Laser Q&A With Expert Jordan Buhagiar – Alfex CNC Australia Laser Division Manager

Q: I HAVE A MAC, CAN I USE IT TO RUN MY LASER?

A: Yes, but there are some caveats. If you are lucky enough to own an Epilog Fusion M2 Laser then these come with a dedicated Mac driver which can run your laser directly from your Mac computer without the need for any additional programs. If your machine does not provide a dedicated Mac driver then you still have a couple of options; (1) Boot Camp for Mac – after loading Windows on to your Mac you then have the ability to choose between running Windows or Mac OS when you first boot up. (2) Parallels for Mac – similar to Boot Camp however with Parallels you can run both Windows and Mac OS simultaneously so you don’t need to reboot each time you want to change between operating systems

 

Q: HOW DO I GET A MARK ON BARE METAL PLATES WITH MY CO2 LASER?

A: Commonly used materials like stainless steel and aluminium can be best marked with a CO2 laser by utilising one of the many different metal marking solutions available today to achieve a near permanent, high contrasting black mark. It is critical that the stainless steel or aluminium is raw and has no coating (make sure it doesn’t have a clear coat) and that the surface is clean and free from oils and grease before you apply a thin coat of the marking solution. Use a slow-to-medium speed and high power for best results when laser engraving. You will need to use a slower speed for aluminium. We recommend MarkSolid 114 Aerosol.

 

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