Nameplate engraving

[henderrj]

I'm considering engraving nameplates in the future, and im trying to do research on what equipment will get the job done (with decent/good quality, as cheaply as possible). A $10,000 engraving machine is way over budget.

I'm looking into laser engravers, but most wont engrave stainless. The ones that will don't specify how deep they will engrave (.004" is the minimum required for VIII, Div. 1)

Do any of you have any experience with laser engraving (what size laser will get the .004" thickness requirement), or have any ideas about a better way to do it?

 

[btrueblood]

So-called laser engravers do not actually displace or remove material on metals (like a mechanical engraver does), but instead create a relatively permananent mark on the material via a chemical reaction (either removing an anodizing dye as in aluminum with CO2 lasers, or by creating a dark oxidized or carburized surface layer as in various alloys using YAG/fiber lasers). I don't know if either method is allowable per the code.

 

[EdStainless]

look into 'dot pin' or 'dot peen' markers.
We use ones from MECCO and Telesis.

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P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube

 

[henderrj]

I know the cheap ones work like that, but i saw some crazy expensive ones that do "laser machining". They must use very different lasers, or take a lot of passes. I have no experience with those at all.

I've seen nameplates engraved, very shallow, and it looks like it was done with a laser. Maybe im wrong. Maybe its engraved with black paint in the groove. Regardless, you can barely tell the height difference when you drag your thumbnail accross it. I would guess that its too shallow, but theres no great way of measuring that (maybe a UT depth gage would work?).

Diamond drag does a great job, but the manufacturer said it only reaches .003" per pass. Two passes would get the depth, but then the life of the tip would be cut in half.

I have seen a lot of nameplates painted (in the grooves of required information and for non-required information, like the company logo). Is there an attachment for engraving cnc machines that would do that, or would it be a separate machine?

I'll look up the dot pin/peen, i haven't heard of that before.

Thanks for the tips!

 

[Compositepro]

What is wrong with the old standard pantograph engravers with the rotary carbide tips?

http://www.able-engravers.com/manual-machines.htm

 

[EdStainless]

The pin machines are basically dot matrix heads with tool steel pins. They are directly computer driven and you can make all kinds of features/fonts/symbols with them.
The problem with laser is that you can use it to just alter the surface finish, or cut clear through. Controlling partial penetrations is very difficult and not very reliable.

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P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube