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Laser Etching a Laptop
ptorrone writes "I didn't really plan using a $20,000 laser cutter on my 17" PowerBook to etch a 19th-century engraving of a tarsier, a nocturnal mammal related to the lemur (also the vi book cover), but it seemed like it had to done. The results are stunning..."
No need. If the image was originally published before 1923 then it's public domain, and can be used for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, without having to pay anything or credit anyone.
-- Help Digitise the Public Domain at DP.
For one, a laser capable of cutting metal generaly won't be used for etching, and a laser designed for etching won't be able to cut easily.
I know $20k seems like a lot of money for a machine to slashdotters, a $20k laser system won't be cutting, IIRC, laser cutters go around $200k and up. $20k is mid-to low end for laser etchers though. I considered financing a $10k etcher, but I didn't know how I could make it pay for itself, unlike the techies and investors in the '90s bubble, I wanted a good business model to justify spending money.
Love this line from TFA: The laser cutter uses Corel Draw, which is kinda cute.
Be a real patriot: Question authority. Think for yourself. Formulate your own conclusions.
its been done before http://www.etchamac.com/powerbook.php/ i saw these guys at the mac expo in boston in the summer, the finished product is amazing
I have a feeling they are okay with it, plus the burned image is derived from the original, not from O'Reilly. I'm not sure that you read the article at all.
--
Evan
"$30 for the One True Ring. $10 each additional ring!" -- JRR "Bob" Tolkien
No, because it is a hell of a lot more identifiable. The more unique something is, the harder it is to fence.
Owner: "I'd like to report my laptop stolen."
Cop: "I see. Does it have any unique markings to help us identify it?"
Owner: "Yes, it has a large image of tarsier permanently etched into the cover."
Cop: "Excellent!"
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
Laser etching for your mac. I saw this linked in another post and am now considering it.
The artwork was originally from a Dover book. Dover publishes books full of public domain art, along with their reprints of classic and out-of-print textbooks.
Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
Maybe yes, maybe no. Seems like it's up to the Apple technician who does the repair work. There is no blanket policy that third-party etching voids the warranty.
Yes, that's 100% correct. Of course the magazines use lithography, where a rubber-faced sheet of about 44" x 60" is fastened over a rotating drum (this is called a press blanket). The metal plate is inked and the blanketed drum rolls over it, transferring an inked negative of the plate to the blanket. The blanket then rolls against the paper that is being fed through the press so that negative on the blanket gets transferred to the paper as a positive.
Each color of ink is applied separately with a separate plate- cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and then usually a glossy coating. Sometimes special metallic colors are applied in subsequent press units. So, you would never put the whole lemur like they did on one plate unless it was a black-and-white printing. This was a very SMALL plate laser etcher as magazines are pretty small and do not run on standard presses, which are about 40-48" wide and print things such as cereal boxes, beer cases, and the like.
Just "gittin-r-done," day after day.
EtchaMac have been doing this for a while
http://www.etchamac.com/
.sigs are for losers
It is on the http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/unixnut4/index.html book cover as well.
Ryan - http://www.thecosmotron.com/
As someone who also loves symetry in design and layout I must let you know that not everyone is like you and myself. Wanting everything symetrical is actually a personality trait and is not shared by everyone..some people like non symetry...even in layout..lookup active layout vs. passive layout for web pages and you will see that if you have two images side by side, it is better to drop the right pic down a little so it encourages the user's eyes to travel down the page...you will find examples of this in advertising everywhere once you know what it is.
Good point - if he was using a CNC machine. This is an laser etching machine - not a milling machine. As for the movements, they are quite smooth, and would not be a problem for a laptop that has been powered off. If you wanted to be extra careful, take out the drive, duct tape up the vents, then do the etching. It's not like it has to run during the process!
I'd be worried about putting my laptop in there. For one thing, CNC machines are made to handle solid chunks of metal, not delicate electronics, so they tend to jerk things around a lot. I would be affraid of my HD crashing. Also, CNC machines tend to be filled with, and generate, lots of metal dust, which does not make electronics happy.
Not all CNC machines cut metal, or make chips and dust. Yes, CNC mills do, but this is actually a CNC Laser Engraver. They make no dust, and the laptop sits still. The Laser is mounted on a moving rail above the platform. If you've seen a flatbed pen plotter, this works in the same fashion. As the head moves across the rail, the laser zaps small dots (burn marks) onto the surface. After it has completed each pass, the rail moves down to the next row and the process is repeated.
It is cool and you'll likely find one in a local trophy shop. Bring your art along in a common format (usually TIF, EPS, DXF, AI... NOT JPG) and they'll import it and burn. I'm sure they will look at you funny and give you the old "we ain't never done no computer before" line.
Place nail here >+