There are a multitude of items that can be engraved with a rotary engraver.

There is plenty new in the old world of rotary engraving. Advancements have been made to optimize the speed of the machines and the ease of use for their operating software. There are wonderful, profit-producing features, upgrades and attachments available. We spoke with the industry’s leading manufacturers to get the scoop on their newest products, applications and purchasing advice. Take a look at what they had to say.

PURCHASING ADVICE

Before we dig into all of the exciting new stuff out there for rotary engravers, let’s review some sound advice for purchasing equipment of this sort. It is always best to do this before beginning to browse, lest a buyer see a shiny bell or whistle they feel they cannot do without when they actually can. Remember, as intriguing as some of this equipment is, it is only worth the investment if it is actually used. Coincidentally, the topic of use is exactly where some manufacturers begin when handing purchasing advice.

“You want ease of use,” says Chris Parent of Signature Engraving in Holyoke, Massachusetts. “You don’t want something that will take you weeks or months to learn how to use. At the same time, you want the machine to be extremely versatile. You don’t want to be limited. A lot of people get hung up on the dollar amount, but value is more important. Shops need a piece of equipment that can handle any work that comes through their door and therefore pay for itself. Whether it costs a dollar or a million dollars, you want your investment to pay for itself,” says Parent. He also notes that buyers should beware of add-on expenses for services that should be included, such as training.

The emphasis on one machine that can fulfill many tasks is an emphasis shared by others. “Shops should really consider the versatility of the machines,” says Elisha Kaufman of U-Marq USA in Bethel, Connecticut. “You should really be looking at everything you will be able to offer to your customers now and in the future. If you have no room to grow, how can your business succeed into the future?”

Rick Rivera of Roland DGA in Irvine, California, says, “They should broaden their focus to include a variety of applications that will help them build their businesses. A multipurpose machine is the best investment.”

Severine Guevara of Gravograph in Duluth, Georgia, suggests considering space requirements, the range of sizes of objects to be engraved, the software that comes with the equipment, the kind of materials the engraver can handle and production through-put requirements. She adds that it is also vital to make sure the company stands behind their products and offers tech support and training.

Jimmy DuBose of Xenetech in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, says shops should identify the type and quantity of products that they need to produce. “By identifying their production needs, their search will be narrowed to the systems that can fulfill those needs. The system with the lowest price may not be the best choice. More productive systems will generate more profit and lower cost over the life of the machine than some lower-cost, lower-production systems. Also, systems that are limited in the type of products they can engrave will narrow the variety of products that you can sell to your customers.”

Other manufacturers are less loquacious but offer sound advice nonetheless. Jeff Mathias of Newing-Hall in Haskins, Ohio, says two very important factors to consider are after-sale support and the warranty that comes with the machine.

Fred Schwartz of Quality One Engravers in Rancho Cucamonga, California, says they should consider table size, clearance, spindle, components, software and support.

NEW INNOVATIONS

Most manufacturers agree that most of the new innovations for rotary engraving are likely to be directed at the controller and software. This is an opinion Schwartz shares, and he notes that among other advances, EngraveLab software has come out with V8 and has many new features.

Mathias concurs, “In large part, the difference in rotary engravers past to present is the software. The engraving software gives users many more features, and allows jobs to be created much more efficiently.”

However, there still exists room for fine tuning the hardware.

For example, Guevara notes that Gravograph’s iQ+ technology is built into their new generation rotary engravers, and its optimized speed provides shorter job times.

In some cases, the innovations are additions to current equipment. Newing-Hall has introduced a new tabletop holding vise to their product line that is thinner than previous models offered. “This allows customers to hold many odd-shaped items that would not have been possible on a standard flatbed engraver before,” says Mathias.

Signature Engravers have come out with some handy attachments as well. “We just came out with an attachment that allows users to cut out shapes and custom charms and name necklaces and similar applications. The foil transfer system has been out for a few years, but that is still quite an innovation. Our engravers can also follow any irregular surface,” says Parent.

