In this blog we will explain the 6 things you should know before buying a laser fiber optic engraving machine for metals. Before buying a fiber optic laser recorder it is very important to consider the work area, focal length, pulse resolution, power source quality, engraving speed, after sales service.

 1. Work area

Before buying a laser engraving machine it is very important to know what the work area is on different objects. The fiber optic laser works like a magnifying glass. And the closer the object is to the more diffuse lens is the engraving or on the contrary if the Magnifying glass is far away. The light is scattered and it also fails to record clearly and strongly.

Next we will give you an example. The work area must have a lens that can cover an engraving area of 20CMx20CM so that the lens must have a distance to the object, this distance is 19.5CM. This means that when buying a machine you must take into account what kind of objects you can record on it. This is because many machines have the head attached to the same power source limiting the engraving area and the objects to be recorded. This type of machines is usually limited to engraving flat objects and it is almost impossible to adhere elements to engrave rings or pens simultaneously. On the other hand, a machine like this limits engraving to small objects, without the possibility of recording medium or medium-sized finished objects.

2. Focal length

When choosing a fiber optic laser you must take into account the focal length, the focal length is due to two variables, the first is the power of the power source and the second is the working area of the lens. These must be combined correctly to get a deep and clear job.

Example: A 50W power source usually brings a 30×30 lens, this machine can record an optimal working area of 30cmx30cm deep and clear. But this machine can also use a 50×50 lens, what happens when you use a 50CM lens with a 50W power source? The answer is that the work area has a much weaker and much less deep engraving giving the machine power loss and dissipating the laser light. In the same way you should take into account the power and the lens when choosing an engraving machine, if you are looking for a low power laser with a large engraving area you will surely have a very weak and shallow engraving.

3. Point resolution

The resolution of the machine can be defined in two things one the frequency and the other is the maximum resolution. The higher the frequency spectrum, the greater the engraving capacity and therefore the resolution and accuracy will be much better, the quality of the engraving will be sharper and better in small details.

Example: Most conventional Chinese machines have a spectrum between 20 to 120 Khz. while a machine with higher resolution has a spectrum of between 1Khz. to 490KHZ. When buying a laser engraver you should pay close attention to these details, as this tells you a lot about the quality of the machine.

4. Optical fiber source

The fiber optic source is very important when buying a fiber optic engraving laser machine, this largely to the power of engraving. On these depends the Khz. and the light wave, these two define the capacity of depth and resolution with which you can record a machine. The most popular fiber optic sources for those who are dedicated to jewelry is very good IPG European brand. On the other hand we have the Chinese brands, which are also of very good quality. The best brands in China are Raycus and JPT both with ample advantage to their contemporary Chinese rivals.

5. Engraving speed

The engraving speed is relative to the power of the optical fiber, the more power, the more engraving speed, this means that a 10W optical fiber with 8000 mm per second engraving can only achieve that speed using a minimum engraving power , this means that if you want to record at a minimum depth of 0.3mm it should record at 200 millimeters per second being really slow

On the other hand, if you use a 30W laser, it can record with a depth of 0.3mm at speeds greater than 9000 Millimeters per second. This means that the higher the power, the higher the engraving speed, if you are looking to record with high speeds in a production line it is better to think about buying a fiber optic laser at least 30W onwards.

6. After sale service

After sales service and warranty speak a lot about the quality of the machine, the latter vary from 30 days warranty to 3 years warranty. Remember that the most common problems in fiber optic machines are power source cuts and lens burning. Although these machines do not need any maintenance it is very common to see many people looking for spare parts or changing the power sources after a year of work, this happens because the sources of fiber optics overheat and melt. That is why you must choose a machine with a good guarantee that can cover the source of optical fiber because this is the soul of the machine. The other common problem is lens corrosion or lens fungus, this problem is common with the low-cost lenses that can be found in the Chinese market. Ideally, ask for a good guarantee on the lenses and the power source.