Lazermask is a non PVC based
film that is used by Sand Blasters with laser engravers as an alternative
to using SR3000 photopolymer resist. LazerMask is developed in your
laser Engraving machine unlike SR3000 which is exposed and then
washed out.
You firstly apply the LazerMask to the product you are going to
sand blast then put the job into your Laser engraver where you Raster
engrave the image you want to sand blast. Then once lasered you
sand blast the image into the product. It's like using sign viynl
to make you masks but is not PVC based so it won't destroy your
laser and it can be raster engraved so you don't have any weeding
to do.
If you don't have a Laser Engraving machine then LazerMask is no
good for you.
LazerMask is designed to take the exposure and washout process
out of making up maskes for sand blasting. LazerMask is not for
everyone and not for every job but it has it's place in busy trophy
and engraving businesses.
It doesn't really save you much time but does allow you not to
go through the expose and wash out process of your not comfortable
with that.
LazerMask is cheaper than SR3000 but if your Laser is already busy
then you are just adding more work to the machine.
So why not just use Sign Vynil. Well firstly PVC based materials
are very toxic and the fumes that they give off when Lasered can
ruin the mechanisms of your Laser Engraver. Some Laser Engraving
supply companies will void your warranty if it is found that PVC
has been engraved. Also you can't raster engrave sign vinyl so it
has to be vector cut meaning a lengthy weeding operation. Tint images
are just impossiible to weed with vinyl. LazerMask allows you to
raster engrave the tiniest detail and still get a very sharp image.
Oh and of course lazerMask is designed to be peeled off unlike vinyl
which is rather hard to peel off.
Even if your not a Sand Blaster and are a Laser Engraver. LazerMask
is good to have around for things that you would like to paint fill
after lasering. The mask makes it easy to spray paint fill.
In our Trophy shop we don't really use it much as we find that
SR3000 is quick and easy to process and making masks in our Laser
Engraving machine ties it up a bit. I asked Eriks what sort of jobs
he uses LazerMask for and this is what he said.
There have been a number of lazerMask jobs that have been on
plastic products that don't sandblast very well but needed depth
for paintfill, (they still needed a quick sandblast to clean out
the debris from the lasered areas):
Swiss army knives
Computer keyboard key caps
Power point and light switch cover panels
There was also one job for a large terracotta tile that was too
big for a single piece of resist and needed to have a perfect circle
in the artwork, we could have done it in vinyl but thought it would
take up too much time to have to weed out all the little bits of
vinyl, but with the laser resist we put it in the laser and then
walked away to work on other jobs.
I have also found laser resist fantastic for making pewter medal
dies as the resist handles considerably more pounding than photopolymer
resist from sandblasting before it starts to break down, so we can
achieve more depth.
Cheers,
Eriks.
|
