Engraving is one of the oldest and most effective ways for you to create permanent markings on various materials. Engraving spans across a wide range of industries. For example, it is used in the printing industry with engraved metal plates. The first evidence of engraving, called chiselled shell, dated back to approximately 400,000 to 500,000 years ago.
In this article, you will learn about engraving in great detail, from various engravitng techniques, how engraving works, to the printing process and much more.
What is Engraving?
Engraving was used as an art form across many prehistoric periods, using tools to create deep lines in metal surfaces, wood or stone. Engraving is the method of carving a design, creating text, or etching a pattern onto a hard and flat surface. You do this using a burin, and cut grooves into the surface.
Depending on the method used, engraving can produce deep cuts, shallow etchings, or even surface markings that alter the texture of the metal.
Modern uses of engraving involves professional jewelry engravers carving lettering on jewelry, pet owners marking initials on pet tags, or marking serial numbers, barcodes and part numbers for traceability.
What is the Laser Engraving Process?
Laser engraving is one of the modern, widely used methods in printmaking today. It uses a high-powered laser to vaporise the metal’s surface, creating permanent high-quality markings. The laser beam is generated by a laser engraver.
This type of engraving produces the same results as with etching, annealing, and ablation. Etching All these methods hold great precision, durability and accuracy, however lines produced by laser engraving have deeper, durable and highly contrasted marks of great quality.
This engraving is commonly used for materials like stainless steel, wood, glass, paper, plastics or ceramics or brass. Industries use this engraving to create decorated objects, and trace and identify products.
Additionally, its engraving is different from cutting, the former typically used to cut right through a metal plate, instead of removing portions of metal from a metal surface.
It is a 5 step process.
Designing
Here, you will use design softwares like Adobe Illustrator to make a digital representation of the desired media or printing image on your computer. Your graphics don’t have to be professional, they would just be a depiction of the exact image you have in mind as the artist.
You can draw it on a page first to refer to it later. Next, you will convert the design into a format that can be recognised by the engraving machine.
There are two commonly used formats, namely Vector and Raster-based, each suited to link with different design size, type and complexity. Vector based designs are more accurate because they allow the beam to follow precise points.
Material Preparation
The second step in the laser engraving process is choosing a material that is compatible with the engraving machine and matches your illustrations. Engraving machines work well on glass, plastics, stone or metal surfaces.
For example, CO2 laser makers are well-suited to organic metals.
Laser Configuration
Your engraving quality depends entirely on the machine’s correct setup. Your choice of settings factors into the composition of the metal and required engraving depth together with the necessary detail in the result. Proper adjustment of these parameters leads to accurate and neat outcomes.
You need to do these steps before performing an engraving operation:
Laser power functions as the mechanism to determine the beam’s force strength. Raising the power strength will create deeper engravings. Reducing the laser power level protects heat-sensitive metals during the cutting process.
The laser machine’s speed controls the movement velocity when interacting with metal surfaces. The process of engraving improves when you move the laser at a slow pace. Speeds that cut into the metal should be used for making shallow marks.
The rate at which laser pulses strike the material each second determines its value, which is named frequency. The frequency needs adjustment based on material type since softer materials need more power than more complex materials do to achieve satisfactory results.
Proper laser focusing on the material’s surface must be achieved for the best results. Correctly adjusting the focal point leads to precise and sharp engraving with clean, unblurred edges.
Engraving process
The engraving machine uses a tool called CAD model to direct the beam, which vaporises the printing plate, and is now replaced by the engraved pattern, similar to the one in your graphics.
You can change the engraving machine’s settings to produce a more precise result. In fact, modern machines can enable consistent and quality results because of automation.
There are two types of engraving machines. Benchtop engraving machines are used when tasks require stability and accuracy, whereas portable ones are used for in-person work and large, irregular parts.
Inspection
Check the quality of design, depth of mark and clarity. You can do the engraving process again for any changes.
Types of Engravings
You have already been introduced to the laser engraving process, this section will now explore some other types of engraving.
Hand Engraving
Hand engraving is a traditional technique used by artists who manually carve designs into the metal using handheld tools. This method is extremely time taking, so you need to have a lot of patience doing hand engraving.
Engravers use tools like burins, gravers, or chisels to carve into the surface. Then, the metal is plates are cleaned and polished before engraving. The engraver applies consistent pressure to make grooves, adjusting depth as needed.
Lastly, the workpiece area is sometimes oxidized or filled with ink to enhance visibility. This technique is used to engrave gold jewellery, add detailed artwork to firearms, and make luxury goods like titanium, silver or ivory watches.
Laser Engraving
As discussed earlier, this engraving is one of the most precise and efficient methods available. To implement this type of engraving efficiently, you must:
Choose the Right Machine: Different laser machines, such as CO2 or fiber lasers, work best for different materials. CO2 lasers are ideal for wood and acrylic, while fiber lasers are best for metals.
Adjust the Power Settings: Depending on the material, adjust speed, power, and frequency settings for optimal engraving depth and clarity.
Ensure Proper Ventilation: Laser engraving produces fumes, especially when working with acrylic and leather, so a proper ventilation system is essential.
Additionally, for some metals like brass or aluminum, a pre-applied coating helps achieve higher contrast in engravings.
CNC Engraving
CNC (Computer Numerical Control) engraving is an automated engraving technique that uses programmed machines to cut, carve or etch designs into metal plates.
CAD software is used to make the exact engraving layout you have in mind for the artwork. The workpiece is securely fit onto the machine’s bed.
The CNC machine follows the toolpath to etch the artwork into the metal plate. The finished engraving is then polished.
CNC engraving is ideal for mass production of plastics, woodworking or industrial applications.
Rotary Engraving
Rotatory engraving uses a rotating cutting tool to etch designs into the plastics. It phsycially cuts the metal or plastic, producing a deep engraving.
Different cutting tools (like diamond, carbide or steel) determine the depth of engraving. To prevent movement, you must clamp the metal/plastic during engraving, and tailor the settings to the required depth.
Diamond Drag Engraving
Diamond engraving is the same as rotatory, except a diamond-tipped, non-rotating cutter called a graver is used to make lines or marks into the plate. Its typically used for metal only.
Engravers with diamond tips are utilized to mark watches, jewelry, ID bracelets, pens, die-struck medals and charms and brass or aluminum metal plates. Diamond drag engraving technique produces enduring inscriptions which have made it the preferred approach to make upscale markings on products.
Choosing the Right Engraving Type for Your Needs
Each engraving type has unique advantages which make it most effective for particular applications. You should use laser engraving if you want precise results and fast operating speed.
Hand engraving provides the highest value when creating elaborate handmade items. Lastly, CNC and rotary engraving excel in industrial and mass production.
Understanding the differences and applications of these types helps you select the most effective engraving technique for your specific project, ensuring high-value and long-lasting results.