I am trying to mark bare aluminum with Cermark LMM6000 but having poor results. Cermark suggests use of 50 watt machines for aluminum marking but mine is only 30. If I really reduce speed I might be able to get an adequate mark but then I doubt that I can mark a part at a reasonable cost.
I checked the TherMark site and they say:
"Bare, uncoated aluminum normally requires the selection and use of TherMark’s laser marking material LMM14 Black, which is water based and marks in black. For a faster drying marking material, most aluminum needs ethanol-based LMM6000 Black."
Has anybody tried LMM14 on aluminum? Should I expect different results than LMM6000? The above comment suggests that LMM6000 will dry faster than LMM14, but there must be SOME advantage to LMM14 over LMM6000 on aluminum (or they would not offer both). It is not specifically explained as to why one would use LMM14.