When
computerized engraving first came on the scene, it dramatically changed
the way engravers did their work. By parking their pantographs (or at least
reserving them for specialized jobs like jewelry and roundwork) and revving
up their computers, production was much, much faster, the quality was much,
much better and the capabilities continued to evolve over more than two
decades. (Some of you may remember how complicated it used to be to engrave
a simple logo!) Today, new trends are developing in the industry and new
features and systems are being designed to meet those trends. Lets
take a look at whats happening in the world of computerized engraving. Can Lasers & Mechanical Engravers Cohabit? The advent of laser engraving machines and their continued popularity has certainly affected the mechanical engraving end of the industry, albeit in different ways. Industry experts agree that the rise of laser engraving technology, and the subsequent rise in the number of laser machines retailers are purchasing is not necessarily a bad thing for the computerized engraving machine market. Many shops are now using both rotary and laser engraving machines, says Diane Clancy, Gravograph-New Hermes, Duluth, GA. While there are applications that can be both laser or rotary engraved, it really depends on the type of mark the customer needs, she adds. Chris Parent, president of Signature Engraving Systems, Holyoke, MA, also believes that rotary engravers and laser engravers both have their place. Laser engraving machines have helped increase our sales because they have brought about the realization that computerized engravers are needed for one-up jobs. There is no question that laser engravers burn wood greatbut you have to consider the negative environmental impact, he says. You sacrifice some quality with laser engravers, but the high-speed aspect for large runs is the tradeoff. Computerized engraving machines excel, on the other hand, on single-piece jobs. Jimmy DuBose, Xenetech Global, Baton Rouge, LA, also agrees that rotary engraving equipment and lasers can coexist in the same industry. Laser engraving machines have been strong in the trophy and award sales market, but were also seeing increased, renewed interest in mechanical equipment. The improved vector speeds with rotary systems have driven more sales. The industrial and identification markets have remained very interested in rotary engraving machines. The State of Computerized Engraving Today Several engraving machine manufacturers report that sales of computerized rotary engraving machines are definitely on an upswing, in some cases, significantly so. Sales are definitely up, says Chris Parent. Store owners realize that economic conditions are tenuous. If their business shows a downward trend, they need to expand their business to include personalization and giftware. This renewed interest in mechanical engraving can be attributed, at least in part, to several new trends in the industry and manufacturers responses to those trends. Heres a look at some of the biggest trends in the industry, along with some specific machines and machine features designed to meet those trends. |
One
area of the industry that appears to be booming, and growing at a fast rate,
is jewelry and gift engraving. This has caused manufacturers to take note
and introduce new tools for retailers to produce this type of work faster
and easier than they ever have before. Jobs that, not too long ago, used
to be relegated to manual pantographs are now being accomplished better
and faster with computerized systems. Manufacturers are now offering complete
machines dedicated to jewelry engraving; small units that can be transported
to fairs, shows, mall kiosks, etc.; more accessories to hold odd-shaped
engravable items; inside ring engraving attachments; and, overall, easier-to-use,
more versatile systems. Jewelry and gift retailers are moving personalization in-house and are looking for the easiest machine with the most capabilities, says Chris Parent. Small, even large, jewelry, gift, trophy and award shops are seeing increased competition every day from discounters. Successful shops recognize the positive sales results to be achieved by the addition of personalization in their stores. Following is a look at some of the new machines available designed with the jewelry/gift trend in mind. |
Gravograph-New
Hermes: IM4 Gravograph-New Hermes offers the IM4, an affordable, easy-to-operate system designed to replace your manual pantograph. The IM4 is quiet and compact with a footprint of only 20" x 10.25", making it ideal for retail or even office settings. The system features a 4.72" x 3.15" engraving area and a self-centering vise to hold and engrave a variety of jewelry/gift items, such as watches, bracelets and ID badges. The complete system includes the engraving table, software, tools and accessories. |
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Gravograph-New
Hermes: IS200/IS 200 TX The IS200 from Gravograph-New Hermes is a modular machine de-signed for engraving small objects, signs and industrial parts. It features a self-centering vise with a 3" x 8.9" engraving area and a quiet spindle motor, and can be used with any HPGL-compatible software. The IS200 can be upgraded to the IS200 TX, a version which features a depth-adjustable vise capable of engraving both flat and cylindrical objects. With the optional cylindrical attachment, the IS200 TX can engrave 360 degrees around both small and large cylindrically shaped items. |
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Vision
