Laser Engraving on ABS Plastic (for Poker Chips)

[Tracey Bakewell]

Hello All! I just got my new laser and am already hitting the ground and running with a challenge. My friend wants me to laser engrave her dad's logo on a set of poker chips. The chips are made of ABS Plastic and are a solid color. I'm doing the following but am looking for a way to make this less labor intensive:

1. Created a template out of plexiglass to set the chips in to keep them in a permanent place for the logo, can do 50 at a time.
2. Use that blue painters tape and cover all chips on each row on the template.
3. Engrave the logo into the center of each chip, removing just enough of the tape and the glue on the back of the tape and a little dent into the chip to be able to fill with paint.
4. Pull the entire template with chips still taped in, go outside, use spray paint for plastic that's shiny silver to fill with.
5. Let dry, then pull all the tape off -- EXCEPT (here's the labor intensive part), now I have to pull out the teny tiny pieces of tape left, thngs like the inside of a B.

There are 500 chips and I'm doing both sides! This all pretty much for FREE because I told her I wanted to and wanted the excuse for the experiment. She pretty much is paying me for all the material and a little bit for my time. (SILLY ME!) -- Anyway, it's been fun.

From what I've kind of learned from reading, I kind of see how I can make this easier, but just don't know exactly what I'm looking for...

A tape that I can wash off and a paint that won't wash off (that would be huge!).

A paint that I can paint on, engrave through, then a different paint to fill with that won't wash off the filled area, but then everything has to wash off (again, leaving the fill).

Anyway, something ike that. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions, or are already doing this!!! Best scenario would be to know if there is a poker chip supplier out there with a different color underneath the surface that I could expose would be great!

[Patrick Cooley]

Tracey,
I use the RED laser tape from laserbits a lot for lasering and then spray painting small items. It lasers off great and doesn't leave a residue. Make sure to use air assist. I need to make a tape dispenser for it, since it's hard to get off the roll.

[Tracey Bakewell]

Did I mention I was still a newbie? So, when I was reading my manual it says something about an air assist (if I have one) which I dont. Do I need one?

[Gary Hair]

There are some things that a laser just isn't the best tool to use, you have found one of them. Hot stamping chips is pretty cheap and fast and would be a much better way of doing that.

I bought an airbrush and spent a lot of time experimenting with masking and lasering and paint filling the back of a piece of acrylic only to end up with a sign that could have been printed on a color laser printer in about 30 seconds. Lesson learned... Just because you have a laser and it's POSSIBLE to do something, that doesn't mean it's PRACTICAL to do it.

And, just because you learn a lesson once, doesn't mean you won't do it again. I accepted a small job, as a favor, to engrave initials in guitar picks. It was very easy but there was no contrast so I ended up using silver rub-n-buff to fill the engraved area. Twelve picks, 30 minutes to setup, engrave and fill, all for $24.00 - - I charge $120.00 per hour laser time, I lost a bit on that job.

If you really want to put that image on poker chips you could create a stamp with your laser and stamp the chips with paint. Create a fixture to hold the chip and center the stamp. You would have a lot less work and the result would be about the same. I know it's not as cool as laser engraved chips but it would be a better use of your time and your laser time - in my opinion... Plus, you could sell your friend the stamp and they could just do the chips themselves, leaving you to do something meaningful with your time

Just my .035 (two cents adjusted for inflation)

Gary

[Gary Hair]

Air assist is used in a variety of ways. I use it most of the time when I cut acrylic, wood, paper, etc. It blows out any flare ups and helps keep the burt edges to a minimum. On acrylic it also cools it down a bit which will make the cut look better. I also use it on rastering a lot of materials, it blows the remnants of whatever I'm rastering away and out of the nooks and crannies of what I just engraved. I also will engrave bottom to top to help with that.
Air-assist is an "option" but I think it's pretty necessary and not optional at all.
Get yourself an airbrush compressor, unless you have a full-size one already. You only need about 30psi, or less, and an airbrush compressor should work fine. Personally, I have a full-size compressor that I ran a separate line that I can regulate independantly of the other lines.

Gary

[Joe Pelonio]

You should have air assist for cutting, whether it came with one or not it's well worth the investment. Please do check and if you don't have one order it for your machine, it cuts down on the charring and flaming.

As for this job, you have the right idea, but ABS does take a little more energy to engrave and it won't be as "crisp" as other materials. It looks a lot more like extruded acrylic, which shouldn't be a problem when paint filling. The real problem is finding a paint that will stick to the ABS. I'm thinking you might have to use an epoxy based spray paint, as is made for refinishing kitchen appliances. Then use a good pair of pointed tweezers to help remove the mask. You might try the Krlon Fusion (for plastics) and see if it might work though.

[Tracey Bakewell]

I'm thinking that IS the paint I am using, that name rings a bell and I'm not with my stuff right now, cool!

[Carol VanArnam]

where are you getting the poke chips from? i've been looking for a source for chips for another project i'm working on....

[Tracey Bakewell]

When I bought the laser it came with a flyer from A&B Supply and Design... www.absupplydesign.com.

You can order everything online, but you really need to call them first to get an account setup. I just finally finished engraving everything. The box looks awesome! But, the chips, they're good, they were just A LOT of work!

[Dave Jones]

Chewbarka has anodized aluminum poker chips. They laser great. But for true poker players they are lighter than the normal weighted chips.

[Ed Maloney]

Time for some pictures Tracey!

[Gary Hair]

Chewbarka has anodized aluminum poker chips. They laser great. But for true poker players they are lighter than the normal weighted chips.

I just finished engraving 2,000 of them for a customer who wanted to use them as "discount" tokens. They engrave very well!
Frank is a great vendor to deal with, you won't find anyone more responsive! Every order I have placed has shipped the same day and arrives well packaged and exactly what I ordered.

[Tracey Bakewell]

Ask and you shall receive!
DSC_0033.jpg

I'm so proud of my first work even though it really took me 20 hours!!!

[Tracey Bakewell]

Here's another...
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[Dave Fifield]

I don't get it. The poker chips on absupply's miscellaneous page say "Non Laser Engravable". Which chips did you engrave on Tracey?

ave F.