Epilog Zing, your personal laser engraver

Do you have $8000 to blow? Have you been dying to open a laser tattoo parlor? Well guess what? It's your lucky day. The folks at Epilog would like you to meet the Zing, a $7,995 laser etcher / printer that can not only scar you for life, but can also leave a personalized stamp of your choosing on anything that you can fit into it. If you've seen engraved iPods, Zunes, or MacBooks, you get the idea of what this device can do. The Zing is made to tackle almost any material, be it wood, plastic, leather, glass, or various metals (of course), though we're fairly certain the company doesn't condone or recommend taking this baby to your precious, supple skin. Check out a video of it doing what it does best on an iPhone after the break.

[Via Gearlog]

[SirPasta117 @ Jul 12th 2008 12:32PM]

Finally Ive been wanting a personal laser etcher for a very long time! When can you preorder?

[Ryan @ Jul 12th 2008 1:03PM]

If you want one right now, check out Versalaser (been around for a number of years now, same price point as Zing). www.versa-laser.com

[OneLove @ Jul 12th 2008 2:54PM]

cameraman! zoom da fuck in!

[TheGeektoriousBIG @ Jul 12th 2008 12:40PM]

In today's US economy. A bear market. I always have time to set aside time and engrave all my family memories. What's $8000 when gas will cost me $11000 annually.

***************PLEASE ENTER ENGRAVING*******************

>Bend Over<

[Josh L @ Jul 12th 2008 12:49PM]

Then don't buy one.

What's your point exactly? You don't have enough money to afford one of these so... Nobody does? Or should?

Or are you just bitching in general?

[TheGeektoriousBIG @ Jul 12th 2008 1:31PM]

It's simple for you too. Find some other use for your energy besides wasting it on reading my comments. If I want to bitch about $8000...let me. Whats it to you? Find someone else to use your quick little quips on.

[scott @ Jul 12th 2008 1:33PM]

you bitch too much.

[TheGeektoriousBIG @ Jul 12th 2008 1:37PM]

Bitching has nothing to do with it. If any of my opinions is now considered bitching to you or anyone else. That's not my problem....it's yours? Now let me get back to bitching about the laser doo-hicky.

[THJ @ Jul 12th 2008 2:51PM]

QQ moar n00b.

[Shellac Fanatic @ Jul 14th 2008 3:50PM]

Kill your car! Ride your bike or walk instead!

[John @ Jul 12th 2008 3:52PM]

You buy 2000 gallons of gas, annually?

[barry99705 @ Jul 12th 2008 8:16PM]

Who pissed in your Wheaties this morning? No, this isn't for the average Joe on the street, or even the average Engadget reader. A friend of mine has one of these things bigger brothers in their shop. They use it on a daily basis and it paid for itself in just over a year. That was the $40,000 dollar model.

[Bondage King @ Jul 12th 2008 9:50PM]

TheGeektoriousBIG you realize all your comments are Low Ranked

[XGM @ Jul 12th 2008 10:35PM]

lol if you cant afford that, get a real job. Being a troll here doesn't pay much at all, so id start looking for a new one if I were you.

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Jul 13th 2008 12:24AM]

@TheGeektoriousBIG

Turn off your computer, your wasting ENERGY posting on engadget.

[lens42 @ Jul 16th 2008 2:12AM]

Join the Techshop and you can use one of these (and a lot of other cool expensive tools) without paying $8k. Membership to the shop is $30/day or $100/month. Currently in the Bay Area, but expanding to other locations. I used an Eplilog and also a big CNC plasma cutter there.

techshop.ws

[James Dumoulin @ Jul 13th 2008 8:23PM]

Nerd battles(Arguments on the Internet) is much like the special olympics; In the end everybody is a loser

[Akram @ Jul 12th 2008 12:40PM]

when I took Arch Design in high school we had one of these bad boys, but they made a tremendous amount of noise, and smell (when burning leather, and plastic, etc) i could put up a screen shot of my wallet if any1 interested

[TheGeektoriousBIG @ Jul 12th 2008 12:42PM]

Yeah I'll put up a screen shot of the hole this thing will burn in my wallet (pun intended) too if I bought this.

[acme @ Jul 12th 2008 12:54PM]

that would be a photograph...not a screenshot...ya'll need to get out more lol

[TheGeektoriousBIG @ Jul 12th 2008 1:34PM]

har har you know what. Screenshot, photograph, its' still an image you view with your eyes. What's wrong with the people on this site today? Don't take your "I didn't get an iPhone yesterday" tude out on me.

[ddub @ Jul 12th 2008 1:58PM]

@acme

Maybe he was planning on viewing the photo on his computer and then taking a screenshot of it.

