Laser engraving

[Dvoigt]

I would love to be able to engrave things on my pens. People are always asking if I can do that. I see that a few sites offer engraving if you send your stuff to them. What would it take to do that myself? I have seen some laser engravers that sort anywhere from a few hundred to $10,000. What is the minimum I could get away with if I wanted to try this on my own? I'm not looking to get into the laser engraving business, just for my own usage, pens, boxes, and the like.

Thanks!
Derek

 

[maxwell_smart007]

Not a clue what they cost, but a quick search has shown a lot of choices:

http://www.gravograph.com/usa/Engraving Machines/Overview.php

 

[Constant Laubscher]

Many times the Price go with the quality and limitations you are buying.
The machine I have cost me over $40 Thousand, plus all the accessories like rotary attachment is a extra $2000. Don't forget the school fees and learning.

If you go to Sawmillcreek.org and look in there laser engraving section you would see lots of discussions on types of lasers and their usage.

But you are right the Price range from a couple of thousand to a lot more.

If you need more info I would be glad to help you.

I have a 100 W Explorer - Water cooled

 

[mrcook4570]

For what you are describing, it would be much more economical to send your work out for engraving, unless you plan on making and engraving a couple thousand pens per year.

 

[low_48]

So far, I have read horrible things about the cheap Chinese lasers. Horrible software, almost no customer support, etc....
I bought my laser from http://usedlasers.com/
They used to list all the prices on their rebuilt machines, but now you have to call. I bought a rebuilt Universal 25 watt machine with 2 lenses and rotary attachment for $9,000. That has been many years ago now, but I think those prices are holding at that amount. Some of the older used machines are no longer supported, from the factory, for replacement lasers.

 

[Sylvanite]

Constant is right about SawmillCreek. There's a lot of good reading there about the various machines, and engraving techniques. I spent a lot of time browsing the forums there before I bought.

If all you want is to do small flat engraving, then you can get away with a relatively inexpensive machine. If you want to engrave or cut on a cylindrical surface, that costs more. I wound up buying a 60W machine with a large flatbed and a rotating attachment, mainly because I wanted to make my own laser-cut segmentations. I've fallen into the trophy business, though, and use it a lot more for making awards.

Regards,
Eric

 

[PenWorks]

Due to the economy, there are some good buys out there for used machines. Also Epilog has a new Zing Laser for 5K, that looks like a nice small general home use machine.

 

[sbell111]

Due to the economy, there are some good buys out there for used machines. Also Epilog has a new Zing Laser for 5K, that looks like a nice small general home use machine.

The Zing looks pretty sweet, but doesn't appear to be able to accept the rotary attachment.

 

[spiritwoodturner]

There is no possible way you can justify an engraving laser for doing your own pens. Even 5K is silly, and I doubt you would end up with much. Ken charges 5 bucks a pen (obviously there's a bit of shipping too) and you'd need to engrave around 4,000 pens before you could justify that. I should live so long...

Then again, if you're filthy stinkin' rich, you could buy one for the both of us and I'll go through the learning curve and come teach you!

Dale