Hi! I’m a new member and am in the process of producing DIY kits to sell. I’m currently thinking through the logistics of a paint by numbers canvas wall hanging. Would it be possible to lightly etch a thick canvas material on the laser? And if so if this allowed at Asmbly? Thanks a lot!
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Grace, if your canvas is of natural materials like hemp, flax, or cotton then it shouldn’t be a problem. You’d have to perform tests to dial in your settings; you’d want to be sure to get enough contrast. If it’s a synthetic material then you’d have to check how it performs when it’s burned. Some materials melt. Some put off toxic or corrosive gasses. That sort of thing can be checked in a material safety data sheet.
Depending on the size of your project there are other options to laser etching. If the material is a synthetic then perhaps die sublimation is an answer. The advantage here is you’d be able to introduce color into your paint-by-number product. Alternately, you could vinyl cut silk screens and apply your guides that way regardless of material type.
At Asmbly you’ll find lots of people who can guide you.
Welcome to the community!
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Thanks!! My material is 100% cotton so I think it’ll work perfectly.
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@jamesfreeman has done some work with textiles and the lasers. He’s typically cutting all the way through, but might have some insights
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Another thing to consider if you are making multiples of the same thing. Using the laser to create a wooden “stamp” that you could ink up and transfer to your canvas
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I’ve only cut through fabric. It works great for that. Id be very interested in how well etching works.
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Thank you all for your feedback!! I did a little more research on sublimation inking this afternoon and I actually think that would be a great option, and something that I can use for branding in other areas as well. Does anyone know when the sublimation printer will be operational?
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The printer, media and heat press are all there amd functioning. We are still building a comouter for it, but if you have a laptop you can use that.
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@Grchomeyer we don’t have store items set up yet, but once someone gives me a list of items and prices I can get that part added.
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