Using blue tape for test marking (newbii Q)

[John Noell]

I'd like to test alignment and placement by putting blue tape on the object, then LIGHTLY marking it. If all looks good, then I can remove the tape and laser the object, no? If this makes sense, what settings do I use on a 45W Epilog to mark the tape but not penetrate?

[Joe Pelonio]

I'd like to test alignment and placement by putting blue tape on the object, then LIGHTLY marking it. If all looks good, then I can remove the tape and laser the object, no? If this makes sense, what settings do I use on a 45W Epilog to mark the tape but not penetrate?
That can vary so test it on scrap material first, but on my 45 watt for engraving I go with 95 speed 10 power.

[Craig Hogarth]

The problem I have with using tape is that it's sometimes hard to see if it's not properly alligned. I usually lay a piece of acrylic on of the object and engrave that. I like to put an X in the middle of the acrylic. That way if not alligned properly, you can just reposition the acrylic test to where it needs to be then reposition on corel using the X to determine the correct quadrants. Make sure you remove the X when you engrave the actual object though.

When engraving acrylic/glass, I tape down a piece of cardstock and engrave on that. Then I lay my piece on top of the engraved cardstock to where it needs to be, refocus, change settings for acrylic/glass and do it again.

[James Stokes]

On my 100 watt I use 100 speed 10 power

[John Noell]

Thanks Joe. At those settings mine goes right through the tape! Glad I started with scrap! I'm also finding it very tricky to get positioning alignment right.

[Bill Cunningham]

I have used as hot as 55%power and 100 spd to put a solid white mark on blue tape.. I'm not sure how others align their work, but I just move the red dot to the center of the area I want to mark/etch/engrave, then read the xy position from the lcd screen on the laser I then put the art center to the same spot on my computer screen page (page size is table size, top left corner of the page is 0/0 ) and it's always bang on!

[Scott Shepherd]

John, you can always use a thicker paper, like posterboard or construction paper. Just tape it to the piece, run it and you can measure off of that. I use posterboard all the time when I have to align something to a precut piece. Works very well.

[John Noell]

Thanks guys! In this case I was doing some small knives and needed to be pretty darn precise. I am just starting up over here and I sure have a lot to learn about lasers. I REALLY appreciate this site and the great people here!!!

[Jim Watkins]

John, if you have an epilog 45w, just put the blue tape on a piece of wood, place a word to be engraved, and start off at 1% power/100%sp and increase the power by 1% each time until you get the mark you want on the tape.

I have the Epilog Mini 24 and I think I mark at 5%, but since I bought a new PC that has a Vista 64 bit system, it will not open my old DAT files to confirm. It will work, just try a few times and you'll get it. I not only figured out how to mark the tape, but I tested it until I was able to raster the tape away without scoring or damaging the piece.

[R. A. Mitchell]

My own 2 cents on this issue is that cheap blue tape varies a lot in thickness, creating the risk of partial burn-through at low settings. Spending a little more on tape can make a big difference. The project on which I learned this lesson was with anodized aluminum, and there were a few stray marks that weren't covered well in the final engraving. Luckily, it blended well enough that others didn't notice, but I came darn close to owning a rather expensive flashlight.

[Mike Null]

I use blue tape and transfer tape all the time without any problem.

I set a "test" setting on my machine and just use that everytime I want to position something. Using a lower dpi will speed the process.

[Joe Pelonio]

My own 2 cents on this issue is that cheap blue tape varies a lot in thickness, creating the risk of partial burn-through at low settings. Spending a little more on tape can make a big difference. The project on which I learned this lesson was with anodized aluminum, and there were a few stray marks that weren't covered well in the final engraving. Luckily, it blended well enough that others didn't notice, but I came darn close to owning a rather expensive flashlight.
That explains the differences! I have been using a pretty thick one.

[Jim Watkins]

I use the 3m tape, I would have bought the cheap stuff the first time had I seen it...:D

[Bill Cunningham]

A little black liquid shoe polish on the transfer tape works pretty good too

[Jeff Belany]

Maybe I'm being conservative but I use the cheap masking tape but use 2 layers. (I've had one layer leave a faint mark) As far as power/speed a quick test should give you the settings for your machine.

Jeff in northern Wiscoonsin

[Edsel Emery]

I use the blue tape all the time to check placement, etc. I have an Epilog 35 watt Mini. My settings are 100% speed and 20% power. I never penetrate the tape, and it lasers a nice white.

[Brian Conklin]

I am surprised! I run my 30w at 100 speed and 5-6 power. I can't imagine how you're not going through the tape.

[Edsel Emery]

I sure don't know. I know that the 20% power works great with me.

[James Rambo]

I Use 100% Speed 8% Power 300 Dpi For The Cheep Blue Masking Tape.