Since Antiquity man discovered the ability to shape metal, we have been marking it, be it for artisty, personalization or tracability. Metal is complex: conductive, reactive, and composed of chemicals, and alloys so when you are looking for a mechanical or laser marking machine for metal, the best solution will depend on the type of metal you are going to engrave : Stainless steel Aluminium. Anodized aluminium. Hardened metals. Steel alloy. Titanium and titanium alloys. Carbides. Brass. Copper. Precious metals. Coated metals. Why mark metal? Metal engraving is used for the marking of text, logos, pictures, numbers, 2D codes, the list is endless. The industries marking metal is even longer with jewellery, medical, automotive, aeronautics, energy just to name a few.
Laser marking or engraving is done without contact, thanks to a laser, and does not require any pre-treatment/post-treatment. the result is a permanent, resistant, high contrast marking with a very high definition finish and of course without damaging the metal. Mechanical rotary engraving cuts away the metal using an engraving cutter similar to a drill. This allows for both engraving and cutting (on some metals) and is used extensively across all industries from engraving jewellery to cutting control panels. The Direct part marking by dot peen or scribing is performed thanks to a tungsten carbide stylus which comes into contact with the surface and deforms the material in hollow thanks to a succession of impacts which form the final marking. Gravotech has extensive experience in metal marking and brings its expertise to help you find the best metal engraving solution adapted to your needs. There are many different types of metals and we have a machine solution for each of them.
Laser etching can be used on a broad range of materials. Laser engraving occurs when the heat of the beam melts only the surface of the material and does not fully penetrate the material. The high power of the laser uses high heat to melt only the surface of the material. Oxides sometimes form in engraved areas, making the marks clearer and more visible. the laser modifies its reflectivity and improves the contrast. It removes very little material. It can be carried out on raw, anodized or plated metal surfaces. Light engraving of metals + oxides. Removes less than .001” of material. High-speed marking Works on all metals
When marked components still require reworking or additional painting and the material is rough, laser engravings need to be applied deeper into the material. The laser creates high heat during the engraving process, which causes the material to vaporize. This creates a cavity in the surface that is perceptible to the eye and to touch. Therefore, it is particularly recommended when the laser marking suffers post-process stress (such as sandblasting for die-castings). Fast fusion and vaporization of the material. Varying the depth is achieved by the N° passes. Only work with filled font/shapes.
Annealing heats the material locally to just below its melting point. This generates oxide layers on the surface of the workpiece which are associated with metallic annealing colours. It is also the preferred method whenever a precision fit is required or there is a need to avoid material bulging. You can only anneal metals that change colour when under the influence of heat and oxygen, i.e. steels and titanium, but not aluminium or nonferrous metals. Generally, the oxide layer is black, but it can also have other annealing colours. The colour depends on the temperature of the heated layers. The material surface remains even during annealing because nothing is removed from it. The colour change is achieved through localized material heating only. The heat usually penetrates 20 to 30 μm deep in the metal surface. Black marking is a marking process that produces very high-contrast, dark markings. This structured surface reduces the amount of light that is reflected, and the result is a deep, matt blackening of the marking, which appears the same when viewed from any angle. This makes the marking non-abrasive. Black markings are ideal for rust-free stainless steels, titanium, copper and brass.
With metal engraving machines, we drag a diamond tool on the surface of the material to obtain a light and very aesthetical marking. There is no chip created and the material weight loss is insignificant, which is important particularly in Jewelry. This marking process can be used even for very hard alloys such as steel, stainless steel or iron and of course also with softer metals. It is ideal for signage (tags) and personalization. The groove created in the part can also be filled with lacquer or wax, part of Gravotech offer, to obtain a high contrast or color.
CNC metal engraving machines, the material is removed using cutting tools, «engraving cutters» of various sizes and shapes. CNC is used for cutting out shapes in metal such as for control panels or for milling out 3D shapes such as the creation of hot stamps, mold insert or soft metal manufacturing in general. This technology can also be used to obtain text, numbers or logos deeply engraved in the part, whether it is for identification (direct part marking) of personalization purposes. This marking process provides excellent non-contrasted results both for cutting or milling, and even our small engravers can do the job in soft metal such as aluminium or brass.
Our pneumatic dot peen marking machines are the best for marking applications requiring a very short cycle time to meet the speed requirements of industrial sectors. The electromagnetic marking machines are more suitable for applications needing great precision and consistency. It is particularly efficient for DataMatrix code marking. The electromagnetic dot peen marking machine is a high-precision marking solution to meet traceability and identification requirements. Our dot peen metal marking mchine are economical, marking twice as fast as other dot peen machine and the marking is clear.
Silent with aesthetic and robust results, scribing machines are used in all industrial operations, subject to noise level limitations : for marking large metal components (beams, rails, chassis and exhaust pipes etc.) for marking V.I.N. numbers (Vehicle Identification Numbers) on cars, motorbikes and heavyweight vehicles, etc. This is the solution with the best marking/speed depth ratio. It provides high quality marking. It was developed for heavy industrial applications, our systems are very mechanically robust and require very little maintenance.
Our complete range of integrated lasers and laser stations will enable you to carry out marking on all type of metal parts, for a permanent result, with excellent quality and contrast for full identification and traceability.
The most complete laser station for permanent marking. From unit to small batch production to integration in a robotic cell. Compatible with Fibre, Hybrid or Green source.
...Introducing the magic of laser engraving to your business. The Welase achieves personalisation of the highest quality in a matter of seconds and raise your customers curiosity.
...Our powerful and high-quality Fiber Laser engraver performs precise markings in very short cycle times....
The LS900 industrial laser engraver, coming as Co2, fiber or Edge (dual sources), are ideal for high speed marking and cutting of medium and large format media.
...The 1064 nm HYBRID laser marker is perfect for applications requiring a great versatility in terms of marking materials at the highest speed, from plastics to any kind of metals.
...The LS100EX CO2 laser machine is a medium-sized machine for engraving and cutting. Its engraving area matches the size of ¼ sheet, making it the ideal sign making machine....
Our range of rotary machines are able to process light diamond engraving, neat deep engraving, light milling and drilling. Gravotech’s Dot peen and Scribing solutions offer very fast non-contrasted deep marking obtained by making close impacts on the surface of several metal types.
Since inventing dot peen technology 40 years ago we have continued to innovate and the XF510P takes the crown for being the smallest and fastest on the marking all while meeting our high standards ...
The master of marking Datamatrix codes, this electromagnetic dot peen engraver builds upon our foundations with dot peen to meet the highest standards of precision.
...This online marking system delivers direct part marking on your parts while keeping noise to a minimum....
Unique in the market, this industrial engraver is perfect for signage, labelling, light milling and identification of industrial parts....
As the best-selling rotary engraver, the M20 can adapt to any purpose and fit any job....
Standalone metal engraving machine, the Impact is easy to configure and master....
Fast, powerful, and precise: discover a machine unique in the market. The ISx000 range is designed for large format jobs to batch engraving and cutting.
...This industrial engraving machine has been a classic for more than 15 years for small part traceability, label and small signage engraving....
The M10 rotary engraving machine is a simple and secured engraving machine for a pre-defined medal, keyring and small identification plate engraving....
Lasertrace ™ facilitates the traceability and identification of all types of metal parts.