“A lot of our machines are used in the jewelry industry, so we built a filtration system that captures removed material. The cost of gold and silver has really gone through the roof, and it’s important to keep that in mind when people are cutting out name necklaces from gold. They want to be able to capture that material and be able to easily send it back to the refinery and get their money back. With precious metals, the value of scrap material can add up quickly,” says Parent.

Looking at the market as a whole, Kaufman says she thinks manufacturers are starting to listen to their customers’ requests a little more, and new innovations will be driven by the needs and demands of their businesses.

“We have developed a better foiling system for leather, a better and more efficient way to create cutouts, and we have a new and improved version of the U-Marq software coming out in the first quarter of 2010,” says Kaufman.

WHO ARE THE CUSTOMERS?

Whenever a market or industry endures a tough time, and right now that seems to be all markets and industries, it is interesting to take a look at where the business that exists is coming from. For example, are the companies spending money with engraving manufacturers—your fellow shops and competitors—purchasing new equipment? Are they new or established businesses? What is there to know about the equipment purchasing patterns for today’s market?

“Let’s face it; in this economy, it’s hard to start a new business.” For that reason, Kaufman says most machine purchases this year are coming from businesses looking to expand their customer base or improve their productivity with a newer machine. “I would say for 2009, about 20% of the business is new companies as opposed to 2008 that had upwards of 40% of new businesses.”

Those numbers are pretty much the same for all of the companies in this article, though Roland was an exception. Rivera says approximately 60-70% are new Roland customers.

With established businesses making up most of the spending, one wonders how many are buying new equipment to replace an older machine, and how many are purchasing to increase production.

Rivera says most established businesses are buying to add variation to their businesses and to increase their overall product offerings.

In the jewelry world, Kaufman says a lot of the business is coming from companies that have been established for years and are looking to expand their businesses and offer more personalization, making the product purchase almost “non-refundable.”

Consolidation may be another factor. Schwartz says most established businesses are replacing one or two other pieces of equipment with one larger unit.

“Because of competition between different manufacturers, rotary engraving systems continue to improve every year,” says DuBose. “This means that when an established business chooses to replace their older machine they should see increased production and ease of use. Their choice of engraving system will determine how much of an increase they will see.”

Mathias says many businesses in the industrial market are buying machines to increase production. However, “Newing-Hall gives companies the ability to upgrade existing machines regardless of age. Because of this, many companies will upgrade the old machines they have to reduce the cost of buying an entirely new machine, while increasing production with the features of the new machines.”

Though none claim to have a crystal ball, most manufacturers are optimistic that 2010 will see improved sales for new equipment to new businesses.

LOOK WHAT I CAN DO!

The customers for those new engravers are going to be pleased with what their machines are capable of, as many of them offer features and functionality that was not there just a few years ago.

Among the capabilities new rotary engravers today have that engravers from a few years ago did not, Guevara lists automatic plate feeders, point and shoot, Terrain following and automatic ADA Braille insertion.

DuBose adds that today’s new rotary engravers give previews of the engraving job at the system. They can save multiple vise and fixture offsets at the system and transfer this information back to the software to be saved with specific job layouts.

“You can jog the X, Y and Z axes at multiple speeds to find the origin on items to be engraved. The systems have built-in maintenance and diagnostic features. Jobs can be recalled or downloaded from multiple computers across the customer’s local area network,” says DuBose. He adds that new rotary systems can even interface with automated robotic equipment.

According to Schwartz, “Much has got to do with software, like engraving Braille holes, allowing for multiple depths within a design, allowing for multiple cutters, scanning and vectorizing artwork, and assigning tool paths for true type fonts and shapes. On the engraver side, some engravers have improved their rigidity. On the Quest we are already a solid design.”

Echoing earlier comments, Kaufman again asserts that advances in software are key in the new engraving machines. New software features are allowing people to offer customers exactly what they want, thus making their engraving a lot more personal. “Before, you could really only offer certain fonts and graphics. Now you can offer customers their own logos with a simple click of a mouse, or a choice of a font from a list of thousands.”

NEW STUFF & FEATURES

With these new advancements, it is clear that the market for rotary engravers continues to introduce improved products for shops to contemplate adding to their assortment of equipment. Though the time has probably passed for revolutionary advances (such as the introduction of computerized engraving), there are still many useful and profitable purchases available to new shops and shops seeking to augment, upgrade or replace equipment.

