Laser engraving on wood allows you to turn the raw materials familiar to everyone into something beautiful and elegant, without making much physical effort. For the woodworking industry, this technology was a breakthrough, opening up many opportunities for creating unusual artwork. Now masters do not need to worry about how to apply narrow, intricate patterns on wooden furniture or cut a decorative blank from plywood. The wood engraving machine is individually configured, therefore it can be used to create various creative products.
How does a laser wood engraving machine work
The laser technology reduces to the following: a concentrated beam of light heats the material to a very high temperature, because it actually evaporates. The result of the engraving machine is a clean, smooth workpiece with a perfect edge. Ordinary saws and other woodworking equipment are incapable of this. The smoke that is emitted during the passage of the laser over the surface is overheated material. The result is a neat and even product without a burnt edge.
This machine does not leave shavings or sawdust after its work, which is a huge advantage compared to any other wood engraving machine. The laser does not come into contact with the product, which is one of the most important advantages of this equipment. The installation will not wear out, as is the case with saws or hacksaws. The equipment will work much longer than traditional woodworking machines.
Types of wood for working with a laser machine
Almost any type of wood can be used to work with the laser system, if the machine is properly calibrated. Some craftsmen prefer to work with soft types of wood, such as pine. A low laser power is suitable for such a material. Others like to use more dense wood: walnut, maple or birch. Powerful industrial plants using laser engraving technology can etch harder materials: metals, stone. The price of wood engraving depends on the material and the size of the work. For example, a small postcard can be ordered for about 250 rubles.
Other materials for working with the machine
In their work, engravers often turn to fiberboard, MDF and birch plywood. For wood engraving, the price of such materials is optimal due to the sufficiently large sheet size. From plywood make blanks for various types of needlework, which can be painted and used to create albums for photographs, postcards and various compositions.
From thin wood, such as bamboo or veneer, cutlery stands, jewelry and other products can be cut. For optimal results, the wood should have a smooth surface, as well as uniform density and resin content.
What products can be created with a laser
This technology has changed the history of professional woodworking for the better. It allows you to create more complex drawings, patterns, apply graphics and texts that are almost impossible to perform otherwise in hard or uneven surfaces.
The options for using laser wood engraving are endless, and the extreme flexibility of this process allows you to create different types of designs. Many companies use laser wood engraving in their production to develop amazing products. A talented designer with such equipment can do anything: from a cutting board to exclusive furniture.
Masters make various objects with individual logos, decorative elements for the interior, inlays, practical kitchen products and other things. This allows them to quickly earn money, while not spending a lot of time and effort to satisfy the needs of the client.
Lasers are used if it is necessary to make an even and clean treatment of the edge of the product, for example, when creating wooden toys. The edges of the blanks are immediately sealed with high temperature, so they do not need to be further glued.
The advantages of laser equipment
Another advantage is the speed of the laser and the simplicity of its operation. It is enough to load the image you like into a special program and adjust the power: the rest of the wood engraving machine will do the rest. The equipment selects the optimal algorithm of actions to speed up the process of creating the product. Thanks to the memorization function, when streaming the production of identical objects, it is not necessary to reconfigure the device each time.
Work with the machine guarantees the absence of chips and eliminates damage to the workpiece due to a master error. On industrial equipment, it is not necessary to fix the product in one place due to the fact that the laser operates in a non-contact manner and moves itself to create a pattern. Small machines can be placed at home. Usually they have low power and cut a tree to a shallow depth, but this does not prevent experienced craftsmen from using an engraver to create unusual products.