[Charlie Taylor @ Jul 12th 2008 12:42PM]

They have a very similar machine at some Wolf Camera's around the country, it can burn/etch a greyscale image with surprising accuracy and definition.

[maty @ Jul 12th 2008 12:45PM]

Burns through most things - including burning a hole in your pocket!

[maty @ Jul 12th 2008 12:46PM]

Geif, beaten to the pun in the time it took me to read the engadget post and comment.

`-.-

[Macro @ Jul 12th 2008 12:56PM]

$8000? That's cheap I dunno why you guys are bitching.

[Macro @ Jul 12th 2008 1:00PM]

Finally I don't have to use a magnifying glass for all those pesky ants, just reprogram this with a camera and set to auto aim.

[laser dude @ Jul 12th 2008 1:27PM]

You have to keep in mind that this box will make you money! Just advertise your laser engraving services via the Internet and people from all over the world will mail your their stuff for you to engrave. You can make your investment back in just a few months, it's all gravy after that! Just vent the smell and smoke to the outside of your home and voilà, instant home based business.

[Jake @ Jul 13th 2008 1:34PM]

Step 1. Buy super laser engraver.
Step 2. ????
Step 3. Profit.

[James Dumoulin @ Jul 13th 2008 8:26PM]

I quote Tom Green: "Some times I wake up in the middle of the night screaming: Fouuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrr Chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!!!"

[0megapart!cle @ Jul 12th 2008 1:32PM]

The iphone sketch is stupid, barely visible. The wood engraving is ultra-cool.

If they can get that thing down to $200, sold!

[KarlW @ Jul 12th 2008 1:43PM]

A 95% price drop? You'll be waiting for some time.

$8000 isn't that bad. It's expensive if you don't need one, but I would have guessed these kind of things at much more than that.

[Wwhat @ Jul 13th 2008 9:24AM]

Seems to me you'd get all kinds of mayhem and disasters if the common man has access to a high-powered laser.

[mememe @ Jul 12th 2008 1:37PM]

No Meester Bond I am not going to kill you, I am going to tatoo ZUNE on your forehead Bwahahaha!

[Safy @ Jul 12th 2008 2:23PM]

Will it engrave "Myth Busters" on a TNT Stick ?

[Rick @ Jul 12th 2008 3:07PM]

If that had been an iPhone 3G yesterday they might as well have laser-etched both sides.

[Omar @ Jul 12th 2008 3:19PM]

People don't be stupid this is an investment. Buy it for 8k then provide people a service of engraving which is more than 2 lines of text that apple offers, and within a year or so it would pay for itself maybe less if you really are good at it and do some kick ass designs.

[Tom Boucher @ Jul 12th 2008 3:27PM]

while very cool that the pricing is coming down you'd still need to use it as a source of income to justify that for one or two engravings for fun.

[Tim @ Jul 12th 2008 3:32PM]

Nah Nah Naii

N-dubz N-dubz N-dubz

Thats exactly what I would put on my iPhone, I would engrave everything though, iPods, iPhones, My website, my mum, My headphones, my rubber duck, t-shirts xD.

[J @ Jul 12th 2008 7:08PM]

This is nuts. You can get a decent desktop laser that does 12x12 for under $4000. If you want cheapie made in China ones, they go for as little as $2500... but I wouldn't do it.

[Guy @ Jul 13th 2008 2:44AM]

Why does that one have 35Watt on it while the Zing on their web site states it is a 25Watt laser?

[Wwhat @ Jul 13th 2008 9:32AM]

Quote:
* Wattages: 25 and 35 watts
* Work area: 16" x 12" (406 x 304 mm)

Source: http://www.epiloglaser.com/zing_laser.htm

Mind you that $8k model is probably 25W and you;ll pay a premium to goto 35W

[Jon Acheson @ Jul 14th 2008 10:08AM]

One thing to note for those who want to run out and get one: they put out nasty fumes when operating. So add another grand or so for an activated charcoal air filter system.

They are pretty easy to work with, though figuring out how much power to use to make a cut of a given depth is a matter of trial and error. Hint: use low power, clamp the target down, and use multiple passes for deep engraving.

[CyberSlink @ Aug 6th 2008 2:22PM]

This is to cool. I know someone with a Epilog Mini and he loves the thing. It can do sooo much stuff. Also, someone mentioned the Versa-Laser as a substitute but if you ask my friend, there is no substitute for his Epilog. He says that the Epilog can do more at a better price and i am told that the Epilog includes all drivers and upgrades at no charge, unlike the Versa. Very cool machine!