Can a 20W Laser Deep Engrave Titanium?
#LP5 #Titanium #LaserEngraver #metalwork
Is a desktop 20W laser actually enough for “real” metalwork? 🧐
I’m putting the LP5 laser engraver to a brutal test: turning a solid block of Grade 5 Titanium into a high-precision spin coin with a Ruby sphere spin point.
Most people say 20W is too underpowered for deep titanium ablation, but I wanted to find out for myself. Watch the video :
1. Will the ruby survive? I’m aiming for a perfect press fit. There is a “very fine line” here—too much pressure and the ruby explodes (and yes, I actually exploded one during testing!). How do you hit that sub-micron precision on a manual lathe?
2. Can you align a pattern on a 3mm edge by eye? I decided to engrave a coded pattern on the tiny edge of the coin. With only 3mm of space, any misalignment is “horribly visible.” See how I used custom 3D-printed jigs to solve the laser’s manual alignment limits.
3. Why stop at 8 grayscale values? Most people use AI tools for depth maps, but I manually mapped this in Inkscape . Why did I limit it to 8 levels, and how does it prevent “blending” between layers?
4. Is the “Cleanup Pass” a cheat code? I found a way to “clean” the coin using the laser itself. Does the LP5 software handle this, or do you need LightBurn to get that professional, punchy contrast?
5. ⚙️ My specific titanium laser engraving settings?
6. Is 20W enough for production? I share my honest thoughts at the end.
Timestamps (Find your answers here):
0:00 – The 20W Fiber vs. Titanium Challenge
1:00 – Lathe Work: Creating the “Perfect Bore”
3:00 – The Ruby Test: Precision vs. Explosion
5:00 – Edge Engraving: Splitting millimeters on the 4th axis
7:00 – 3D Relief Secrets: Why Grayscale levels matter
9:00 – Honest Review: Production tool or R&D powerhouse?
🔥 Check out the LP5 laser engraver (Get 5% off with my code: CURTLP ) :
LaserPecker LP5 – The Smart 20W Fiber + Diode Laser Engraver
Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed this build, hit the like button and subscribe for more precision engineering and laser projects:
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Thanks for watching!
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