[machineage]

Hi everyone

I'm wondering what type of Laser Engraver will etch the actuators of these rocker switches?

The switches / actuators are manufactured by Carling Technologies - and the actuators are fabricated to be etched. They are plastic and have a spray coating which when etched reveals the translucent plastic through which the LED shines. An example is enclosed.

The actuators have a slight curve - and are not completely flat.

Thanks!

[Exsecratio]

Pretty much any laser will do it, it depends how fast you need it done really and what sort of budget you are looking at?

best wishes

Dave

[machineage]

Thanks Dave!

If I said no rush - and low budget would that help

It was for my personal use - I would like to make up some actuators for a project.

Would the slightly curved surface cause an issue - i.e. would the engraver require the ability to auto-focus?

Thanks again

[Bigbird48]

The slightly curved surface shouldn't cause much of a problem. You would just pick a happy medium focus point and they should turn out fine for what you want to do. When you say low budget I assume you have looked at lasers and know that your gonna spend at least 3 to 4 K for a machine, maybe more . I would look at Rabbit Laser, Automation Technology laser, maybe Boss, and Thunder Laser also.

[machineage]

Hi again

Thanks for the reply!

Well I've spent the last two days reading & researching. I should have prefixed my question with a huge 'Newbie'!

I VERY naively thought there may be a small printer sized machine for engraving such small objects - but as I have discovered the smallest machines are quite large and require cooling equipment & space! I found many of the cheaper Chinese machines available - supposedly already in the UK (confirmed by the seller) such as

HIGH SPEED USB CO2 LASER ENGRAVING CUTTING MACHINE ENGRAVER MODERN TECHNIQUES r1 | eBay

But then I discovered the highly mixed opinions about the quality of the Chinese machines (generally bad at this price) - and the modifications / adjustments required to get them something like acceptable. Then there are the software issues - and requirement of a PC (I'm Mac based) etc etc etc. Wow - what a can of worms!!!

All in all - looking at the the cost implications and huge learning curve - and my naivety - I think I should thank you all for your time and gracefully bow out.

Thanks for your time

[Bigbird48]

It was for my personal use - I would like to make up some actuators for a project.

Hi again

Thanks for the reply!

Well I've spent the last two days reading & researching. I should have prefixed my question with a huge 'Newbie'!

I VERY naively thought there may be a small printer sized machine for engraving such small objects - but as I have discovered the smallest machines are quite large and require cooling equipment & space! I found many of the cheaper Chinese machines available - supposedly already in the UK (confirmed by the seller) such as

HIGH SPEED USB CO2 LASER ENGRAVING CUTTING MACHINE ENGRAVER MODERN TECHNIQUES r1 | eBay

But then I discovered the highly mixed opinions about the quality of the Chinese machines (generally bad at this price) - and the modifications / adjustments required to get them something like acceptable. Then there are the software issues - and requirement of a PC (I'm Mac based) etc etc etc. Wow - what a can of worms!!!

All in all - looking at the the cost implications and huge learning curve - and my naivety - I think I should thank you all for your time and gracefully bow out.

Thanks for your time

[keebler303]

A gantry type laser cutter/engraver is quite versatile BUT a galvo type machine would be much faster/arguably better for the task you have mentioned. If you don't wish to do anything else with it, I'd recommend it.

Example: Vytek CO2 Galvo laser cutting stencil - YouTube