Engraving Systems: New Ring Attachment Vision Engraving Systems, Phoenix, AZ, introduces a ring engraver attachment for its MAX Multi-Axis engraving system. This fixture allows you to engrave around the outer circumference as well as the inside of most rings. Capable of both diamond drag and rotary cutting, this system is ideal for any full-service engraving shop and, coupled with this new attachment, is well-suited for high-volume jewelry and gift manufacturers or distributors. With the MAX, you can engrave cylindrical items up to 10" in diameter as well as flat items using the interchangeable T-slot table. The system includes the Vision Software package and the Vision Serial Controller. |
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Venture
srl: BlackStone BlackStone, from Venture srl, Limena (PD), Italy, is the most compact, cost effective and versatile five-axis milling machine available today for the jewelry, educational, reverse engineering, rapid prototyping and mold making sectors of the industry. The system features a structure made of South African granite that guarantees thermal stability, high rigidity and vibration-free movement on all three linear axes as well as the two-axes tilting rotary table. The accuracy needed for achieving the quality necessary even on the most demanding jobs is supplied by Pulse DSP, the new brushless motion controller embedded in the cabinet. The servo motor controller dramatically increases feed rates while the 1.6 kW, 60,000 rpm ATC spindle performs at high speeds. |
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It is important that a customer can continue to use his machine if his existing controller is outdated and reached the end of its useful life, says Ted Cousins, Mastergrave, indicating a feature that many engravers offer that allows you to keep your existing table but update it with modern technology, even from a company other than the original manufacturer. In addition to having the latest and greatest technology, this feature will allow you to drive multiple tables from one controller. |
Xenetech
Global According to Jimmy DuBose, Xenetech has been retrofitting other manufacturers tables with our electronics from 1986 until the present day. In addition, and most important, weve given our existing customers an upgrade path to use the very latest technology. Xenetech customers who purchased a Xenetech engraver eight years ago can upgrade their electronics to our Viper technology and drive their system up to three times faster. This is a low-cost upgrade relative to replacing the entire machine all with a very high production benefit. According to Xenetech, Viper retrofit customers receive improved engraving performance and a reliable controller that allows interfacing with Xenetechs Graphic Workstation software. An Ethernet connection to the host computer is provided and the touchscreen on Xenetechs controller will interface with your table. |
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Mastergrave
Ltd.: Vismec
Mastergrave is able to offer its Vismec microstepping 32-bit controller for upgrading most makes of machines such as Gravograph-New Hermes, Dahlgren, etc. The Vismec controller can operate three or four axes and is fully interpolating with no axis switching required. The software provided with the controller is open architecture with many unique features such as seamless scanning, auto vectorizing, digitizing, set reference and over 900 fonts. Freehand is the latest software function that allows your customer to use an electronic pen to write their own message or draw a picture, which can then immediately be engraved onto any item the machine can hold. |
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Quality
One Engravers We at Quality One Engravers, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, utilize our controller, pendant and software to retrofit existing engravers, explains Fred Schwartz. All engravers are basically leadscrews, limit switches and a spindle motor. We have made our controller easily configurable to virtually any configuration. We also know the original equipment, making it easier to upgrade. |
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Today, some engraving shops are looking for one simple solution: A system that is easy to use and accomplishes the job at hand. First-time engravers as well as veteran engravers may want to add another system, but dont want a complicated system that results in a lot of employee training time. Many manufacturers have at least one machine that fits this bill in their line. Here is a look at a few. |
Xenetech
Global Xenetechs new touchscreen is menu-driven and easy to navigate. This feature allows you to control several aspects of your engraving job, including: jog and set your home position without interfacing with the computer; save fixture offsets and initiate the offsets at the table; pause and move by character, line or plate increments; recall jobs from the hard drive; built-in diagnostics and more. |
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Were seeing more and more demand for cylindrical glass engraving, says Ted Cousins, Mastergrave. In keeping with the trend towards jewelry and giftware engraving capabilities, manufacturers report an increased desire among customers to engrave roundwork (vases, mugs, bowls, etc.) and glass items (wine glasses, wine bottles, mugs, etc.). Many manufacturers are incorporating roundwork/glass engraving capabilities into their systems or are creating units designed specifically for this purpose. |
Xenetech
Global: Cylindrical Attachment According to Xenetech, the same cylindrical attachment can be used for both Xenetechs rotary and laser engraving systems. This attachment can hold and engrave items up to 6.75" in diameter. |
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Vision
Engraving Systems: Vision Cylindrical Engraver Vision Engraving Systems offers its Cylindrical Engraver as an affordable, easy-to-use glassware engraver. In addition to glasses and bottles, this compact unit can diamond drag text and artwork on ceramic mugs and cups, as well as beer steins and cups made of pewter, stainless steel or silver. The Vision Cylindrical Engraver is available as a stand-alone system or as an add-on to the Phoenix 1212 En-graver. |
