Glass Ornaments

[Kevin Clark2227]

UPDATE
I am getting my ordering finalized with samples coming in. Question, I have seen some glass lasered with the image "suspended" within the glass. How is that done and what thickness does the material have to be?

[Michael Reilly]

My understanding is that you have to use a YAG or Fiber laser, and decent quality crystal glass. You focus such that the focal point is inside the glass and that's where it makes a mark. You work layer by layer, bottom up, making a series of marks that come out to be a 3D image. It's basically engraving slices. I've never done it as I don't have access to YAG equipment, but that's my understanding of the process.

[David Somers]

Michael,

I may be wrong, but I think the unit that does this actually has 2 laser beams working to do it. The machine aims both lasers so that they cross inside the material. Each beam by itself does not have enough oomph to change the material, but where they cross it does and it creates a tiny bubble. The machine moves on to the next point and does it again and builds the image that way. Or at least that was the last description of the technology that I saw.

Seemed like the comments I remembered about it were that it was cool stuff, but the cost of the machine and the time needed to make an image AND doing it commercially were tough.

Seemed like that was a year or so ago that I saw that. It may have developed more since then and become more cost effective?

Dave

[James & Zelma Litzmann]

I get my ornaments from Prism Crystal. Prices range from $2.10 to $6.00, I order the ones that are the least expensive and my customers love them. I have ordered some of the $6 ones and still have them, don't really care for them too much. And yes these are from China also, wish we could by USA, we definitely would if we could.

[Michael Reilly]

I believe that is another method... perhaps the first one, but I think it can be done with one beam now. Here is where I read about it:

http://www.bathsheba.com/crystal/process/

[Kevin Clark2227]

What I am looking at doing is not 3D. It is 2D with the image and/or text in the middle. Some call it 2.5D

[David Somers]

Kevin,

Look on the Epi web site. I believe they still have some examples of the technique. The one I am thinking of was to make a 2.5 d version of the letter E. Seemed like there was another as well. I think the example was on glass, possibly acrylic.

Dave

[David Somers]

Michael,

Cool! At least from the results in his samples that looks like a big improvement. Pretty intriguing stuff. Wonder what it actually costs. Something tells me it would be tough to make a living from that, but who knows. Pet rocks did it for someone. This might too. And this is cooler!! <grin>

Thanks for sharing the link!! I have saved it and will paw through it more carefully later!

Dave

[Bill Cunningham]

Shipping from China can be expensive. I paid $26.50 to ship a circuit board from Hong Kong to Iowa via DHL air, shipped on Monday delivered on Wednesday, same week.

That's actually pretty cheap! I've paid twice that for two day UPS from epilog to my shop!