Please go to www.mytrotec.com to our Customer Portal and click "Service Ticket" to have one of our support techs contact you; they will then contact you to answer any technical questions.

Glad it was helpful!

That is outstanding to hear! If you are having some kerf issues, then it may be your laser parameters; overpowering can cause some loss of detail or a "Loose Kerf." Keep tinkering; I am sure you will find the best configuration based on your laser system and the materials you use. Took me a few tries the first time- Laser Dave

The base of this wire is just an LED light, which only transmits through the wire. Most LED lights should last at least 10K hours, but please check with the manufacturer. Any other light-up wire material should work with this process as long as it can handle the channel curves. You can also adjust the cut line curves in your design files to meet the requirements of any wire used.

This may be possible, but it will depend on the adhesive used; however, I would not recommend it. If the adhesive used is too "Sticky," the veneer will not peel away correctly after the glue has dried, making the final steps far more work, or it will not work at all. If the adhesive used is not "Sticky enough," it will not hold the tiny details correctly before the parts are inlaid together, causing the parts to fall away from the aluminum during the gluing process. This ducting aluminum tape seems perfect based on what it is typically designed for (industrial metal ducting). You can buy much smaller rolls at a much lower price and then use more than one piece on larger sheets of veneer to save on cost. The foil link provided offers many different sizes starting at $18.88 for the 3" wide roll, or you can also pick this material up at most hardware stores. - Laser Dave

Selecting the right laser configuration can be complex, especially with Trotec's advanced systems. Our Speedy line starts at $8,900.00, with prices increasing based on size, speed, and capabilities. Designed for demanding commercial and industrial use, Trotec lasers deliver high performance. For more info, a demo, or a personalized quote, please reach out using this link: www.troteclaser.com/en-us/contact/contact#contact

Thank you! Cheers!

This process should work with any laser that will produce depth into the woods, and a diode laser should have no issues doing this.

Thank you! Here is the link to the tape roller: a.co/d/2Qno682 and the cutting mat: a.co/d/aq9smAA

I will adjust this, thank you; please see this link for our laser systems: www.troteclaser.com/en-us/laser-machines/laser-engravers-speedy-series

Adjust the line to as thin as it will go for Job Control, but if you are using the new Ruby Software, then line weight no longer keeps the machine from cutting like the old Job Control software, and any line thickness will work as long it is the correct color.

Our Atmos series exhaust filter systems remove all particulates and smells when laser processing materials. See this link for detailed information on our line of filter systems-www.troteclaser.com/en-us/laser-machines/exhaust-systems

Laser GOOD!

Thank you; so happy you like the video. The only real issues I ran into was that I over-sanded some of the first samples, losing detail, and found that some species of wood, when inlayed, would bleed the color of the wood when sanding, making it a bit more complicated. - Laser Dave

The process is engraved positively and negatively, not cut like a traditional inlay, so the laser beam diameter is not a factor. The inverted and positive states compensate for each other, leaving a perfect fit because of a factor called laser divergence; because of this, there is no traditional way to even measure this kerf. The glue is liquid, requiring no visual space, and it dries clear. If I were to assign a "Kerf" for the glue based on what I can see under a high-powered microscope, it would be about 5 microns or 0.000197" at 30x magnification.

Lightburn can account for the laser kerf. But that might be the limiting factor for small details

@@ColinWatters I think he relies on the cut being conical. But I believe the glue acts as a filler too.

@@ColinWatters I think you may be over thinking this, because of the way that this process works, "kerf" is not something that needs to be discussed for this kind of process since there is no cutting, only engraving. Simply engrave the positive into the wood base then engrave the negative/inverted and mirrored version of your graphic into the foil backed veneer and glue them together then peel and sand after the glue dries.

Thank you! But unlike CNC, so much more detail is possible using lasers!

Unfortunately, the Ruby software does not have an outline perimeter feature like this; the best method for alignment is to use the 3D simulation to showcase the image on the diameter and the red pointer to determine the center starting point. For detailed Ruby training, go to our customer portal at www.mytrotec.com and select "training" for the specifics in Ruby you are interested in learning, or reach out to our support team for additional help in the portal.

@@TrotecLaser is this a feature that will be added to ruby at any point? It seems to be that it used to be in job control? Does this apply to other engraving projects? I have used other lasers before and generally I find the best way to find perfect alignment on odd shaped items is to use the trace perimeters option to make sure things go where I want them to. I presume a work around for this is to run a 0% power vector over the area to make sure things are where you want them? This is extremely useful for one offs or odd ball shapes that are not cut out of sheets. Obviously it doesn’t matter much for cutting out of a sheet but I think it’s a valuable tool that is probably not that much extra work to do.

Yes, you can run at 0% power on color as a workaround; I am unsure if there is any plan to add this feature to Ruby. If you select the main drop-down menu in the Ruby software and then select "Ideas," you can request they add features like this.

