Metal Engraving Equipment Key Terms

Understand the ABCs of metal engraving equipment

By Howard Robertson

Engravers use metal engraving equipment for marking engravings on metal products or parts - such as jewelry, gifts and craft articles, motor parts, machine tools and hardware products. Metal engraving equipment has become more sophisticated and easy to handle as various software is available to attain high precision.

If you want to establish yourself as a metal engraving equipment supplier or buy metal engraving equipment, you will need to learn about some common terms associated with metal engraving equipment. This guide covers some of the common terminology.

Lathe

Metal engravers use a lathe machine to engrave metal objects by rotating them against an engraving tool. The spindle is the part of the lathe machine that rotates. A lathe machine can engrave only those metal objects that are circular in shape.
Try: You can read through the detailed information on lathe machine at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Burin

A burin is an important tool for engraving. It is a tempered metal tool that engravers use to cut the design into the surface. The burin produces a unique and decipherable quality of line. Steady, deliberate appearance and clean edges are the hallmarks of a burin. Burins are either square or elongated and diamond-shaped and used for cutting straight lines.
Try: You can read through detailed information on burin and the way to handle it at Goldsmith.it.

Engraving spindle

Engraving spindles are one of the most important components for all kinds of engraving machines. Engraving spindles have a special design for high-speed engraving. They operate in a rotational motion and engravers can adjust the speed of spindle rotation as required.
Try: You can read through detailed information on engraving spindle at SpindlesWorld.com, a business-to-business portal for machine and precision spindle manufacturers.

RPM

RPM (revolutions per minute) is a measure of the spindle speed of a metal engraving machine. It measures the revolutions the spindle of a motor makes in 1 minute. More revolutions per minute means a more powerful metal engraving machine.
Try: You can read through the definition of RPM at Convertworld.com.

Laser engraving

Laser engraving is an advanced process of metal engraving that involves a beam of light as an engraving tool. Laser engraving is a preferable process for engraving precious metals, such as gold, silver and platinum, as the process ensures less chance of product damage or deformation. Laser engraving is also suitable for tungsten, stainless steel and aluminum.
Try: You can read through detailed information on laser engraving process at Laser Engraving Express, a leading laser engraving services provider.

Push graver engraving

Push graver engraving involves the use of a push graver, which is a hand held engraving tool. This process is difficult compared to other processes of metal engraving such as hammer and chisel engraving and laser engraving as it requires more control on the movements of the engraving tool on the metal surface.
Try: You can read through the detailed information on push graver engraving at EngravingArts, an Adone Galleries website.