range.
3. What attracts people to the table?
Use your most impressive engravings as attention pieces, even if they aren't your biggest sellers.
4. What do customers keep requesting?
Repeated requests are potential new products.
5. Are custom orders worth pushing?
A small market can generate sales after the event if customers know you offer personalized engraving
TLDR; If you added your laser to Lightburn manually, check you added it as the correct controller. GRBL M3 1.1e != GRBL 1.1f.
I recently purchased a Creality Falcon 10W as my first laser, because it was on sale for a decent price.
As soon as it arrived I loaded up the SD card and ran through the basic eagle test cut. It was flawless. Aside from a few light scorch marks, it cut through every tiny detail in the wings and was generally an amazing experience.
I then set up my laptop and cable into it, getting a Lightburn trial to see if I could do some custom work. Lightburn wouldn't pick up the laser, so I added it manually as a GRBL-M3 (1.1e or earlier) on the advice of AI because I couldn't find a manual or forum posts detailing the correct settings.
I had heaps of leftover 3mm MDF, I thought it would blast through this no problem, apparently not. The laser would barely punch through at 2mm/s at 100% power. So I go back to the basswood supplied with the laser and the same eagle template, same issue.
It would either not go through at all or barely punch through at a slow speed. I read that MDF is tricky to laser through because it's so dense with glue and fibers so I thought it was just a case of needing to get the right wood.
Long story short, I was wondering why some settings weren't available even though they definitely should be available on my Falcon so I did some research and I should have added the laser as GRBL (1.1f or higher).
Now it absolutely blitzes through any of my stock, MDF, basswood, ply, etc. Faster and less scorch marks to boot.
Now it's obvious as to why the SD card laser cut was perfect, but everything since adding it to Lightburn was terrible, the Falcon knew it's own controller and Lightburn was forced to use the wrong one.
Sorry for the block of text, I just wanted to tell the story just in case someone else is having the same issues as me and is on the verge of giving up like I was, thinking cheap laser cutters just aren't worth it. They most certainly are and I'm having good fun with it again.
One question though: Why couldn't Lightburn find my Falcon in the first place that I had to add it manually? Driver issue?
Things that generally matter most to me:
- Engraving glass, but I understand for diode lasers to do this I'll need to apply a dark color to it first, so probably a moot point
- Laser power
- Engraving Speed
- Bonus points if it comes with dual laser types (e.g. classic diode & infrared lasers)
Note, I'm just a hobbyist.
Thanks!
Edit: Also what do we think about the Sculpfun iCube Ultra which has dual lasers, one being a 12W diode, the other being 1.2 infrared?
I'm really struggling to understand how to choose correct power and speed settings for slate. 10w diode laser. Here's a picture of my power Vs speed test, running from 10% to 80% power, and 1000 to 10000 mm/min speed.
I think copper will be the next step for this design.
Full-Length Engraving with the Cloudray GM-100 and E1 Workbench Expander
Hi, I’m looking for recommendations for engraving stainless steel with a diode laser. Specifically, I have an Atomstack Swift 12W.
I tried using black acrylic paint on the surface and got a fairly acceptable result, although it lacks contrast. Would a product like CerMark LMM-6000 improve my results?
With the acrylic paint, I’m actually getting something closer to an engraving into the metal, whereas I understand that with CerMark I would get dark lines on the surface.
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
My dad bought the laser engraver pictured and lightburn, but he can't figure out how to get the engraver to connect to lightburn. I have no clue how to use any of this but since I use procreate and nomad sculpt he assumes I can fix the issue. This man has taken 17 years off my life with this thing. I've googled everything I can think of and tried all the things but there's only so much I can do as an otr truck driver. I'm sick of my limited home time being taken up by this god awful device. PLEASE, if anyone can assist I'd be forever grateful 🙏
I know diode lasers can't directly engrave glass but I'm open to painting it black first. More so I'm asking if the 3W laser is powerful enough with the right settings. I've seen some people claim it can but I haven't been able to accomplish at all with mine.
Am trying to engrave some dog tags and having done one beautifully that i am extremely happy with i cannot manage to duplicate it. You cant see clearly as its hard to photograph but this engraving of a dog head has come out really well and i am very happy with it. On the back of this was the name and address etc which also came out really well and i was very happy with it. This is the picture of the tag i am happy with the cartoon dog head and the writing was great on the back but for obvious reasons i dont really want to post a photo but can blank some out if you want to see it.
I am using a Creality Falcon A1. The pic was set at 1000mm/m 50%pwr at 256dpi, then a 2nd run at 1000mm/m 100%pwr at 600dpi, was happy with the result. The writing was done at 1000mm/m 100%pwr at 2 passes, happy with that result.
Am now trying to make another tag, writing only, using 1000mm/m 100%pwr and 2 passes and its practically impossible to see, what am i doing wrong?
I'm using aluminium blanks purchased from amazon.
Mine was the xTool S1. I spent quite a while looking at different machines before buying it and the 40w workhorse gets me at last. I thought laser projects looked really fun, but I was also worried I’d use it a few times and then let it collect dust. Eventually I just went for it and now I’ve somehow ended up with three machines lined up in my studio. The S1 isn’t actually the one I use most anymore, but it’s still one of my favorites. Out of curiosity, what was your first laser and what got you start the hobby?