Focus on signage creation with rotary & laser sign engraving machines

Engraving metal and plastic plates with a CNC sign making machine offers a traditional aspect to the signage, which offers real added value.

The diversity of sign machines thus brings a wide variety of uses.

• Depending on the CNC router size chosen, you can engrave the parts one by one, or start engraving several plates at the same time.
• Thanks to their precision, large CNC sign making machines allow both the cutting of letters or numbers for signs and effect engravings: in 2.5D or intaglio (relief engraving).
• Rotary sign machines are versatile: they allow you to cut on a very wide variety of materials. Mechanical cutters generally produce cuts easier to clean than those made with a laser sign maker. Mechanical machines also allow for pre-cutting, which is particularly appreciated by signage professionals.
• The regulating nose makes it possible to automatically adapt the height of the tool to the surface defects of the part and to ensure regular and precise engraving.
• The M20 type sign machines are desktop, compact engravers: they are the best way to make a sign in small workspaces or shops and are perfect for engraving single plates.

• In use, you should know that the mechanical sign system technology is relatively noisy, and generates shavings requiring suction (automatic or manual). It is also, to a lesser extent, slower than a laser sign maker.
• Such technology is also longer to master: the depth adjustments of the engraving and the regulating nose are done manually.  
• As for the result, it is not possible, with a mechanical engraver, to create a sign with natural contrast in a single-layer material sheet (excluding Gravoply™) and without additives (such as lacquer or paint).

The big advantage of the CO2 laser is its ability to engrave many materials:

• organic (wood, leather, paper, cardboard, rubber);
• mineral (glass, marble, slate);
• plastics (acrylic);
• metallic (metals must however be anodized).

Quieter and much faster, laser sign makers also offer better versatility and more appeal than mechanical engravers for signage creation, thanks to the possibility of working with flexible materials.

A Print and Cut function makes it easy to link a laser engraver and a UV printer. The printed material can be cut precisely around or inside the print.

Also note that getting started with laser engravers is very simple and quick: the laser automatically detects the thickness of the part and makes the adjustments accordingly. Finally, our laser sign machines work without tools or consumables: only changing the extractor filter and cleaning the lens are required for these engraving machines.

Unlike mechanical engraving solutions, there are no small laser machines. The smallest engraving area size is 610mm x 305mm. Therefore they are not suitable for small shops, and the acquisition cost for such a signage creation machine is high: between 1.5 and 2 times the price of a mechanical engraver.

In addition, the fact that the laser heats the material to be engraved requires a few precautions:

• Depending on the materials to be engraved, it is important to monitor the work to prevent a flame from starting.
• The fumes produced during the etching of the material require an ambient air treatment system.
• For the needs of cutting on plastic materials in your signage creation process, you must use acrylic or PMMA, we do not recommend ABS - which is technically laser cut - because the aesthetic result is very poor (tendency to melt), and the heating of ABS can generate toxic fumes.