Each company who participated in this article had a new feature or product to discuss. Here, in brief, are the comments they shared about them.

Gravograph

Guevara notes that the IS900 unites Gravograph’s high quality with new innovative productivity features. She adds, “This system is well suited for engraving wayfinding, retail, indoor and outdoor signage.”

Guevara says the new equipment has a variety of features, including Terrain following™, rear pass-through capabilities on both X and Y axes, ergonomic and improved accuracy, increased travel speed, faster job transfers, auto Braille dispenser attachment, point and shoot technology, safety features, small footprint (39”x32”) for optimal space utilization (engraving area 25”x17”), one-touch clamping system and a self-centered vise.

Xenetech

DuBose shares that in 2009, Xenetech introduced several new options for their rotary engraving systems, including color touch screens, a new series Viper Controller and a tilt option for their cylindrical engraving attachment.

DuBose says the new Color Touch screen has several improvements over the original monochrome screen. “It has increased touch responsiveness and command execution speed, improved contrast and visibility, the ability to set and return to a soft or temporary home position, the ability for users to modify the screen buttons, and detailed previews of dithered and grayscale bitmaps.”

He says the new series Viper Controller has several improvements over the original as well. “It has increased amperage and voltage ratings for faster and more efficient motor control, smoother and quieter motor operation, fewer connections and less wiring, more compact design, and it has more inputs and outputs for automated applications.”

DuBose adds that the new tilt option for Xenetech’s cylindrical engraving attachment will attach to any of Xenetech’s standard cylindrical attachments.

Q1

Schwartz notes that the Q1 Quest Rotary Engraver tables have performed well, and little improvement for 2010 is expected. However, “We have an ongoing R&D project to improve our Q3D controller. We typically release a firmware upgrade twice a month. I pride myself on a statement, ‘Your firmware will be old by the time the machine arrives.’ I explain the positives, that improvements are always being done. We write our own code in-house, so special features or requirements are possible,” says Schwartz.

He adds that Q1E Quest Rotary Engravers use high-end components, such as LM rails (X,Y&Z axes), ballscrews (X&Y axes), a cast aluminum oversized T-slotted table, a heavy-duty spindle and optional automatic Braille bead insertion methods.

“The Q3D controller is a never-ending work in progress. Its latest features are previous job recall (even after shutdown and no computer hooked up), two cutter set values, storable alternate home position and the ability to save 200 jobs,” says Schwartz.

Finally, he says 4th axis, cylindrical, indexing and cutter-length compensation will come soon.

U-Marq

Kaufman states that U-Marq has come out with a new machine called the GEM-CX4. “This machine combines the capabilities of the GEM-RX4 and the GEM-FX4. It has a flat engraving space of 9” x 7”, a cylindrical engraving space of 5” diameter and is 11” in length. The Center Vise also spins 360° around in order to help hold more items.”

She adds that it has the ability to engrave on any material and also has the capability of creating intricate cutouts. It works well in any retail or industrial setting.

Roland

Rivera states that Roland’s newest engraver is the EGX-360 Gift Engraver. “The EGX-360 is the gift engraver for corporate gifts, awards, signage, rhinestone template creation and much more. It is easy to use and one of the safest gift engravers on the market due to its integrated safety cover. This cover securely contains the engraving equipment and prevents debris from entering the work area. This makes the EGX-360 ideal for retail environments.”

Rivera adds another key feature is an environmentally friendly re-circulating water system that supports safe engraving on glass objects.

Signature Engravers

For Signature Engravers, Parent says that while the company is continually improving its products and introducing new features for them, none of the improvements require the purchase of a new machine.

“Everything is able to be retro-fit to our older models. When we came out with our first engraver, it couldn’t do glass, rings, foil or machining. However, as the years progressed and we came out with all of these great new enhancements that were included with our new equipment, we also made it available to our old customers. If you bought one of our engravers 20 years ago, you can actually do everything that someone who purchases a machine today can do. None of our equipment is obsolete,” says Parent.