Has anyone here used their Snapmaker J1 to first 3D print a part and then immediately laser engrave it in the same setup? I found this article https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/2024/08/which-is-better-3d-printing-or-cnc-machining.html comparing 3D printing and CNC machining, and it got me thinking about combining print + engrave in one workflow. I’ve also read Arduino forum threads where users print sensor housings and then retrofit them with engravings, and seen Raspberry Pi projects logging machine states during print/engrave cycles, I’m curious to know how folks handle alignment, material tolerance, and cleanup when switching modes on the J1.
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I’m not so sure laser engraving plays nice with 3DP polymers. You can scarcely drill some plastics because they immediately heat up and start melting at most machining speeds, so it’s not obvious to me they’d respond well to laser CNC.
I’d also be worried about VOCs if trying to burn plastic.
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An IR laser can engrave a picture onto some prints. Looks a lot like when you engrave slate.
The outcome often depends on your colour of print (pigment colour), though.
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