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Thread: Industrial Engraving... Worthwhile?

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Gig Harbor, WA
    Posts
    1,157
    I have both a laser and rotary engravers and sublimation. On most days all three processes are used to support industrial customers. I think you need to define your use of the term "industrial" .... is a hotel industrial?, what about an electrician, an assisted living facility, schools.... and what requirements do each need in support....... some need name tags, door plates, metal and plastic tags, interior signage......

    I have several customers that place small orders every day....... Shipping is just part of doing business on their part.... controlling shipping costs for your materials is the trick.

    Producing a quality product in a timely period is the best "Advertising" along with business cards and a web presence ..


    .
    Mark
    In the Great Northwest!

    Trotec Speedy C25, Newing-Hall 350 (AMC I & HPGL), NH-CG-30 (Carbide Cutter Sharpener)
    Sawgrass 400 Gel Ink Printer, CS5, 5/9/x6 CorelDraw

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Savusavu, Fiji
    Posts
    1,167
    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Facer View Post
    Sorry, which comments are those? I don't see any Steve on the thread....Very willing to read any comments that might enlighten me!
    "Scott" is really a Steve (from the fine print in his signature block).
    Longtai 460 with 100 watt EFR, mostly for fun. More power is good!! And a shop with enough wood working tools to make a lot of sawdust. Ex-owner of Shenhui 460-80 and engraving business with 45 watt Epilog Mini18.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Vancouver BC
    Posts
    97
    Quote Originally Posted by John Noell View Post
    "Scott" is really a Steve (from the fine print in his signature block).
    Palm, meet face! Thanks for that, I missed it!
    80 watt RECI 1290 Shenhui laser.
    Chinese Quick CNC 5x10 toolchange
    Unofficial record holder of 6 tubes shipped for one machine. 2 defective and 4 broken. Recommend Coletech for replacement tube!

  4. #19
    Greg

    The CO2 laser is my "go to" equipment for industrial/commercial/institutional customers where engraving is required. For all the various labels, small signs, tags, etc. I use the laser and often bevel the edges for appearance with a beveler. I have a rotary machine and it can do similar work but unlike others I use it mostly for diamond drag work. I have a friend who likes to use his rotary for tags and small signs because he can bevel them with the rotary after he engraves them and they require no clean-up as lasered tags do.

    As a general statement, I think it's very hard to make a living with one machine. I do many things for my customers and only part of them are laser based.
    Mike Null

    St. Louis Laser, Inc.

    Trotec Speedy 300, 80 watt
    Gravograph IS400
    Woodworking shop CLTT and Laser Sublimation
    Dye Sublimation
    CorelDraw X5, X7

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Cape Town, South Africa
    Posts
    3,922
    My fiber works exceptionally well on most engraving plastics and metals. cuts and engraves the plastics ..
    Rodney Gold, Toker Bros trophies, Cape Town , South Africa :
    Roland 2300 rotary . 3 x ISEL's ..1m x 500mm CnC .
    Tekcel 1200x2400 router , 900 x 600 60w Shenui laser , 1200 x 800 80w Reci tube Shenhui Laser
    6 x longtai lasers 400x600 60w , 1 x longtai 20w fiber
    2x Gravo manual engravers , Roland 540 large format printer/cutter. CLTT setup
    1600mm hot and cold laminator , 3x Dopag resin dispensers , sandblasting setup, acid etcher

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Cape Town, South Africa
    Posts
    3,922
    If you want to do industrial engraving , you have to have some real knowledge of materials and how they react to the various lasers and you have to be willing to undertake some difficult challenges in terms of marking or cutting objects .. industrial is NOT just running off 100's of tabs .. anyone can do that and its cut throat out there with those type of jobs
    Forget the promotional industry .. they are whores for a penny .. they will leave you for the cheapest guy around

