Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Engraving on Mill

Use the following tip sizes for engraving

letter height tip size

1/16" .005
3/32" .010
1/8" .015
3/16" .020
7/32" .025
1/4" .030
5/16" .040
3/8" .045
7/16" .050
1/2" .060
5/8" .075


Brass, aluminum, steel, or stainless use 1/4 round at 80 degree angle
acrylic use 1/4 round at 60 degree
engraving plastics use 1/2 round or 1/4 round at 60 degree

Do a search for engraving cutters on a search engine and you will
find plenty of dealers on the web. You will probably find the above
chart also, as it is somewhat standard.

If the engraving is on a sheet type material such as .060" aluminum,
you really should have a floating engraving spindle. Any "bow" in the
material will cause your letters to be uneven, since you are using
a Vee type cutter. If your mill table is perfectly flat you can try 2
sided carpet tape to hold it down.

Bill

> --- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@y..., "joelulaw" <joelulaw@y...> wrote:
> > Thanks for the answers but, I am trying to find out what tool is
> used
> > to cut aluminun at 12 or 14pt lettering. I have purchased a 1/4"
> > engraving tool but it is too large to do small lettering. What
> tools
> > are required and where can I purchase them.
> >
>
> Both MSC and J&L carry 1/8 carbide 60 degree D-bit engraving tools.
> I have used them on aluminum for small detail work. CNC work is not
> usually referred to as point size, but rather as 1/8, 3/16, etc. The
> point size varies considerably with the font and style. You need a
> high speed spindle for best results.
>
> Dan Falck did some work a while back in which he used Vfontz to
> create centerline cuts from Tru-type fonts. He then used a fixed
> diamond tipped engraving tool to mark some stainless steel watch
> casebacks. I looked in the files area but they were not there, he
> must have sent the pictures to me directly. They looked very nice.
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Fred Smith