This is not the case. Most of the laser energy is used in removing the veneer. Since the part is held perfectly flat, any excess laser energy is reflected back into the laser, which is harmless if the machine is properly aligned. A dirty lens could cause damage regardless of the beam direction. After hundreds of tests, we experienced zero issues with beam reflection. Additionally, the Trotec laser system’s safety enclosure ensures that the laser beam can never escape. Attempting this on a "Class 4" or "open laser" could indeed pose a safety risk, and I would not recommend this application with an open or "Class 4" laser machine.

Great, thanks for clarifying my concerns!

You also have to remember how lasers focus. It's not a straight beam, it converges at the focal point, the diverges past that. When it's reflected, it diverges a lot more, meaning it's not concentrated enough to damage.

This should be possible depending on the engrave settings you use. It will be slow, but technically, it should work; however, I do not use a diode laser, so I cannot be sure; start out small and try, and let me know! -Laser Dave

@@TrotecLaser the P2 is a 55w C02

Doing this process with the P2 atm. Will check in with results

So Sweet!

Thank you! Cheers!

@@TrotecLaser Once again, I want to say a big thank you for the method! Today I tried it on a linden tree - the result is magnificent, the details fit very tightly into each other. In general, you have opened new horizons of creativity for me! Thanks again and good luck! Subscribed

This will depend on what lens or mirror is needed and what model of machine you are using. Please reach out to our support team for detailed costs. 866-226-8505 option 2

This will depend on what lens or mirror is needed and what model of machine you are using. Please reach out to our support team for detailed costs. 866-226-8505 option 2

I hope so too!

Yes, it is possible to clean it, and It did not loosen the parts in my tests, but because this is the back side you are seeing, cleaning the veneer was found unnecessary as the engraved side will not be seen. No reflection issues were present when processing the aluminum because it is perfectly flat, causing any reflection to only reflect back into the laser tube, making it harmless. I am using standard traditional veneer thicknesses around 0.015 -0.024". The 1.5" lens will allow for even better detail in this video! Because most have a 2.0" lens, that is the one I decided to showcase in the video, but you are correct that a 1.5"lens is a great option.

Yes, I have been told that this kind of process is possible in AI, but I do not have the steps to produce it. You can see if you can find some other videos that allow you to create a grey tone curve in AI and then duplicate it into a pattern.

It is possible to do this without masking, but the leather will need to be wiped clean and could show some staining from the heat of the laser.

I used CorelDRAW for the photo conversion shown in the video. I have also done this in Adobe PhotoShop. If you download the CorelDraw files using the video link, the instructions in that photo file show you what settings were used. - Laser Dave

This varied based on the species of wood used. Most of the veneer used was a traditional thickness of around 0.0010 to 0.015", and I engraved the base wood to about that same depth with some initial testing. Measure the thickness of the veneer you buy, then do an engraving test to make sure that the engraving matches that thickness.

@@TrotecLaser Dave Thanks. I also download the files!!! Thank you so much. Question do I need to mirror the 'neg' file? or is ready to engrave on the veneer?

@@TrotecLaser Dave, I have another question. The positive should be run on 'fill' correct? when I opened your file it was on 'line'

@@TrotecLaser Hi Dave me back again. I use lighBurn, when I import your file into the program, it shows a huge # of lines. The preview makes no sense!

I am not familiar with Lightburn. The main file is just a black-and-white image. Then, you take that same image and mirror and Invert it so that it is a perfect inverted and mirrored image of the original to engrave on the foil backed veneer. If you are unsure how to do this in Lightburn, then you will need to seek help from users of lighburn or from the company that makes it. Mirroring and inverting are common features that all graphic software can do. - Laser Dave

This should be possible depending on the engrave settings you use. It will be slow, but technically, it should work; however, I do not use a diode laser, so I cannot be sure; start out small and try, and let me know! -Laser Dave

I could not agree more, and I can't wait to see how this changes the woodworking and laser industry!

This should be possible depending on the engrave settings you use. It will be slow, but technically, it should work; however, I do not use a diode laser, so I cannot be sure. - Laser Dave

I agree. I developed it, and it blew my mind, too; I still cannot believe this is possible. I'm so happy you like it!

Glad you like them!

Awesome! Thank you!

I use the camera in the center because it is better for filming, and there is a bit more distortion when used at the edges. For better alignment, I use the red pointer method.kzfaq.info/get/bejne/r82UfLp9scmbeqs.htmlsi=deDHyePIVqiN3f4m

Hope you enjoy it!

@@TrotecLaser Tad outside my price range though.

Our Speedy 50 machine starts at $8900. for a high-performance laser machine, the quality and speed are unmatched at this price point, and it will easily do these applications to get you started. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/m9GmqcR1q6fWpoE.htmlsi=ZVpi_hBeSwayJQOI

But it is such a satisfying mess!

You are so welcome!

Thank you! Cheers!

I know, right!!! have fun with it; I would love to hear about what you create!