S.K. Grimes started marking our products with a SKG logo years ago. This process eventually expanded as we brought the equipment in-house. Since that time we have been expanding the uses of our laser. We still provide traditional shutter engraving with our original equipment, but our laser has given us the chance to customize and mark finished piece with the highest precision.
Laser Etching and Cutting
Our FiberMark Laser gives us the capacity to add our company logo and technical information to the parts we manufacture. A fiber laser is a newer laser technology compared to the Co2 lasers that have been around for decades. This laser works great at permanently marking anodized aluminum or cutting deep enough to make indented information on our aluminum and steel pieces before the finishhing process.
There are additional uses for the fiber laser that we have found. The fiber laser also has the right power levels to mark the delrin we create our lens caps with. The marking is permanent and comes out as flat grey on a glossy black surface. Also, the fiber laser works well at cutting through cardboard and paperboard. We can create detail decals and shaped cardboard cut outs. The magnetic sheets that are featured in on steel negative carriers are cut out on our laser, ensuring a perfect edge and exact sizing.
All Copal 1 scales are now made with our laser etcher. The laser provides more noticeable markings and allows for deeper customization.
Pricing for Laser Projects
Laser projects are based on our quoting system.
Shutter Engraving
When a shutter is replaced with an exact same version the iris scales can be simply transferred from the old shutter to the new one. But in the case of lens remounts and lens transfers from Synchro Compur and Nikon Copal variants a new iris scale is needed. The examples below are our aftermarket scales made for remounted lenses into modern Copal shutters. The engraver cuts a grove into the aluminum, while the laser strips the anodized layer off the scale.
Engraving of older shutters is what our engraver was design to do. For older shutters we create new iris bands to provide a fresh engraving surface. Our custom modified engraving bench gives us the capability to make those one off scales needed for each unique lens remount. Our laser etcher gives us better capability to make scales for modern Copal shutters thanks to the shutter’s reliable standards.