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Gravograph-New
Hermes: IS400G Gravograph-New Hermes offers the IS400G computerized engraving machine, an economically priced marking system that is quiet, fast and easy to operate, making it ideal for a retail gift shop. The system features a red pointer beam for dry run engraving; quick and easy setup between flat and cylindrical engraving; a self-centering motorized vise for fast clamping; a red LED point-and-shoot function that automatically determines the size of the material and the engravable area; a self-contained coolant system for glass engraving; and automatic Z-reference adjustment. The system, combined with Gravograph-New Hermes GravoStyle Gift software, is ideally suited for engraving gift items such as glassware, as well as flat and odd-shaped products, including plates, picture frames, corporate awards, jewelry boxes, compacts, cigarette lighters, pens and pencils and more. |
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It
sounds like a tall order: Engravers want more for less. But manufacturers
have listened to this desire and are responding. Customers want
to reduce operational costs and they want to expand their business. Because
of this, we are seeing a trend of people buying large tables to increase
their productivity, engraving a whole matrix of tags or badges, for example,
and using the large table to get into new markets like ADA signage,
explains Diane Clancy, Gravograph-New Hermes. Also relating to increasing
productivity and reducing operational costs, our customers are looking
to simplify their shop. One great way to do this is reduce training times
by using one software to run both their rotary machines and laser machines,
she continues. This open-architecture approach can be implemented throughout your business. You may prefer CADlinks EngraveLab software but Dahlgrens tables; or CorelDRAW and Xenetech tables; etc., etc. Many manufacturers have designed their systems to work with many different graphics and engraving programs. This can save money in terms of training time and the investment in the software itself, which can be pricey. Plus, you get to use the software and hardware that you want to. Its a win-win situation. |
Xenetech
Global: EngraveLab and SignLab Rotary Print Driver Xenetechs EngraveLab and SignLab Rotary Print Driver allows direct download to Xenetech systems from these software packages. Standard speed and position controls that Xenetech users are familiar with are still available with this driver. Multiple Pass and Pause based on character, line or plate increments are just a few of the Xenetech features still available when using these programs. CADlink Technology Corporation is the developer of EngraveLab and SignLab software. |
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Gravograph-New
Hermes: GravoStyle 5 Gravograph-New Hermes introduces GravoStyle 5, a single solution software for both laser and rotary engraving machines. Designed to increase productivity and save time, GravoStyle 5 allows you to switch between engraving technologies without switching software programs. The software features three levels of capabilities, ranging from basic to graphic-oriented to advanced technologies like 3D engraving, allowing you to choose the level that is right for you and your applications. |
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Vision
Engraving Systems: Vision TrophyPro Engravers Vision Engraving Systems offers the TrophyPro Engraving Systems to the awards and recognition marketplace. Available with a 16" x 12" or 16" x 24" T-slot table, these heavy-duty systems were developed as a less expensive option for cost-conscious engravers needing a large-format machine. The TrophyPro Engraving Systems come standard with the Vision Serial Controller and Vision-Pro LT Engraving Software, which carry on the open architecture capabilities of the entire line of Vision rotary engravers. |
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Xenetech
Global: Xenetech Graphic Workstation Xenetechs 32-bit Graphic Work-station software can import many compatible standard file types through the file import or copy and paste commands. This software was made specifically to increase the production and capability of engraving applications. Parameters like power, speed and home location can be saved and recalled with individual jobs. |
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Xenetech
Global: 32-Bit Laser Print Driver Xenetechs 32-bit laser print driver allows laser owners to output directly to their system from third-party Windows-compatible programs such as CorelDRAW. Power, speed and PPI settings can be saved and recalled by material type. These same settings can be assigned to different colors in the job. This driver can also dither color and gray-scale images upon output. |
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Some engravers looking to expand their in-house capabilities are looking for specialized applications. Customers are asking for advanced training on subjects like lasering photos, 3D engraving and ADA signage, says Diane Clancy. Customers are looking for ways to expand their business and they realize that they need to have both the skills and the equipment to expand. |
Xenetech
Global The Xenetech Graphic Workstation can generate and engrave shoulders with the companys rotary and laser engraving systems. Xenetech lasers can engrave 3D grayscale photos into software materials like wood and acrylic, and each gray level is fired at a different power setting. |
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