Laser engraving cheaper (lesser quality) glass usually will produce better results than more expensive (higher quality) glass.


Preparation

  • Use a clean cloth lightly misted with isopropyl alcohol to wipe down the surface of the glass product to ensure any dust, oils, grease, etc. are removed.
  • Place a piece of normal copy paper, newsprint paper, or clean dry paper towel on top of the glass surface.
  • Spray the piece of paper or paper towel liberally with window cleaner or water so that the paper/towel is soaked through completely.
  • Gently run your finger over the wet paper/towel to remove any air bubbles that may be underneath the paper/towel.
  • Place the glass product with wet paper/towel applied onto the laser bed and position to the zero point on the laser bed. 
  • Adjust the laser focus to the surface of the glass product. 
    1. Be careful not to move the wet paper/towel while focusing the laser to prevent air bubbles or wrinkles forming underneath the wet paper/towel.
  • While setting up the artwork for engraving in the layout software, make sure to set the color fill of the engraved areas to “RGB 80% Black”.
  • Once the artwork is set up and positioned, engrave using the suggested starting settings.

    50-60W Lasers

    Laser Power

    70-80%

    Laser Speed

    25-35%

    Resolution (DPI/PPI)

    500-600 DPI 

    1. Settings may need adjusted depending on the laser tube wattage.
    2. IMPORTANT: The paper/towel layer must stay wet during the entire engraving process. 
      1. For large engraved areas, ensure that the paper/towel layer does not dry out while the engraving is still running. If the paper/towel dries before the engraving is finished, the engraving job may need to be paused so that the paper/towel can be sprayed again with water or window cleaner. 
  • When finished, remove the glass product from the laser bed. 
  • Remove the paper/towel layer from the surface and discard.
  • If window cleaner was used to spray the paper/towel, run the glass product under water to rinse of any residual window cleaner and then dry with a clean cloth or towel.

Troubleshooting

  • The engraving is too light.
    1. The laser power may need to be increased.
    2. The laser speed may need to be decreased.
    3. Check to ensure that the laser is focused properly to the surface of the wet paper/towel.
    4. Make sure that the fill color of the artwork is set to 80% RGB Black. Engraving using the traditional 100% RGB Black will not produce enough micro-fracturing of the glass surface and therefore will not create as much contrast in the frosted appearance of the engraving.
  • The engraving looks good, but glass chips are flaking off of the surface of the engraving.
    1. Make sure that the paper/towel is wet the entire time the engraving is running. 
    2. The paper/towel may not be wet enough. The paper/towel needs to be soaked almost to the point that the window cleaner or water pools up on top of the glass product.
    3. The engraving power may be too high and need to be decreased.
    4. The engraving speed may be too low and need to be increased. 
  • There are inconsistencies within the engraving of the glass.
    1. The glass may be chipping in tiny areas within the engraving due to the glass micro-fracturing too heavily, therefore the laser power may need to be decreased and/or the laser speed increased.
    2. The paper/towel layer may be drying out during the engraving and need to be wetted again.
    3. The paper/towel layer may have small air bubbles trapped underneath that were not smoothed out before engraving began.
    4. Ensure that the glass is completely dry before examining the engraving quality. Any residual moisture, skin oils, etc. can migrate into the micro-fractures of the engraved glass surface and reduce the perceived contrast or frosted appearance of the engraving.