Engrave any shape, any surface.

Why do people use rotary devices for laser engraving?

For lasers to make a clear engraving on a part, the laser needs to be in focus. You set your focus height before the marking begins, either using a focus tool or, for Lotus Meta laser engravers, you enter the height of your part and the z-axis automatically focuses at the right height for you.

If a product is curved, as the material curves away from the lens, the focal height will change, and so the laser can’t mark clearly. For most laser systems, the product has to move/rotate in order to keep the part you’re engraving at the right distance from the laser.

We illustrate with a cylindrical glass that, for the most part, a rotary device is a fine solution to this problem.

However, when holding up a curved glass, it becomes clear that a rotary is not a viable solution for most products.

This is because as the ends of the glass curve away from the lens, the laser will once again go out of focus. The rotary is only able to turn on one axis, and so can’t do anything to correct the focal height issue is the part is a strange or curved shape.

We then highlight the bowl as a particular example of this – owing to it having an incredibly steep curve from the base to the outer rim, it would be impossible for a rotary to engrave anything but a small line around the middle, as most lasers cannot change their focus to accommodate unusual parts.

Lotus Meta-C, however, absolutely can change focus as it engraves.

How can a Lotus Laser engraver mark across any surface, without needing a rotary?

The Meta-C has a 3D scanhead: a dynamic optic sits inside the scanhead itself and is able to adjust the focal height of the laser at incredible speed.

Using LotusMark software, you can either create or import 3D files in the shape of your product. You can then take your artwork – some text, a logo, anything – and wrap the artwork to the 3D shape.

With this information, the laser knows exactly how to adjust the focal height inside the laser to engrave perfectly on the surface of the product, regardless of its shape.

It’s this true 3D engraving that made etching the glass bowl possible, since it didn’t matter that the height of the part changed; the scanhead can change focus to fix that.

Why combine a rotary and a Lotus 3D marking laser?

For some customers, a combination of the two actually works best. But, it’s important to note that the rotary is not needed for the engraving: the entire artwork is done without the rotary needing to move at all.

But, after engraving the first logo, the rotary turns 90 degrees, showing a new part of the product to engrave. The laser then resumes engraving, and this process can continue to make a full 360 engraving around a product.

This combination automates engraving on curved objects: the logos themselves are etched purely using the scanhead, but the rotary allows indexing around the product so that multiple artworks can be added.

This entire process happens inside the Meta-C unit, protected by Class 2 vision panels and safety interlocks.

Why is Lotus 3D technology the best solution for engraving curved parts?

Because Lotus 3D engraving can mark across any surface, even if it’s uneven or not perfectly cylindrical or round, a Lotus Laser engraver can mark so many more parts and products with ease.

It also massively reduces the difficulty of setting up a rotary and having to split artwork to prepare the engraving – once your file is set, you can simply place a product into a jig and it will engrave perfectly, and quickly.

Not only that, but our larger format solutions also have 3D technology as standard, and so any product on the work area can be marked in 3D. For a Meta-XY, this means you can engrave in true 3D anywhere across a 700mm x 500mm work area, and for a Meta-XY XXL this goes up to a huge 1500mm x 600mm work area.

Any part you want marked in 3D can be simply placed on the worktable and marked automatically.