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Amazing laser engraving machine wows Japanese Internet, shows how far science has come

Katy Kelly Apr 1, 2019
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Watch as this laser turns a flat metal surface into a gorgeous, ornate pattern in seconds.

We’re surrounded by engraved items everywhere in our daily life, but have you ever wondered how those engravings get put onto the metal in question? Back in the old days it was done by hand, but technology has sped things up… and sped them up further, and then further again!

Now it takes only seconds to etch a beautiful design into a sheet of metal. Twitter was abuzz recently about a video of a laser engraving machine that covers a metal disc with symmetrical borders, angles and whorls in no time at all, leaving a gorgeously decorated item in its wake.

▼ “Engraving via laser. We’re at the stage where magic like this is commonplace. If someone from the past were to see this, it’d shock the living daylights out of them!”

https://twitter.com/busujiujitsu/status/1110759818749337600

The video is just ten seconds long, and in it you can see balls of light travel around the disc, leaving imprints of the pattern behind. The CO2 laser beam engraves the pattern by heating a very small designated area to an intensely high heat, which essentially eliminates the top layers of metal and leaves a visible groove.

As you might imagine from the original poster’s tweet, many of the replies gave in to the obvious joke of “heck, I’m from the modern era and I’m shocked!” with a couple of “guess I’m from the past” comments thrown in for variety. One though, brought up how much the process looked like a screen from a nostalgic game console:

▼ “This here is a PS2.”

https://twitter.com/wakatorimedal/status/1110820591437668352

▼ “Takes me right back to those days….”

懐かしい… pic.twitter.com/iRY4ZNWkjq

— シュヴァンツ・フォッツェ (@Wehrmacht_DE) March 27, 2019

Multiple people also pointed out how modern science and magic are virtually indistinguishable. If you can make a pretty design appear on solid metal with nothing but a series of flashing lights, isn’t that essentially magic?

Meanwhile, one user answered the question on everyone’s mind:

“Do you know what’s being engraved? It’s a grinder, something you use to crush marijuana into smaller granules. Anyone who’s studied in the States will surely recognize it, LOL.”

There’s a good reason the original poster might have ommitted that from the initial tweet, as Japan as a whole isn’t especially into drug culture or casual drug usage, much less tools to make smoking it easier. But this one looks so stunning, maybe you could keep it around the house anyway… for those rare occasions you might need to shred some fresh herbs for cooking, or maybe mash up some crickets.

Source: Twitter/@busujiujitsu via Hamusoku
Featured image: Twitter/@busujiujitsu
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