Has anyone attempted to mill (I suppose engrave) a QR code into aluminum with either the Shapeoko 4 or Shapeoko Pro? Obviously the size of the QR code is a factor, below a certain perimeter size of the QR code the interior features would be too small for any bit to realize.
If anyone has done this can you provide some photos of the final product? If no one has done this in aluminum other material examples are fine too!
Thank you!
This is one example, sort of?
Depending on the size of the QR code you could either use a McEtcher with an engrave toolpath, or just drill a number of holes and paint them, then sand away the paint on the top surface. As long as there is enough contrast, the QR code should work. One can distort QR code pattern quite a lot before they become unreadable.
That’s not a bad example, thanks!
Anyone else have exmaples?
Generated a QR code from an online site, converted to SVG, Ran it through Vectric’s Vcarve Pro, scaled it down to 3/4" square.
So YOU’RE Rick Roll!! How 'bout an autograph? 
I’ve done quite a few wifi password ones… (so no, not sharing pictures)
Trick I found is to use 2 endmills, one to do the pockets, but then a very small ones to do an inside contour to get a bit sharper corners.
And as Julien said, I then use black paint + sanding the excess to make it stand out.
Other option is to glue 1/8" of a white wood on a walnut “substrate” and cut slightly deeper than 1/8th
I made one out of 1/8" brass filled with black epoxy for our convention stand. Brushed finish with scotch brite to prevent excessive reflection. (edit: it’s about 5"x7")
I made this as an experiment (back in 2017) to see if the color difference in Maple to Black Walnut would work as a QR Code…it did work…but a PITA to make…so many little tiny pieces…still a fun project.
The tiny pieces:
looks great. highly respect the link choice the code leads to.
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