My Equipment

Behind the Beam: Our Equipment & Process

At Sailor Sawdust, we believe that the tools we use are just as important as the designs we create. To achieve the level of detail found in our brass coins and slate coasters, we don't just use standard engraving equipment—we use advanced fiber laser technology.

Here is a look at the machine that powers our shop and how it creates your custom pieces.

The Engine: 30W MOPA Fiber Laser

Our workshop is built around a 30W MOPA Fiber Laser by Omtech.

Unlike the common "diode" or "CO2" lasers you might see hobbyists use (which are great for wood but struggle with metal), a fiber laser is an industrial-grade tool designed specifically for metals and hard stones. It generates a laser beam using an optical fiber doped with rare-earth elements, resulting in a beam that is incredibly fine—thinner than a human hair—and intensely powerful.The "MOPA" Difference

You might be wondering, "What is a MOPA and why does it matter?"

MOPA stands for Master Oscillator Power Amplifier.

 

Most standard fiber lasers operate like a light switch: they are either fully ON or fully OFF, with a fixed "pulse" duration. It’s like trying to paint a picture using only a thick marker.

Our MOPA laser is different. It allows us to control the Pulse Width (how long the laser stays "on" for each tiny dot) and the Frequency independently.

Think of it like this: If a standard laser is a hammer, the MOPA is a full set of sculpting chisels. We can hit the material hard to dig deep, or we can use incredibly fast, light touches to "polish" the surface.

What This Means for Your Product

This technology isn't just about specs; it directly changes the look and feel of the item you hold in your hand.

1. Brass Challenge Coins

Brass is a reflective and conductive metal that can be difficult to engrave cleanly. Standard lasers often leave rough, burred edges or a "scratched" look.

  • The MOPA Advantage: By tuning our pulse width, we can essentially "melt" and smooth the bottom of the engraving as we go. This gives our brass coins a clean, stamp-like quality with genuine depth, rather than a surface-level scratch.

2. Slate Coasters

Slate is a natural stone that varies in density. If you hit it too hard, it chips; too soft, and the image is dull.

  • The MOPA Advantage: We can dial in the frequency to interact perfectly with the grey stone, turning it a bright, high-contrast white without digging closer to the brittle center. This is how we achieve that "3D Illusion" look on our coasters—precise control over contrast.

![Insert a close-up photo comparing a raw coin vs. an engraved coin]

How It Works: From Idea to Reality

Step 1: The Digital Canvas Every project starts in our design software. Whether it’s a custom logo or a complex 3D illusion, we map out the vector paths that the laser will follow.

 

Step 2: The Setup We place the raw material (brass blank or slate tile) onto the laser bed. We use red-light framing to ensure the design is perfectly centered to the millimeter.

 

Step 3: The Engraving This is where the magic happens. The laser beam is directed by high-speed galvanometer mirrors (which move faster than the eye can see).

  • For Brass: We often run a "cleaning" pass to remove oxidation, followed by a deep engraving pass (removing material), and finally a "polishing" pass to smooth the background.

  • For Slate: We run a single, high-speed pass that instantly vaporizes the top layer of the stone to reveal the light grey interior.

 

Step 4: The Finish Once the laser stops, the work isn't done. For our brass items, we often apply a brass ager or perform a manual polish to make the engraved areas pop against the shiny metal.

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The Creative Cutter: 50W Polar CO2 Laser

While our Fiber laser handles the heavy lifting with metals and stone, our Omtech 50W Polar allows us to work with softer, organic materials with incredible precision.

This machine is the versatile "artist" of our workshop. It uses a glass laser tube filled with Carbon Dioxide gas to generate a beam that is perfect for cutting and engraving non-metallic items.

 

The "CO2" Difference

If the Fiber laser is about surface impact, the CO2 laser is about versatility and depth.

Fiber lasers pass right through materials like clear acrylic or wood without leaving a mark. The CO2 laser operates on a different light wavelength (10,640 nm) that is absorbed perfectly by these materials. This allows us to not just engrave the surface, but to cut all the way through with surgical precision.

What This Means for Your Product

The Polar allows Drifter Designs to expand beyond metal, offering a wider range of custom goods and premium packaging.

1. Crystal Clear Acrylic When we cut acrylic (plexiglass) with the Polar, the heat of the laser instantly melts the edge as it cuts.

  • The Result: A "flame-polished" edge that is crystal clear and smooth to the touch, not rough or sawed. This is perfect for custom tokens, signage, or display stands.

 

2. Warm Wood & Leather For items like leather patches or wooden keepsake boxes (perfect for holding your brass coins), the CO2 laser burns the material to create a contrast.

  • The Result: A rich, dark brown engraving that feels natural and warm. We can achieve photo-realistic details on wood that look like a sepia-toned photograph.

3. Precision Jigs & Templates We also use this machine to support our metalwork. We cut custom "jigs" (holders) out of wood or acrylic to hold your brass coins in the exact perfect spot for the Fiber laser. This ensures that every single coin is centered to within a fraction of a millimeter.

![Insert close-up of a wood engraving or acrylic cut]

How It Works: The "Flying Optics"

Step 1: The Camera Setup The Polar features a built-in panoramic camera. We place the material inside, and the camera takes a snapshot of the workspace. We can then drag and drop your design directly onto the image of the material on our screen, ensuring the placement is 100% accurate.

 

Step 2: The Cut & Engrave Unlike the Fiber laser which moves mirrors, the CO2 laser moves the entire laser head over the material (known as a "gantry" system).

  • Vector Cutting: The laser traces the outline like a pen, slicing through the material.

  • Raster Engraving: The laser head moves back and forth rapidly (like an inkjet printer), firing the laser thousands of times per second to build up an image dot-by-dot.

 

Step 3: The Clean Up Because CO2 lasers burn material, we use a strong air-assist fan to blow smoke away from the cut instantly. This keeps the edges clean and prevents scorch marks on the final piece.