The holiday season is around the corner and people are enthusiastically going around the city to purchase things for their family members and loved ones. It is very obvious for them to come to a gift shop and look for things that their family members might love.

The challenge for you, as a gift shop owner, increases during this time of the year because you have to continuously find ways to add more creativity to your shop. Additionally, you also need to check that the products you have should grab your customers’ attention.

Hence, in this article, we’ve added something which will help you to add creativity and uniqueness to your gift shop.

Firstly, you might have come across a variety of personalization and never-ending requests from your customers. As an owner, it might be extremely difficult to cope with their ever-increasing demands for unique products.

To cater to these unique demands and requirements your one-stop solution is laser engraving. Yes, you heard it right! Just imagine the impossible things you can create with a laser engraving machine. It’s the perfect opportunity to specialize and create unique products and make a name for yourself in the industry.

With the right laser engraving machine equipped with Amada laser parts or Trumpf laser parts, there are no limits to your target audience and market. People with culinary interests, or customer base that loves handcrafted things? You can specialize in creating may be butcher blocks or cheese boards? Or creating unique things with leather or paper is your skill? There is always a place for creativity in the laser engraving industry. Using a laser engraving machine, you can make your shop the perfect place for personalized gifts.

Now let’s talk about the benefits and uniqueness it provides to your customers and business:

1. Widespread Benefits:

Laser engraving and cutting are growing for many years in the gift industry because of its infinite number of applications. Especially the laser machine with Amada laser parts and Trumpf laser parts. You can engrave or cut a variety of materials and things like leather, fabrics, wood, keychains, food, etc. using an engraving machine. There have been many advancements in laser engraving which have helped businesses flourish.

2. Return on Investment:

Of course, investing in laser machines is a big thing. But businesses receive a high return on investment through the unique customized items they provide. Using the laser engraving machines, you can create customized products like engraved tumblers, tin cans, a popular engraved Christmas cookie box, etc. Anything your customers can imagine.

3. Broaden possibilities of personalization:

According to a survey done, customers are ready to pay extra for personalized products. And we as human beings are very likely to attach with personalized products. Isn’t it obvious that even today we are all thrilled when we see keychains with our names engraved on them? Why? because that is something personal to us and carries a special value in our life.

Usage of laser machines with Trumpf laser parts for your business can draw people’s attention by using personalization as a key point for selling. Imagine jewelers offering custom engraved jewelry. Customers embrace the idea of customizing things with special quotes, important dates, custom necklaces, watches, etc. You might be thinking that isn’t it common for other business owners to follow the same personalized engraving products and sell them. Yes, it is but it all depends on your marketing skills and the uniqueness of your product.

4. Uniqueness:

Is your business already ahead in the gift industry? If so, why not take advantage of laser engraving and cutting machine. As we discussed above, this will help you to boost your sales. Personalized, creative and unique ideas are always in fashion. Customers want things that help them create memories. Just put yourself in the shoes of your customer and imagine the things that will make them go ah! That’s all you need to know. These things make it easy for you to decide the type of designs you should bring on a table which reflects the uniqueness and creativity of your work.

Final Word:

Personalized gifts are always in demand and will always be. Everyone likes them as they wish to stand out of the crowd. The receiver feels special upon receiving such gifts. We strongly recommend you to use the laser engraving machine if you are a gift shop owner or even thinking of starting one. Most of the gift owners might underestimate the power of laser engraving and that’s where you can take advantage of it.

So, ready to add this magic to your business?

Laser engraving is a cutting-edge addition to any business where there is a scope of personalization. It is one of the booming industries.

If you are a funeral director running a funeral then this is something you might be interested in. With your industry going through a disruption period and the introduction of new technology, laser engraving will be something that adds charm to your funeral services.

You can either hire a fabricator who can engrave multiple things on different materials or you can invest in a laser cutting machine. This will help you create lasting memories of your client’s special moments with customized products.

But before you outsource your engraving work, you have to learn about the fabricator and their work. What kind of laser machines do they use? Are they using Fanuc fans and TRUMPF laser parts for the maximum efficiency of these machines? Then get them accustomed to people and families who are going through one of the painful times.

Funeral homes are among the most sensitive places. Everyone wants to remember their family members in a special way. They don’t want them to fade away the special memories they have of them. They want to conduct a special memorial and make sure their family member lives as a good memory in everyone’s mind.

You can offer a lot with laser If as a funeral director, your two main objectives are: 

• Meeting the needs of families by providing creative solutions

You need to make sure that you fulfill the needs of the family members and provide them with the best creative way to remember their lost family members. Additionally, you also need to make sure that while being creative you do not hurt anyone’s feelings.

• Increase market share:

To make this happen, you need to make sure that your service speaks louder. Services help in increasing the market share and provides a reason to people as to why they should use your funeral home over others.