    We service our industrial clients with multiple machines , cnc for metal cutting , deep engravingand panels , c02 lasers for acrylics and other items and fibre for marking , we also do digital printing and doming and so on
    For under $15k , you can get a decent 80w co2 , a 30w fibre and a fairly large overhead cnc router/engraver and service your clients
    however it still boils down to the original "why me"
    Well in my case we are a one stop shop .. we can do anything from huge billboars to marking titanium hip joints .. we never say No .. always find a way , we deliver excellent quality and most importantly we deliver on time..
    We also advise on the best and least expensive way to achieve what the client wants in terms of materials and suitability
    You have to think and promote a "big business " mentailty , choose corportate colours , a decent website , professional quoting and invoicing , customer follow up and so on .. if you think big , you can get there.
    If you the only game in town , its not too difficult to get ahead , if you face competition in your locale , the other guys , unless they giving poor service , will beat you on price and experience.
    You HAVE to have a hook .. something that differentiates you from whatever else is out there.
    Rodney Gold, Toker Bros trophies, Cape Town , South Africa :
    Roland 2300 rotary . 3 x ISEL's ..1m x 500mm CnC .
    Tekcel 1200x2400 router , 900 x 600 60w Shenui laser , 1200 x 800 80w Reci tube Shenhui Laser
    6 x longtai lasers 400x600 60w , 1 x longtai 20w fiber
    2x Gravo manual engravers , Roland 540 large format printer/cutter. CLTT setup
    1600mm hot and cold laminator , 3x Dopag resin dispensers , sandblasting setup, acid etcher

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Vancouver BC
    Posts
    97
    Quote Originally Posted by Rodne Gold View Post
    If you want to do industrial engraving , you have to have some real knowledge of materials and how they react to the various lasers and you have to be willing to undertake some difficult challenges in terms of marking or cutting objects .. industrial is NOT just running off 100's of tabs .. anyone can do that and its cut throat out there with those type of jobs
    Forget the promotional industry .. they are whores for a penny .. they will leave you for the cheapest guy around

    We service our industrial clients with multiple machines , cnc for metal cutting , deep engravingand panels , c02 lasers for acrylics and other items and fibre for marking , we also do digital printing and doming and so on
    For under $15k , you can get a decent 80w co2 , a 30w fibre and a fairly large overhead cnc router/engraver and service your clients
    however it still boils down to the original "why me"
    Well in my case we are a one stop shop .. we can do anything from huge billboars to marking titanium hip joints .. we never say No .. always find a way , we deliver excellent quality and most importantly we deliver on time..
    We also advise on the best and least expensive way to achieve what the client wants in terms of materials and suitability
    You have to think and promote a "big business " mentailty , choose corportate colours , a decent website , professional quoting and invoicing , customer follow up and so on .. if you think big , you can get there.
    If you the only game in town , its not too difficult to get ahead , if you face competition in your locale , the other guys , unless they giving poor service , will beat you on price and experience.
    You HAVE to have a hook .. something that differentiates you from whatever else is out there.
    Hi Rodne,

    I get that. I have the 80WCO2 and the 5x10 router at my shop, but as I have mentioned I never found the chinese CO2 that great at engraving. I could add it to my plastic fabrication business if I wanted to but I am moving in enough directions at once already. I don't really agree with the "never say no" mentality but I have been there, done that, just don't do it now....I "can" do too much, what I should do is much narrower but I'm in a decent sized market so I have the luxury to be narrow.

    The goal for my friend is the niche. Like you say, 100's of tags might be cut throat but that is certainly more his hopes to keep it narrowly focused and hard to tell how cut throat it is unless in the business. I say that I could add engraving to my business, and maybe I could, but it's not be banging at my door in any way either (and I do quite a bit of other signage type work).

    We will see, he is working out what he thinks he would need to see to give it a try and I am giving him the time to knock it around in his head.

    Thanks everyone for the replies!
    80 watt RECI 1290 Shenhui laser.
    Chinese Quick CNC 5x10 toolchange
    Unofficial record holder of 6 tubes shipped for one machine. 2 defective and 4 broken. Recommend Coletech for replacement tube!

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