Building an embossing system: Need a stylus heater or not?

[LHUPA]

Hello anyone!

So, I,m building an embossing machine (that would also cut if I use the right stylus!) and I want to know if I need a stylus heater to improve the quality of an embossed work as a regular cutter machine! The stylus used is a Staedtler compass point connected to an hard disk drive by the reading arm. Here, the signal arrives to the HDD's coil and by the way activates the reading arm that produces the groove! The signal is mono (It has only one coil) and the embossing (or cutting) work is lateral (from right to left) The projects advances and I'm close to make the first "cuts" and final adjustments to get the best results possible if it really works! That's a challenge to make a record cutter/embosser using an old inkjet printer and an HDD as cutting head! - The recording media is mainly polycarbonate disks as CD's, DVD's and clear two sided CD/DVD protective disks (used in blank CD/DVD towers). But it would be also possible te record on other media as cardboard or other plastics than polycarbonate if it even works! - If I need a stylus heater, which voltage I can apply to?, which current type I must use AC or DC?, how much filament turns I need?, which type of heater assembly I must make: a ceramic or other non conductive tube media with the filament turned on with the stylus passed through? The machine I build has a multiple voltage AC transformer with different voltages as 4,5 VAC, 12 VAC, 8 VAC, 16 VAC, 18 VAC and 24 VAC. Did I can use one of these voltages to feed the heater filament? I have already the heater filament purchased two years ago!

Thanks a lot! I count on your prompt news!

LHUPA

[Fatrecco]

Hi,

try it out. I don't remember if I see anyone who uses stylus-heat for embossing. I got the problem that my emboss needle is out of metal and the heat unglued my cutter head parts and the heating wire Lots of people are heating the whole disc with a light bulb or something else, I made it too. It's easyier but it creates the problem that the disc is only one-sided and partial heated. So it starts to wobble .

You have to know the resistance of your heating wire and the thermal enery (I mean power) you need. Then its Ohms law which determine the next steps. With a given voltage you have to think how many current you need. (Power[Watt] = Voltage[Volt] * Current[Ampere] ) (Resistance[Ohm] = Voltage[Volt] / Current[Ampere])


Fatrecco

[Jccc]

I use a heat lamp bulb from Home depot to heat my polycarbonate.

I mounted it on my Presto 6n

I usually have it on while the turntable is rotating to prevent the bulb concentrating on one piece of the plastic.

So far it seems to heat up the plastic pretty well.

[nikc]

hi there.
i tried stylus heating with embossing and it made no difference. also heard that heat going up my steel stylus can damage the cutter head. (if you use steel stylus). with the diamond the wires are wrapped around the stone. anyway used a hot lamp and it worked a treat.
best
nik