We worked on a job for a client that entailed marking brass tags for equipment. This was our first foray into using a laser cutter to engrave metal and since we have a CO2 cutter we had to use a substrate called Cermark to coat the tags before etching. The process was fairly simple, we opted to dilute the LMM6000 compound using a 1:1 ratio vs. a 2:1 ratio based on our selected application method (acid brush) and used acetone for the dilution. They recommend various mediums for dilution, but stay away from isopropyl alcohol it will produce adverse effects. The solution was brushed on and left to dry. The drying time was used to setup the text that would be etched onto the tags. We used 80% power (~80W) and a speed of 18 mm/sec. for the etching and opted for a single direction etching, it took longer but the results were perfect. Bi-directional will be tested when there is more time to play with the settings.

The results were actually better than we expected after the tags were cleaned of the remaining Cermark compound. Since these tags will be exposed on roof tops to the elements, these should work well. The client has agreed to keep in touch as the tags age to let us know how they weather given the exposure to the sun in the desert. Overall the Cermark was easy to use and clean up, as long as you follow the safety guidelines provided, and performed very well. We look forward to testing more and getting the speed settings to a point where the job can be accomplished faster with the same results. If you have questions about the process let us know!