xTool P2 CO2 Laser; working with Stainless Steel and Cermark
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- Опубліковано 28 чер 2023
- In this video Tim uses his xTool P2 to mark his stainless steel tools with Cermark. He takes you through the process of creating a speed and power grid to test mark his steel. All of this while running his computer and xTool P2 off a generator due to power loss from a storm.
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Very cool. Nice demo. Thanks for sharing
Great video! Man, I want one of these so bad. We’re talking about getting one at work and I’m so psyched.
Just one point to consider concerning the quality of the print/engraving. Try a test using a vector image and one using a bitmap (raster) version of the same image. The final quality you are getting may well be partly dependant on the quality of your original artwork. Vector image will always produce a sharper outline.
Duh...I should have thought of that. Some days my brain takes a vacation. I hope it comes back soon 😉Thanks for the idea. I will give it a try.
And since most of what you're burning are lines anyway, you may get more efficient movement with the vector file, thus cutting down on the burn time.
@@Gl1kk3r That makes sense. I tried a vector first and all of my lettering, like O and B, filled in. I remember working through that problem with the fiber laser but it was a long time ago. I didn't have time to troubleshoot it for the video. I will have to sit down and figure it out and then do some tests. Thanks for the suggestion.
Just an update the vector files did make things look much sharper and did speed up the times.
Once you get the settings where you want, maybe you could laser out a jig of plywood into which you could drop your rulers/stars in for repeatability.
I've had the same shifts at 600mm/s with engraving and I dialed it back and has been ok since. I ruined a bunch of acrylic testing this and figuring that out.
Thank you for sharing!
I've owned various 3d printers for over a decade, they're the exact same way at times, but once you get it dialed in *chef's kiss*.
Suggestion: Turn the ruler 90 degrees. that way the point in the cut where the laser is turning on and off is at the ends of the lines. In the middle of the metal the "raggedness" of the line doesn't matter much, and if you set it up to intentionally lase slightly off the edge you won't have to worry about that part being rough. You might have to worry about your acrylic guides though, so that may not be a perfect solution.
The darn 'laser' area is only 12 from top to bottom. My ruler is 13" so it does not fit. I do like the idea a lot though. Thnaks!
@@woodturningwithtimyoder fair enough. Didn't realize the sizes were that close.
Good luck finding the best combo!
@@woodturningwithtimyoder you may be able to make a jig that holds the piece to use their new conveyor system thus allowing that 90 degree turn. Cheers
I have a different brand of laser (Epilog 40 watt) I don't remember you saying anything about "dots per inch" if you can change that setting try increasing the dots per inch, I run cermark at 1200dpi and it's very crisp. Considering buying a new laser and right now I like what I see with the Xtool P2
Hey Tim hope you and your neighbors are doing better
Thank you. Most everything is back to normal except for the debris clean up. That will take weeks if not months.
Hi Tim, I love your content. Just a thought, over the years I have gravitated to using only rules that are engraved. Being engraved allows me to use the mark as an index for my marking knife. So I MUCH prefer an engraved rule to a printed rule. Just my .2 (maybe overpriced...).
I had played around with engraving but it took a looong time. Also with the thin steel the heat warped the metal. I bet the engraved rulers are done with a CNC of some sorts. I don't have enough money or room for one right now 😁
@@woodturningwithtimyoder Engraved rulers can be made on CNC machine tools using a diamond drag bit. However, even that technique is too slow. High volume production of engraved metal items such as rulers utilizes a process of electro-chemical etching.
It's a really easy process that you can perform at home at very low cost. Just don't breathe in the fumes as the air will contain molecules of dissolved metal. This is another reason that I'm designing and building a cost effective air filtration system.
Thanks for the video. Originally a Pryor boy. Now living in Florida. I’ll bet we know some of the same people. I’ve had a P2 for a few weeks now and I’ve use Cermark on brass and aluminum. It works really well. It’s really a shame that the P2 isn’t better integrated with Lightburn. The P2 software is still very buggy and quite limited! I’m trying to figure out a way to add a third camera that is connected through Lightburn.
