can you do engraving using your plotter?

[Nigel Pugh]

Lorraine unless it strengthens the head carriage and running gear then it would be a non starter, you would need a new head carriage within several months of doing this type of work on a normal vinyl cutter.

Regards
Nigel

[Robert Lambie]

as nigel says, your machine will be gubbed in a matter of weeks. ide think sooner though… 😉
this is ebay at the end of the day, people with zero experience telling you anything to get a sale and not giving a damn after…

you can tell i love that place… 😉

[Lorraine Clinch]

Thanks for that guys, sound advice, never thought about the strain on the head. I shall avoid!

[Nick Minall]

Not to mention all the cr*p that will get inside it 😮

[Mike Grant]

Its probably just scratch engraving on very thin substrates.
My advice would be to avoid like the plague.

[Graeme Harrold]

Its not so much the thickness of the substrate, but the material hardness. Soft materials cause more drag on the cutter thus increase the loading on mechanical components of the machine. Harder materials need more down pressure and again your back to the drag coefficient.
I run a small flat bed engraver and do not take on stainless steel jobs for the same reason……its too demanding of the machine.

Basically you can fit the engraving tool to any plotter (pen/cutting) however the harder you make the machine work the less time it will work for. With time you will loose accuracy as the back lash in gear trains and wear in bearings increases.

Protect your investment and keep your machine to doing what is was designed to do.

[James Martin]

Is there any chemical option you could use?

[Robert Lambie]

quote James Martin:

Is there any chemical option you could use?

for engraving james?

[James Martin]

em. reallllly fine engraving!

[Gert du Preez]

James

Acid etch works a treat!!! Anything you can cut on your plotter, you can "engrave"
I tried posting a brass plaque I did last night (the posting bit, not the plaque). It still didnit show up. Actually, I done it twice (posting, that is), the first time with a long description on how, what, where etc, the second time (after "loosing" my first post while trying to preview it!!) a short and sweet version. Hang around, maybe the post will eventually make it’s way into the members portfolio…. I must have used the wrong size bitmap or some such.

[Micheal Donnellan]

Was thinking about messing about with this but forgot about the damage to the head.

[Mathew Parrott]

mod-edit1

[Brian Hays]

Your posts are getting very predictable 😕