Laser Engraving Hack: How to Create Thicker Lines with Vector Engraving
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- Опубліковано 25 сер 2024
- Welcome to Trotec Laser Hacks, where we share tips and tricks to help you improve your laser skills. In this video, we'll show you a laser engraving hack that can dramatically improve your efficiency when processing thin line digital vector graphics. If you're tired of spending too much time raster engraving and want to try a faster method, keep watching.
We'll start by explaining the difference between raster engraving and vector engraving. Raster engraving is the method of engraving where the laser scans your workpiece like a printer and fills the area line by line. On the other hand, vector engraving is more like a line drawing where the laser follows the vector lines and draws them as a single line.
In this video, we'll use a raster engraving as our starting point in order to have a baseline comparison for time and quality. We'll send a black graphic file to the laser machine using standard material settings for cherry wood. The standard raster engraving process will engrave the graphic by moving the laser head back and forth like a printer engraving the image into the surface. The drawback with raster engraving this type of file is that it's time-consuming. In our case, it took us three minutes and nine seconds to complete this engraving on a four-inch diameter circle of cherry wood.
Now, here's where the hack comes in. By converting the black lines into hairline vector lines in CorelDRAW or .01 inch vector lines in Adobe Illustrator and adjusting the settings to vector the lines as if we're going to cut them, we can obtain a much faster result. In our case, we'll use a kiss cut, meaning we'll be using a lot less power on the cut line. The total time was only 19 seconds, much faster than our 3 minutes and 9 seconds on the raster engraving. However, the only problem with this method is that our lines are now much thinner.
To create thicker lines with vector engraving, we'll take the laser out of focus by 80 thousandths of an inch. More precisely, we've set the z offset and job control to negative 0.08 inches. What happens is that the beam width becomes larger when cutting the vector lines, resulting in thicker etched lines. The lines are the same thicknesses in our original raster engraving, but with the speed of vector cutting, the further the laser is out of focus, the thicker the laser beam will become. You can use laser lens sizes like a four-inch lens for an even thicker beam diameter. Just remember that if you go out of focus by too much, the engraving lines become blurry. This is why we recommend testing the z offset to get the best results.
We've demonstrated this hack on different materials such as tanned rawhide leather and trolley's engraving plastic, and it worked on most materials providing that the graphic will allow for it.
In summary, this laser engraving hack allows you to create thicker lines with vector engraving, making it faster and more efficient than raster engraving. We hope you found this video helpful, and don't forget to check out Trotec Laser USA in the description below. Stay tuned for more laser hacks in the future!
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Thanks Don! Great hack, well definitely try it
Thanks Walter!
Great hack! HUGE time difference! Definitely will keep in mind! Keep up the great work!😃👍🏻
Thanks Kristen!
@@TrotecLaserCanada Hello can you text me how convert line to thin easy ? with wich program and how ?
Great technique :D I will have to try it asap
Thanks Mathias!
I am using (also believe many experienced "laser guys" do the same) that method for years. One of the greatest tips for "noobs" who wants to learn how to speed up their work flow
Thanks guys! :)
Nice video, short and informative as i like it!
Thanks Chris!
Could you please share which laser you are using and your settings? I have a 300 80w and am having trouble when trying this technique on birch. TY! Love this hack if I can make it work. Huge time saver!!
What a helpful hack. Thank you! I'm curious about the lens you used in the video -- was it a 2-inch or 2.5-inch focal length lens?
Black lens is always 1.5". Thanks for the kind words!
@@TrotecLaserCanada *2.0" 😉
@@jonnygreen2418 Oh right! The 1.5" is the red lens, thanks Jonny!
@@TrotecLaserCanada No worries! We're doing a Q&A on productivity tips next week so do you mind if we show some of this video??
@@jonnygreen2418 Sure thing!
Great hack, thanks!! Maybe you could do another one on raster engraving out of focus? :-)
LOL thanks Marcos, we did: ua-cam.com/video/uBlcLtudxPs/v-deo.html
do you see burn differences where the vector changes direction?
Nope not on our lasers
Hello can you text me how convert line to thin easy ? with wich program and how ? :X
I tried this approach on my Speedy 300 80W on wood. Each line segment started and ended with a stronger burn-in than the rest of the line segment, giving the appearance of dots at the start and end. I was not happy with the results. Anyone else see this effect? If not, what settings do you recommend ?
Hi Corey, did you try decreasing power a bit? You may be using too much
@@TrotecLaserCanada i did try different settings, but maybe did not hit on the the right ones. What do you recommend for birch plywood (3mm)?