I have switched to Omtech spray. It seems to be exactly like Cermark but only $39 a can. I am still having issues getting a thick black on stainless steel that is shiny. I can get a good smooth black but it reflects. I have found a light coat of wax makes the black pop a bit more. The third camera idea sounds interesting. I have found the close up camera to be a bit distorted so when marking my rulers I can only trust about a 1" by 1" area of the image to be accurate.
Looks like lots of potential turning blanks.
Can you do photos on metal with the P2?
Do you think the ceramark would stay on stainless that gets heat cycled like a stainless exhaust ? Thank you this was super helpful
I don't know. I would think the expansion and contraction might be a problem. But I can't imagine it would get any hotter than the laser.
Sounds like it should be “till the next time, keep turning, I’ll keep burning”
I don't work with laser cutters, or engravers, but I wonder what would happen if you rotated your project 90 degrees? the laser would travel in the same direction as your lines, potentially yielding a cleaner result.
Edit: Somebody beat me to the suggestion. Print bed is too small for that. Drat!
What desk did you use for your P2? im trying to find one thats big enough to hold it. thanks!
Hi Tim, great video. I'm going to get this Cermark stuff. Where do you get your steel blanks made?
I have them cut locally but it's getting pretty pricey. I did find a place called 'send cut send' and they can cut the stainless cheaper. In fact I can get it powder coated also for the same price as local cutting. I'm playing with it right now to see if I can get away from the cermark because I keep getting inconsistent results.
Tim where I order your rulers?
So why wouldn't you use a Fiber Laser?
55% at 300 speed on stainless using Light burn would and does work great
I do knifes all of the time
Hello Tim. I have several of your tools and love them. However, my angle gauge/ninja star has all the marks rubbing off. It is several years old, so I am not complaining. It has been used - a lot. Is there a way to get it re-etched?
Joe email me your shipping address at info@wtwtim.com and I will send you a new one. I think you might have one of the gauges that was silk screened. Just so I don't get 50 Joes asking for a new gauge please include a photo of yours. That should knock down the list to 10 or 20 😁
@@woodturningwithtimyoder Will you be at SWAT? If so, I will just catch you there. Hope all is getting back to normal in Keifer. My sisters live in Tulsa. One had the power issue and one did not. Some see downed trees. I see bowls.
@@joehimes9898 Yep we will be at SWAT so stopping by works great for me. We live in Tulsa and my metal shop is in Keifer. Keifer never lost power but we were out for a week. Thank goodness for my portable generator. Dually, being the video star, HAS to have his air-conditioning!
Hi Tim, have you experimented with turning the ruler blanks 90 degrees and measuring the time it takes for a whole ruler?. There is a lot of space between the lines in that orientation where it doesn't need to do anything.
I did try that but the way the laser head is mounted it only allows me 12" or so from top to bottom. Go figure I would make a 13" ruler 🙄I really do like that idea though. I have a 7" and 3" ruler that I can try that idea on.
Thanks again for sharing! KANSAS
Came for the tutorial, stayed for the dog (jk)🤣
16 ga. steel ranges from 0.059" to 0.065" thick, with stainless having a nominal thickness of 0.0625" (1/16"). If the material is flat, 16 ga., and was sitting flat, then the P2's measurement of 0.104" indicates the Z axis needs to be calibrated.
Are you sure the material isn't 12 ga. steel? While stainless sheet steel should be 0.109" regular carbon sheet steel has a nominal thickness of 0.1046". A stainless supplier trying to maximize yield could produce the sheet at the thickness typical for carbon steel.
Crap I thought they said there would be no math😉 Good points there. I never thought about the need for calibration. It was 16 gauge so I will run a couple of tests. Thanks for the input!
@@woodturningwithtimyoder You also need to verify that the P2's axes are square. I noted that while the packaging is very good overall, the unit can still be knocked out of alignment during shipping. If you don't have a machinist's square, then the frame of a pair of dial or digital calipers can be used.
Very few reviews of CNC machine tools of any type address the need to square the X and Y axes, tram the head, and calibrate the Z axis (in the case of a laser).
I'm so confused. But since I don't have a laser, it doesn't matter.
Bill
Don't worry. I am confused a lot more these days too. I promise our next video will be about woodturning!