Engraving serial number nameplates

I may have asked this here before, but this is back on my plate at work:

What is the least expensive, yet professional way of engraving (marking, etc..) a flat, thin, metal serial number nameplate?

I realize we could buy them pre-printed online, but I'm leaning towards having the ability (and flexibility) of doing these in-house.

We have a small Chinese-type CNC, but the software that comes with it won't do engraving. Hand number punches might look "unprofessional", as would hand-printed with appropriate non-smear inks, etc..

I dabbled online and found a $4,000 engraver that could do 6" x 8" (which is plenty big enough for our needs); even a 3x4 would probably be enough?

I just have a hard time believing the going rate for that is $4k+.

Any ideas?

Reply to
mpm
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mpm wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:

A laser marking system.

That is what military hardware has switched to. Then you can also include advanced barcoding and even logo graphics.

You can usually get about 40W for less than $4k

Here is one we used. Some can even do curved surfaces.

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Reply to
DecadentLinuxUserNumeroUno

If it's a serial number you need, metal stamps ( single digits) and a hammer. If it's an informational plate, probably photoetching in small batch quantities, and embossing (pressing against a die with a neoprene pad) in larger quantities.

Reply to
whit3rd

Take it to a trophy shop.

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John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 

lunatic fringe electronics
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Reply to
John Larkin

Look around the Medical instrument field, As I understand the FDA wants them to go to Permament marking of serial ID numbers.

Cheers

Reply to
Martin Riddle

On a sunny day (Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:16:05 -0700 (PDT)) it happened mpm wrote in :

I have a < 5$ battery powered engraving pen from ebay....

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Depends on your writing skills :-) Cannot recommend it for professional looking engravings.... Unless you are some artist.. and sell it as modern art. But it is cheap.

Reply to
<698839253X6D445TD

etc..) a flat, thin, metal serial number nameplate?

aving the ability (and flexibility) of doing these in-house.

't do engraving. Hand number punches might look "unprofessional", as would hand-printed with appropriate non-smear inks, etc..

is plenty big enough for our needs); even a 3x4 would probably be enough?

which "Chinese-type CNC" do you have?

Reply to
Lasse Langwadt Christensen

I don't know, but will look at it tomorrow. It's some $2,500 (+/-) contraption that the boss purchased from Alibaba. It works for cutting cabinet rack unit faceplates (sometimes going through a lot of materials and bits to do it.. but that's another story.)

Anyway, I'm told by our mechanical interns that the software that came with it was full of viruses, so they found something online (generic code) to get it working. That code doesn't handle engraving text (don't ask me why???).

And frankly, I'm so not impressed with this "CNC" that I don't even want to bother trying to make it engrave. I'd rather have a stand-alone dedicated machine (or whatever, process, etc..) to get it done.

Reply to
mpm

A place I worked at used a spark engraver. IIRC a Tungsten Carbide tipped pen with a home-made supply, just a transformer giving some low voltage AC from the mains with a lamp to limit the current. It worked fine, but you had to be neat. I suppose you could use one with a plastic stencil.

Cheers

--
Clive
Reply to
Clive Arthur

h a lot of materials and bits to do it.. but that's another story.)

th it was full of viruses, so they found something online (generic code) to get it working. That code doesn't handle engraving text (don't ask me why ???).

a CNC not supporting engraving text makes no sense, they speak G-code which can be generated from any number of file formats

or you can use a program that generates it directly,

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Reply to
Lasse Langwadt Christensen

engraving would probably work better done directly on the case

It's probably much the same stuff as UV cure solder mask (just thinned down a bit), this stuff seems to cost ballpark the same as house paint (if you want a life-time supply).

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     ?
Reply to
Jasen Betts

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