[Dreeze]

A beginner question here - I've purchased a Chinese 30W Fiber Laser on eBay, and so far it's been working as expected, but I would like to etch a little bit deeper.

I am etching serial numbers and a logo into tool steel and have played around with the software (EZCad) settings to see the different results. So far, I changed the power of the laser as well as the speed and have gotten different results. But I am not sure how they relate. Is there a setttings chart available somewhere to get a starting point? The problem is, I would like to etch a little deeper into the steel, is there a way to etch deeper by using multiple passes of the laser? I saw a video on youtube where they got a deeper etch using multiple passes - it looked like they made a 'heavy' pass with the laser, followed by a 'light' pass. I am assuming the passes were different as one pass left a dark mark, the other left a white mark. Can anyone share any insights?

If I look at my results under magnification, it looks like the metal is "melting" but then fusing back on when it cools. So although the text looks crisp and has a texture, I don't think it's removing the metal as the laser passes.

Thanks, everyone!

[ztaylor480]

You can either up the power and slow it down or play with your focus

[Triumph-support]

Marking 100times with 90% power and 1000 speed with 20 frequency

[Dreeze]

Thanks, guys. So theoretically, if I keep applying the laser, it will make the mark deeper and deeper? Have you ever found that the metal is melting and then cooling back into place? Is this due to the spacing of the laser passes being too close?