People want a memorial service with unique things that can create a lasting memory. At the same time, they also want to make sure that the funerary box, headstones, etc. are unique. 

As a funeral director, you always have this responsibility to bring something unique in the funeral home to make sure families get unique headstones and can create lasting memories of their loved ones forever.

The purpose of providing such unique and creative ideas is it gives a personal touch to the family members.

Here we’ve listed a few ideas that you use to provide for exceptional experience to the grieving families in your funeral home using laser engraving machine.

• Personalized Cremation Memorial

Give personalized cremation options to your customers which they can treasure forever. These personalized cremation memorials will help these families say goodbye to their loved ones in a special way. If you are not providing cremation services in your funeral home, then it’s time you think about it. The number of people choosing to cremate their lost ones is increasing day-by-day.

• Timeless Headstones

Provide customized headstones to your customers. Just imagine how pleased these families would be when they see names and favorite quotes of their loved ones engraved on a black or white granite headstone which reflects their personality.

• Laser Engraved Casket

The families choosing your funeral home can use the laser engraved caskets for their loved ones to provide the personal touch and reflect the life of the lost member. Caskets built using wood like oak, bamboo or steel or any other metal make engraving easy.

Laser engravers with Fanuc fans and TRUMPF laser parts are the ones you want to invest in. They will last a long time and help you bring more business.

• Memorialize their Pets

Losing a pet is difficult for every pet parent. They don’t get options where they can use the memory of their loved pets during the last rituals. And there are not many options available in creating a memorial for your pets. In such a case, you can provide pet owners with the laser engraved memorials for their pets. This helps them in remembering the special moments they would have shared with their pets.

You can provide pet owners with pet urns, personalized photo frames, engraved pet memorials or customized pet jewelry. These are some of the examples but there are many things that you can provide to pet owners.

• Customized Keepsakes

Families want personalized items to keep as a souvenir in the memory of their family members. These keepsakes help the family members remembering the special memories of the person who has passed away. 

Closing note

Laser engraving has many different uses. You can use these machines in engraving any type of material. The idea discussed here helps you as a funeral director not only take your business ahead but it also helps you spread compassion and happiness to some extent in many people’s lives.

Laser engraving is a sister practice of laser etching and laser marking. It is done in a slightly different way where there is no use of inks or tools that contact the surface material. There are CO2 laser engraving machines which primarily release low-powered laser beams. And then there are high-powered lasers which facilitate the high-volume laser marking and engraving applications.

Here is how it works:

Basically, laser cutting machines have three common components: the laser itself, the  control system, and the marking surface. You, as an operator, can set the software program to modify settings on the laser cutter. You can change these settings whenever needed. When it comes to laser engraving, you need to choose standard parts like Mitsubishi laser parts or trumpf laser parts to ensure the smooth working of the system. Images chosen for the engraving onto a given material should be from graphics editing software like Illustrator, Inkscape, AutoCAD. In short, you need vector files. Because images in the vector files maintain the clarity and proportions when adjusted to any size. 

Further, you have to upload the image into the cutting software. The machine will then translate it into numeric data. The software would capture that data and use it to program the laser machine’s controller apparatus to produce the provided image. 

Laser Engraving Applications:

• There are aerial vehicles by major contractors in the construction industry which incorporate thousands of parts. They travel through a complex global supply chain from their point of origin to the manufacturing units. In order to promote quality and accountability throughout the supply chain, vendors leverage laser engraving machines to mark products with barcodes and serial numbers which shows their traceability.

• Apart from the aerospace industry, it is popular in the jewelry manufacturing industry. It can be useful to create various artwork.

• As an added advantage of its depth, this technology is popular for making stamps, dies, and moulds. Hence, it is popular in industries like automotive, electronics, semiconductor manufacturing, etc.

• Apart from that, retail vendors can leverage engraving to make several customized products like wooden key chains, coasters, kitchen products, and so on.

Benefits of Using Laser Engraving

Cost-Effective:

Laser engraving machines consume zero inputs besides the power it takes to run. That means it only has low and predictable costs for manufacturers. Whereas, there are companies which use a chemical etching as a substitute for engraving. But, they need adequate wastewater treatment or a certified third-party company to dispose of the chemical water. Plus, each image requires a brand new stencil. Now, that won’t give you any cost benefits for your projects.

Less Damaging

As the laser beam won’t be touching the material, there are lesser chances of causing damage. It is majorly relying on the heat to produce expected results. The only portion that laser will be targeting is the targeted spot. The surrounding area would be left untouched.

