Laser and metal etching

Special Interest Groups Laser SIG
#1

I bought some brass from Michael’s. I spray painted it with matte black paint, and using the transfer tape and CA glue trick, cut my test logo into the paint. I then moved the discs into some ferric chloride for a little while, then used some acetone to remove the remaining paint.

Not enough paint, or too long in the etch:

IMG_2882
IMG_28822697×2173 393 KB

Fine detail was preserved on this one, though. Which I think is strange.

IMG_2883
IMG_28832632×2096 452 KB

Here they are side to side. I don’t plan on messing with this any more for a while - other irons in the fire - but I thought it was interesting. If I’d enameled them, I think the one on the right would pop.

IMG_2881
IMG_28814032×2149 812 KB

Lasers are fun!
Ry

#2

Going where no man has gone before.

Well done, Ry!

1 Like
#3

Thanks! Here’s the video that inspired me to even try:

#4

You lost me at " transfer tape and CA glue trick" as I know of using tape and CA glue to hold parts onto build surfaces for CNC work but not familiar with how that’s used in Laser cutting/etching?

BTW, this process looks very much like what’s used for etching PCB circuit boards which are copper sheets adhered to fiberglass. There are tons of techniques for getting the mask onto the copper board so you might investigate some of those if looking to improve or evaluate options.

#5

You’re right, it’s the same technique as etching copper clad or FR2.

My original idea was this: if I use

  • black sharpie
  • black nail polish
  • black spray paint

on

  • aluminum
  • brass
  • copper

and try to mark them with this laser, does it work? The answer is no, no it does not. That left me with some copper, brass, and aluminum rounds from Michael’s. I went down the street to Vetco and picked up a bottle of ferric chloride, which I was aware of from my ill-spent youth, to try the etching you see above.

The CA glue thing is as you described: put a layer of transfer tape on your table, a layer on the bottom of your part, then put the CA glue on the tape. That way, you can peel the tape off both surfaces for a clean finish.

I tried lasering through the transfer tape onto Baltic birch, but the results were not useful. I suspect the color of the tape didn’t help.

I only did this as a lark, really. I don’t plan on trying more metal etching with FC soon.

#6

my process is usually to first see who and how many have done this before and then see what works/doesn’t work and what special things might be needed. So I just applied this to what you are attempting:

google search: DIY pcb using laser cutter

First link was a video and it looks like it is 100% doable even with cheap diode laser engravers.

goodness starts at 0:48 which shows that with paint, it does work.

#7

I think we’re talking about two orthogonal things, so I’ll cede the floor. Cheers!

#8

you posted about metal etching using masks, I mentioned it is almost idential to the process used for decades to etch electronic printed circuit boards(PCBs) and showed you what I found and how what you tried does work. Different but the same.