Engraving is an operation craft with thousands of years of history, Its earliest appearance can be traced back to the ancient Roman period. Although the content of the carving at that time was all text, and the material used for carving is also relatively single, but for the development of the carving process has laid an important foundation. Until today, engraving technology has gone through several rounds of development, many different forms of engraving machines were invented. Many materials that could not be used for engraving before can be engraved with a variety of complex patterns. Today, let's talk about the more common varieties of engraving machines on the market!
1.Laser engraving machine
In the past, metal used to be considered one of the most difficult materials to engrave because some metals are really hard and engraving by hand is difficult. However, laser engraving technology can engrave most of the current metal materials. Just to give you a few simple examples, common metals such as brass, bronze, stainless steel and medical grade alloys are all possible.
Laser engraving machine has the following advantages. The first is that the accuracy of laser engraving is very high, it is not an exaggeration to say that laser engraving can be almost one-to-one restoration. The second is that the laser engraving process does not use harsh chemicals, so it is actually very friendly to the environment, and can be said to be truly non-polluting. And then there's the fact that laser engraving is perfect for engraving metals that need to be exposed to extreme environments. So that's why laser engraving can be utilized on metals like medical grade alloys.
Of course, the laser engraving machine also has its own disadvantages. That is, to buy a complete set of laser engraving machine, the capital cost to invest is still quite high. Another is that the color of the pattern that can be engraved by the laser engraving machine is determined by the color of the metal itself.
2. Pneumatic engraving machine
Pneumatic engraving machine is a kind of machine that uses compressed air as the power of engraving, which can be used to engrave or cut metal. It can be said that pneumatic engraving machine is the traditional manual push engraving tool replacement, can well improve the efficiency of engraving. At the same time, users are able to feel the fun of manual engraving in the process of engraving. Generally speaking, professional pneumatic engraving machine will be equipped with a professional pressure gauge, you can judge what the current power of the engraving machine is and adjust it according to the value on the gauge. Since pneumatic engraving machines are very portable, many engraving experts use pneumatic engraving machines as the ideal choice of engraving tools.
The advantage of pneumatic engraving machine is that if you are a hand engraving enthusiast, you can use the machine to improve the efficiency of work at the same time can enjoy the fun of hand engraving. Moreover, the price of most of the engraving machines sold on the market is more friendly to the novice engraver, not too expensive, like Lakimi's pneumatic engraving machine prices and prices are relatively good.
Pneumatic engraving machines may not be suitable for engraving some metals that are too soft in texture, as the engraver must always keep the force exerted by the engraving handle on the metal even, or there is a great risk of burrs.
3. CNC Metal Engraving Machine
CNC technology engraving machines have another alias called CNC engraving machines. What CNC actually stands for is Computer Numerical Control. CNC technology engraving machines can be used not only for engraving, but also for cutting materials such as foam, glass as well as steel.
As mentioned above, CNC engraving machines can be used to engrave many types of engraving materials. In addition, CNC metal engraving is controlled by a computer, so the actual productivity of CNC metal engraving is quite high. So it is perfect for high volume production.
Likewise, CNC engraving has its own drawbacks. First of all, CNC engraving in the actual operation of the process is to require a certain degree of CNC expertise, so zero experience in the newbie is very difficult to get started directly to operate. Another is that the speed of CNC engraving still needs to be improved, if you want to get the finished product in a short time, then CNC engraving is not a very ideal choice.
4. Manual Stamping Machine
A manual stamping machine is a great machine for novices to operate. A manual stamping machine is, as the name suggests, a machine that is operated manually. Manual engraving machines are ideal for small businesses or stores that want to engrave small metal parts on their own. It also takes up less space, making it a more affordable option.
Manual stamping machines do not require the use of power sources such as electricity, or compressed air. As mentioned above, manual stamping machines are small in size, so their actual transportation costs are low, making them ideal for personal metal engraving, or for small stores.
But the disadvantages of manual stamping machine is also very obvious, that is, its engraving accuracy is still lacking, not as good as laser engraving can do one to one reduction. Manual stamping machine engraving out the accuracy of the work is completely need the operator to control. And manual stamping machine can deal with just some small parts, dealing with some larger parts or more laborious.
Article Summary
This article introduces four more common types of engraving machines, namely laser engraving machine, pneumatic engraving machine, CNC metal engraving machine and manual stamping machine. And the advantages and disadvantages of each type of machine are introduced in each panel, you can choose accordingly according to your own needs.