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BRASS - COATED
TYPE POWER SPEED PPI PASSES DEPTH
RASTER ENGRAVING 20 100 1000 1 .002”
COMMENTS: Engrave unmasked. Use a light setting to engrave through the coating. Using 1000
PPI seems to have a cleaner removal of the coating. Some thicker coated brass will require more
power. Too much power might discolor the brass and might also cause a loss of resolution on the finer
details of the engraving.
TYPE POWER SPEED PPI PASSES DEPTH
VECTOR ENGRAVING 15 10 1000 1 .002”
COMMENTS: Engrave unmasked. Use enough power to expose the brass. Too much power will
cause thicker engraving lines.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
The manufacturing processes for coated brass varies from one vendor to another. Some of the
manufacturers do not polish the brass before coating it. Since CO
2
lasers at this power level do not
engrave into metals when the coating is removed, the brass underneath will be unaffected and remain
tarnished with a dull appearance and will need to be polished with a brass polishing compound. This
type of brass is designed for mechanical engravers that actually remove the metal when engraving which
gives the brass a shine without polishing. Brass that is produced for the laser engraving industry is
polished, then clear coated, and finally coated with paint. When laser engraving this type of material,
adjust the power so that the laser beam removes the painted coating but not the clear coating. This will
expose the polished, clear coated brass without penetrating all the way down to the metal. Since the
brass is already clear coated and polished, it will not require any cleanup after engraving nor will it ever
oxidize. If too much laser power is used, the brass the clear coat will be removed and the brass
underneath will be exposed to the heat of the laser beam causing instant tarnish. The same goes for
enamel coated pens, some are polished and clear coated underneath, and others are tarnished which
will require polishing after engraving. If polishing the brass, use a soft, non-abrasive cloth or tissue and
good quality brass polish. Be careful not to rub too hard as this will scratch the painted coating. Do not
use paper towels either because they will scratch also. Clear coated brass can also be engraved and
the engraved area turned black with an oxidizer giving exceptional results. Test clear coated brass from
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