Engraving steel ?’s

seanb

seanb

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I would like to do some engraving in steel

I see these desktop cnc routers for sale every ware.

Will they do steel? I’m not looking to start an engraving business

What’s the minimum cost to get into this.

I have also looked at laser engraving but it seems much more expensive to buy one that can do steel
 
Rotary cutter engravers such as the machines made by Gorton and others can easily engrave steel, even alloy tool steels, all is required is appropriate copy type, of course, other modern processes can do the same tasks, but what fun would it be to simply type in the text and sit back, hands off any watch the machine do it? My machine is a Gorton 3-U, I have made steel stamps and all sorts of nameplates, plaques. and graduated dials; lots of fun and some challenges. Like machines may be had for a bit over 1K$.
 
Yes, the desktop 'routers' will engrave steel both with a conventional rotary cutter as well as drag engravers. I'm not up on costs - check in to Amazon if you're looking for minimal costs. As a side note, a lot of those inexpensive machines use electronics which will only work on a Windows machine (which they sometimes fail to mention).

The biggest difference between the inexpensive machines and the expensive machines is nice software packages for the expensive machines. The inexpensive machines are normally "you figure it out, and you find or buy whatever CNC and CAM software". Advertising aside, machine capabilities don't vary meaningfully, except work envelope.

GsT
 
Usually, this is done with ECM (electrochemical machining... i.e. etching). There are
bake-on coatings that can be exposed to UV through a mask, and 'developed' (actually
dissolved) followed by chemical etchants or electrolysis.
Ferric chloride will etch steel or copper, and the 'dry film photoresist' offerings on eBay are suitable
for this kind of work. One warning: droplets or fumes are rust-creating, don't get it near good tools.
 
GeneT45,

Is there a brand you would recommend. Or software you would reccomend

I see that some machines offer a 4th axis which I would like to get.

I would like to get one with less “You figure it out support”
 
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