subject: Cylindrical Engraving With Rotary Engraving Systems [print this page] In the past, engraving a cup, bowl glass or other circular item involved a lot of skill due to the fact that there were no engraving systems specifically designed for this task. Fortunately, with cylindrical engraving capabilities found on modern engraving systems, it is very quick and easy to engrave many curved and round objects, including those made of metal or glass. This article will discuss examples of cylindrical items that can be engraved with a rotary engraving system.
All of these examples can be done with a specialty engraving system that features a recirculating water pump for glass engraving a 8" x 12" aluminum T-slot table and 3" spindle travel as well as a full-featured hand held pendant with LCD. This engraving system allows for engraving of round or curved - as well as flat, deep, or odd-shaped items - in one compact, easy to use machine and can engrave a wide range of materials such as plastic, brass, coated and non-coated metals, pewter, glass and more.
Trophy Cup
These specialty engraving systems commonly include high-speed electronics with a hand-held pendant, as well as an engraving software package. In addition, these engraving systems commonly include a removable 8" x 12" flat engraving table, a self-centering vise with tilt and a self contained, recirculating water pump for glass engraving.
With a rotary engraver you can use a diamond drag adapter to engrave a silver-plated trophy cup. You can mount the cup in the machine's cylindrical vise using the flat stop and the tapered cone provided with the engraving systems. Using the hand-held pendant, you can select the cylindrical mode and enter the diameter of the bowl.
The engraver's Auto Laser Layout feature, which sends the engraving area and position directly to the software without the operator having to measure it, can be used to ensure the correct placement of the text. This feature allows the user to run the job above the object to be engraved with the red-dot laser pointer so you can see a visual representation on the object before actually engraving it. This helps eliminate the possibility of ruining an expensive item.
Once the job was sent from the computer to the engraving systems, you can use the hand-held pendant to run the job. The automatic surface-sensing feature on the specialty engraver allows for consistent engraving throughout the job. A typical bowl this size takes approximately 2-3 minutes to engrave.
Nickel Rings
Another example, we will discuss is a project we engraved for Gibson Bagpipes of Ohio. Nickel rings are used in the handcrafted production of these instruments. For this project, our applications engineer created a unique design in engraving software for two different sizes of rings. The rings were held in the rotary vise to engrave the sides, and were held in the Universal Pin Fixture to engrave the top. We also used the automatic surface-sensing feature with a non-rotating diamond to complete the engraving.
For the first ring, measuring 1.75" in diameter, a Celtic pattern was engraved around the side, and a dragon pattern was engraved on the top. The dragons were engraved with a .010" cutter, and the crosshatch pattern was diamond dragged. The side took approximately 3 1/2 minutes to engrave, and the flat section on the top took approximately 18 minutes.
Conclusion
A flexible rotary engraving system - combined with the tools and features available in the latest engraving software - can complete cylindrical engraving projects in just minutes, offering thousands of options for awards, gifts, and much more. Exploring these possibilities can provide you with new and profitable opportunities for your business.
