Despite Brexit, the British Government says it will indefinitely recognise the EU’s product conformity assessment mark, ‘Conformité Européenne’ or ‘CE’ mark Factoid on parts, service, and advice and should ensure that the equipment has been either CE or BSI marked.” Casting an eye to what is available from CSI Manufacturing, Stafford highlights the new Epilog Fusion G100 fibre-based galvo laser system, provided by manufacturing partner Epilog. The machine has been designed for highspeed direct marking of metals and industrial plastics. “Over the past year, we saw a return to more rotary engraving technology rather than laser, especially on wide-format CNC equipment,” Stafford explains, adding: “This was down to a combination of economics versus capability.” Stafford goes a step further in terms of advice and guidance for sign-makers working within this area, picking out some of the work that may be more in demand and offer an increased number of opportunities. He says CSI Manufacturing has noted higher demand for cradle to grave part marking, barcodes, and QR code labels, saying that lasers are ideal for cutting acrylic lettering and part fabrication. “Quality engraving equipment whether laser or traditional rotary is still only the ‘tool’ to do the job and only half the process,” Stafford says, continuing: “The quality of the finished product will depend on choosing the correct materials for the equipment and for the application, a factor sadly ignored too often.” On the Tools Aside from machinery, sign-makers also need to consider the tools they need for etching and engraving work. Nottinghambased LKH Tools supplies a wide range of engraving tools from Crown Norge, which tooling and machine consultant, Liam Hodson, says offer the same quality as the CNC routing tools the business also offers. “The different angles, geometries, and coatings on these engraving tools have been tried and tested over many years on many different machine types,” Hodson says, adding: “Half round grindings offer a stronger tool tip, whereas the quarter round tools offer better clearance of debris. “In addition to this, the coating on the engraving tools increases the tool longevity and reduces heat. These engraving tools can be used in a variety of materials including stainless steel, brass, aluminium, plastics, acrylics, woods, plywood, and MDF.” When it comes to looking at which tool is appropriate to use on the material and design, Hodson advises that consideration should be taken into how the final engraving will be viewed. For example, he says edge lit signs will typically be engraved much deeper than traditional engraving. These would be normally engraved from the back with the image mirrored so that it is viewed from the non-engraved side. “Engraving tools are normally used for up to 1-2mm maximum depth, which may not give enough surface area for the light to reflect from,” he says, adding: “The range of V-Tools, which are also available, can cut to a much deeper depth and would give the desired effect when viewed with a light source.” For the more traditional approach to engraved plaques or signs, where the engraving is going to be filled with a substance such as paint, Hodson says that the depth will need to be sufficient to hold the paint. Engraving tools are at set angles – 15, 30, and 45 degrees – and the spacing between the text or design, along with how deep sign-makers need to engrave, are factors Hodson says need to be considered when choosing the correct tool type. “Typically, when engraving small text deep into material, the recommendation would be for the tighter angled tools such as the 15-degree or 30-degree versions,” he says. Going further, Hodson says engraving tools are also available in different tip sizes, and sign-makers should pay attention to this when selecting their tools. For fine detail, Hodson says a pointed tipped tool will give the best option, but care must be taken with the plunge speed or entry speed, to avoid the very tip of the tool being damaged. “The 0.2mm, 0.4mm, 1mm, and 2mm tip sizes are ideal for removing pockets of material or larger engraving detail and are more robust compared to the pointed engraving tools,” he says. “As with all tools, the best results are achieved when used on an accurate, strong, and rigid machine with good vacuum hold down. Vibration from the machine or material not held correctly, will cause tool failure and poor quality of cut. Machine accuracy is also crucial when looking to engrave fine detail or small text as any unwanted machine vibration or slop will be highlighted in the finished engraving. Larger machines may struggle to produce the detail of smaller, more compact machines for example.” To sum up, attention to detail is critical when talking about etching and engraving. Ensuring you have the right machinery and tools in place will make life much easier with this sort of work and help cut out unnecessary, and often easily avoidable, errors. ▼ Available from LKH Tools, V-Tools can cut to a deeper depth 61 Issue 251 - February / March 2024 email: news@signlink.co.uk A ceramic laser engraver can engrave at speeds of 4.3m/s 4.3 ETCHING AND ENGRAVING
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