Permanent Markings

The aim of the engraving process is to remove a portion of the material. As laser systems offer so much control, a range of depths used by the machines ensures permanent markings.  For example in the defense industry, it is important for the manufacturers to establish parts throughout the supply chain with unique identification numbers. These markings should be permanent even in extreme conditions or other environmental hazards.

Highly Efficient

It is efficient as it can easily switch between materials and a range of depths. It offers longer service life and with high-quality parts like Mitsubishi laser parts or trumpf laser parts, it will have lower maintenance costs compared to other traditional methods.

Supports a range of Materials

It is capable of working with different materials which include metal, ceramic, plastic, and glass. Most industries utilize more than one material in manufacturing. If you have a facility that deals with multiple materials then it could be a nifty solution.

Do you use laser engraving for your project? If yes, then share your experience with us in the comment section.

If you work at the laser cutting shop, you would notice that operators often offload the metal sheet of cut parts. After that, they would pick up the cut pieces from the nest for clean edges to make the sheets ready for the next operation.

Mostly right? But sometimes, you would notice that burrs on the surface still remains. It may vary from minor to major in size but with some precautions, you can reduce it. In order to discover the perfect setting, it is important for operators to know about the process in which a laser cutting beam, support gas, and workpiece get in contact to create perfect cut edges in the product.

Achieving a burr-free laser cutting is no longer a magic. It’s a strategy that revolves around the proper operation of laser parts which you need to understand thoroughly to resolve it. Let’s see how.

Which Parameters to Check?

In general cases, the modern machine controls the laser beam elements. Like the beam profile and beam power. The beam focus consists of a particular grade, thickness based on optical focus.

To match the true focus position on the workpiece, automated technicians usually check a number of parameters including beam alignment, delivery system, centering the nozzle, focus position, etc.

If the operator observes a burr at the bottom of the cut part of the stainless-steel sheet, then firstly the operator needs to slow down the cutting speed of the laser beam. You can justify the reaction because in his perception, cutting speed is too high and the problem might have arisen from that.

Once the operator has slowed down the cutting speed and the gas pressure, he would find a bigger burr. Therefore, the creation of burr depends on how the beam, material, and gas interact. And once you understand their interaction, you would understand the creation of burr.

The Burr Formation Process

While you work with the laser machine, there’s an intense amount of energy emerging out of the laser beam. That brings the metal’s temperature above its melting point. Hence, metal exceeds the melting temperature, during this, a strong force of gas removes the metal from the kerf. When you use nitrogen, the cutting procedure totally depends on the beam’s energy to melt the metal. But when you use oxygen gas to cut the carbon steel, it seems that hot metal interacts with oxygen that creates an exothermic reaction with added heat.

In such cases, they form the burrs due to the molten metal which solidifies before removing. That solid material would remain tougher at the bottom of the kerf, eventually forming a burr.

But what hardens the metal before you remove it?

Gas Kinetics

The operator should ideally alter efficiency, quality, and cost when nitrogen gas is concerned. Nitrogen can reach up to 50% of the variable costs. Therefore, it is important to control the consumption of such gas in laser cutting. Consider using Trumpf laser parts in order to maintain quality outputs. Make sure to select the smallest Trumpf laser nozzles to attain the desired quality of performance.

It is important to note that when it comes to supporting gas flow, nozzle size and diameter would make a big difference. When deciding, go for the smallest Trumpf laser nozzle size as they will get you a good quality of laser cutting without any burrs. Eventually, you can increase your flow rate with good molten metal separation without going high on pressure.

Slow is never better

The logic of “lower and smaller” diameter of nozzle and gas pressure is not applicable to the cutting speed. Hence, while you slow down the cutting speed, you would end up welcoming more heat than required in the kerf. Along with this the temperatures also rises and cause vaporization which disturbs the gas flow. As a result of it, this disturbance creates more burrs which make the quality even worst. You need Trumpf laser nozzles to ensure the proper interaction of cutting beam and gas which is the best way to avoid burrs.

Additionally, the operator can also save the material from burrs by increasing the cutting speed precisely. This increase in speed would minimize the heat and the ablation while restoring the gas flow dynamics to its appropriate state.

Carbon Steel Cutting by Assist Oxygen Gas

While shifting to oxygen cutting for carbon steel, the exothermic reaction needs to be at an accurate level because here, the oxygen purity level will play a crucial role. It is common that oxygen-cutting carbon steel benefits from a higher level of oxygen gas purity. We can increase the cutting speed by 30 to 40 percent if we work with 99.95 percent of oxygen global purity.

Concluding

Burr-free laser cutting is all about ensuring that the beam parameters and gas dynamics work in synchronization. Moreover, you also need to ensure that you are using superior quality laser parts like Trumpf laser parts for the best and burr-free laser cutting.

A detailed guide to eliminate the creation of burrs in laser cutting and achieve a stable process to produce smooth cutting edge results.