CNC or Laser

[Matt Fowles]

Hi,

Am very new to the laser/CNC engraving world!.

Me and my partner have started a jewelerry making business using hand prints and footprints. We are doing quite well but i want to expand into engraving the hadnprints and footprints onto cufflinks and keyrings etc.. Maybe on some plastic and wood items too.

I have doing alot of readng and research but still cant decide whether to go for a laser or a CNC machine. I dont have a large budget to get one. I understand laser dont engrave precious metals very well unless they are high powered and that i need to use thermark/cermark but again the quality may not be there using this but cnc i am unsure whether the detail will be there?..

I was wonderiing if anyone could shed some light and maybe point me in the right direction for a machine that i could get to start off with.

Many thanks

Matt :)

[Dan Hintz]

Tough call. Router bits of 1/32" would get you some reasonably fine detail, but they would also be pretty fragile. A fiber laser (1016nm) would get you some really fine detail and etch into the metal (stainless, titanium, aluminum, brass, etc.), but it will be an order of magnitude more expensive than a decent milling setup. A CO2 laser will allow you to do Cermark on most of the metals mentioned, and will be somewhere in between the CNC and fiber laser in price. Cermark will not work well on most precious metals (silver, gold, etc.) as it will easily strip off with regular cleaning solutions. If you want to mark things like gold, you'll want a green laser (around 532nm). Low wattages of fiber (say 10-20W) will allow for marking, but not engraving... for that, you'll likely want 40-60W (or more.

[Don Corbeil]

Tough call. Router bits of 1/32" would get you some reasonably fine detail, but they would also be pretty fragile. A fiber laser (1016nm) would get you some really fine detail and etch into the metal (stainless, titanium, aluminum, brass, etc.), but it will be an order of magnitude more expensive than a decent milling setup. A CO2 laser will allow you to do Cermark on most of the metals mentioned, and will be somewhere in between the CNC and fiber laser in price. Cermark will not work well on most precious metals (silver, gold, etc.) as it will easily strip off with regular cleaning solutions. If you want to mark things like gold, you'll want a green laser (around 532nm). Low wattages of fiber (say 10-20W) will allow for marking, but not engraving... for that, you'll likely want 40-60W (or more.

great summary :)

[joe claudio]

Great summary Dan,
However back to the orginal poster... "jewlery business- hand prints and foot prints" what is your current substrate of your product ?
I agree with Dan .... I would say you have to redefine your "product" .. if you want to do "wood" almost any 40-50 wat laser will work , if you want to "Precsion" scratch engrave ( diamond tip, fine point ) .. an engravogeraph machine will be your best bet . CERMARK/THERMARK have their prospective postives .. - I have used both .. but not on a precsion custom one of a kind peice of jewlry ... define what youwant to REALLY do .. and teh path will show it self

[Mark Sipes]

If only we knew where you were located. One of us could run some samples from your files and see the direction you should take for your next step.

[Clark Pace]

If only we knew where you were located. One of us could run some samples from your files and see the direction you should take for your next step.

Hello,

I have one of those in-expensive chinese cnc machines found on ebay. Mine looks like this. But I have the 3040. A little longer bed. You can get the bits for engraving jewelry. They are really cheap($10), and I can get really fine detail on metal. I am very happy with my little cnc. I have even cut 3/4 mdf with it, and 3/8" plastic. Of course it had to do several passes. My finest bit does 1/64. And it really can do nice fine detail.

Now this is just my experience, but again I'm happy.

ebay tem1c354622d7

Jewlery Bits

ebay item4d2cb064a7

[Clark Pace]

Mine came with the software to control the cnc, but not the software that converts my corel draw files into g-code. You will probably have to invest in one. There are a few free ones, but you can get a good decent one for about $150-$200. Like Vectric Cut 2D. It's $149.

[Frank barry]

Hi I have asked myself the same question and I bought my laser from China and a used engraver so I do my drawings in Corel which means I can use them on either machine
I would look at getting some samples done so you have a better idea what will work for you good luck Frank

[Neville Stewart]

Depending on the volume you expect and the repetition of a similar piece, a CNC would work but in my opinion its not the right tool for the job. I have a buddy with a jewelery CNC and it costs about 5 times what mine cost, software 20 times, and he will make wax molds with it but not engrave a part. Not that it couldnt but its not the right tool. Fiber Laser for sure. PS - Hello Frank Berry from Ireland, Neville Stewart from Dublin : )

[Brian Leavitt]

We use our 'Signature 8080 Plus' to any jewelry engraving. It can do rotary engraving, but we strictly do diamond drag with it.

[Frank barry]

Hi Matt I guess a picture of what you want to make would help

[Ross Moshinsky]

You want a CNC engraver. Most of your work will be diamond drag but I'd recommend getting a rotating spindle as well. This machine will engrave "anything".

[Matt Fowles]

Hi All,

Sorry for not responding earlier only i didnt know i had any!! haha..

Thanks for your responses.. I will do a summary of what i am lookng for..

At present Me and my partner create jewellery from PMC (silver clay) i am wanting to make things like the images ive attached..306409
The keyring is sterling silver plated. As for quantities i dont envisage hundreds at a time to begin with but obviously if things work out i do hope it will get quite alot of use.

Then i was thinking i could engrave things onto mobile phone cases, wood and glass.. The wood im not so fussed about..

I am based in Bristol in the UK.

Any further help would be greatly appreciated.. :)

[Dan Hintz]

If that is the direction you really want to aim for, a fiber laser is your best bet.

[Matt Fowles]

Fiber laser is what i was looking at then i saw the price!!!! :eek:

If i was going to just engrave on plastic mobile phone cases am i right in thinking CNC would be the cheaper option?.

[Scott Shepherd]

I've not seen anyone CNC'ing phone cases. I can't imagine it would be very cost effective. I have seen a lot of laser engraved phone cases, as well as dye sublimated phone cases. If mobile phone cases is your thing, you should look into dye sublimation. Much cheaper and more powerful for phone cases.

[Matt Fowles]

Dye sublimation?? Not heard of that one before.. I think ill have to google that!!.. Thanks..

[Frank barry]

Hi you need to decide what you want to make if you don't you could end up with the wrong machine cheers Frank