Each of us happened to ask how the writing and images on glass are made that we see every day on signs and glass walls.
The suggestive effect that they cause on the observer enhances the beauty and at the same time increases the mystery on how they are made. We try to fill this gap and to explain how we get to have walls with personalized engravings that add an individual touch to our environments.
How the glass is etched with laser
At a technical level with laser engraving the glass is heated to an intensity such as to cause a fusion or vaporization of the material, due to the heat produced by the laser beam. This process has innumerable advantages as regards the processing of a brittle material such as glass.
Its tendency to chip easily when heated unevenly, has always made it delicate during the decoration processes. This feature has stimulated research that through the new technologies has come to the use of laser engraving on glass as a technique congenial to its processing.
The specificities of this material have more challenged the laser systems and processes to reach productions that have a high quality, using an ever shorter working time.
The advantages offered by laser engraving on glass
Laser processing has several characteristics that make it a good competitor compared to sandblasting or mechanical engraving. The advantages of this decoration technique are:
* Non-contact glass processing
* No wear of the tools used
* Maximum precision of details
In the classic mechanical engraving, the material to be engraved is necessarily blocked or fixed to facilitate the work and allow the piece not to move, thus avoiding to ruin the work.
This operation as well as requiring time, can favor damage to a brittle material such as glass, forcing the replacement of the workpiece. Through the laser technique these steps can be avoided. The laser engraving of the glass processing takes place in fact in the absence of contact.
- damage to the material
- the production of splinters and dust
The absence of contact between machinery and glass therefore allows the non-wear of tools such as cutters and drills, used instead with mechanical engraving.
Last but not least, laser engraving allows extreme precision in details through its technology, which allows selected subjects to stand out best through glass. As on a sheet of paper, the fineness of the traits is impeccably reproduced on the inside or on the glass surface.
Versatile and customizable engravings
We should therefore not be surprised to see how more and more people rely on the decoration of their environments through laser technologies. The countless advantages, both in terms of quality and design, make laser engraving on glass one of the most advanced processes.
Its versatility inside glass walls can be exploited in offices and in commercial establishments, allowing division walls to create suggestive views with a strong visual impact.
The total personalization of the images or writings to be engraved allows a creation ad hoc, ideal to make your working environment exclusive. The incisions are emphasized by LEDs that reveal the beauty of the designs and the finishes of the details, allowing the choice of the color to be used to make the already unique touch coming from this type of decoration even more personal.
Beyond the technique towards design
In recent years, within the world of design, this technique is proving a huge success particularly in its use inside glass partition walls. In fact, it allows playing with light-dark contrasts that reproduce pictorial effects like drawings and photographs.
The use of glass also allows the vision of what happens beyond the wall, creating a union of even more striking images. Imagine walking through an office and encountering the vision of two colleges that are sipping coffee in a forest. A clash of scenarios that can only stimulate your creativity, increasing work productivity.
With the choice of dividing your work environment with glass partition walls and the use of such a cutting edge decorative technique, you will not only be able to amaze every customer visiting your facility, but you will contribute to the creation of an open environment that also stimulates your employees.
Can laser engraving be eco-friendly?
The multiple regulations that regulate emissions to try to slow down the climate changes triggered by the excessive exploitation of our planet, show us clearly how much need there is to work in conditions with the least possible impact on the ecosystem.
Technological innovations offer us a positive vision of the future, although constantly to improve. Today, in addition to the quality of a product, we also look at the process that provides the least amount of waste, scrap and exploitation.
The eco-sustainable industry is strengthening day after day, through the efforts of associations such as Greenpeace, which for years have been trying to raise awareness on environmental issues.
Can laser engraving comply with this already triggered eco-sustainability process? Yes, if we consider the aforementioned advantages that reduce damage and waste materials. Furthermore the laser engraving on glass is carried out through computerized programs that allow the minimization of the error, further reducing material waste.