Brass Engraving

What is Brass?

Brass is a metal alloy of copper and zinc. The material properties of brass include; low melting point, high conductivity, and being highly malleable. These properties can vary depending on the specific alloy of brass being used. Brass alloys can also contain different amounts of nickel, aluminium and silicon. Brass has a wide range of uses from locks, gears and door handles to plumbing and electrical applications to musical instruments and decorative objects.

What are the challenges of engraving with brass?

The challenge with engraving brass is high reflectivity and thermal conductivity. The workpiece must be perfectly in-focus to achieve good quality results.

All G4 EP-Z lasers are capable of engraving brass and can all produce similar quality results, however increasing the power increases the material removal rate. The G4 20W EP-Z laser can achieve a removal rate of 7.98mm3 /min, but the 100W EP-Z can achieve 39.9 mm3 /min. The material removal rate is proportional to the average processing power.

To download this Applications Postcard as a PDF click here!