Small desktop credit card sized projects

[asdf2008]

Hi all. Firstly, forgive me if I use the wrong terminology. I've decided out of the blue to try out metal engraving.

Basically what I want to do is engrave letters and numbers onto metal plates. The plates I want to engrave are business / credit card size and will be made of titanium or brushed steel (not a soft metal like alluminium, brass, copper). When I get better at this i'd like to encorporate some fancy graphics onto the cards but for now just alphanumeric characters.

I've never done anything like this before and have no idea what's available out there or how to approach it. Could you guys recommend an entry model that is small and cheap enough for a novice to use? Maybe even a shop here in Brisbane where I can drop into and chat with someone about.

If you google image "metal business cards" or "metal credit cards" you will see the sort of stuff I want to try and make.
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=metal+business+cards&client=firefox-b-ab&dcr=0&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjW6qGltJrYAhXKTrwKHW1fAJkQ_AUICigB&biw=1536&bih=734


Oops, forgot to add a budget. How much would a small desktop machine cost? I have something like $500 in mind. Is this reasonable or way under?

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[dharmic]

Nowadays most would engrave with a laser. Quicker, cleaner, quieter, less issues with work holding and required tooling. But to etch titanium or steel you're looking at 10-100 times the budget you have in mind.

A cheap chinese ebay mill with a tiny work area (the smaller the workspace they have the stiffer the machine will be) with a high speed coated carbide bit might be doable in the price range you're talking but it's going to be noisy, it's going to chew through tooling, it's going to be slow and the finish by comparison to a laser is going to look like you smashed it out on your kitchen table with some tin snips and a bastard file.

[asdf2008]

Thanks for the reply. This question is going to show how nooby I am Would a laser actually cut into the metal? I am looking for something that would physically leave up to a millimeter or two indentations in the titanium/steel plates. I'm not looking for something that just lightly etches the surface and could fade or erode away in a few years.'

[Bob La Londe]

https://www.mmsonline.com/articles/t...lling-titanium

Lots of great articles on that site. Also, you might look at posts by Arie Kalabastra on the CamBam forum. He makes titanium watch cases and is getting to be a known watch maker in the world. His CNC machine is a home built specialized machine, but I suspect your process may not be as difficult as those he does.

I'm not sure laser is the right tool for Titanium. I'd have to read up more, but its my understanding that when milling titanium combustion from high cutting heat is a risk, although inert gas bath from laser cutting might eliminate that risk.

You might also want to read up on the different common alloys/grades of titanium. Some are easier to cut than others. T2, T5, and T9 seem to be the ones I see most often.

Anyway, my thought is that with more knowledge and thought your goal may not be as far out of reach as some might indicate.

[asdf2008]

Cheers Bob La Londe. Doing some more reading. Decided to work on brushed steel. Read that that's the material those metal credit cards are made of.
Also looking for workshops in my neighborhood that cater for metal engraving enthusiasts. Hopefully I can find one. Would make it easier to bounce my idea off someone face to face.

[Gippy]

Cheers Bob La Londe. Doing some more reading. Decided to work on brushed steel. Read that that's the material those metal credit cards are made of.
Also looking for workshops in my neighborhood that cater for metal engraving enthusiasts. Hopefully I can find one. Would make it easier to bounce my idea off someone face to face.

Hi mate,
If you want to send me a test file, i'll have a go at running a few off - I've only just got the new machine running, would be perfect for this sort of work. (Kuhlmann P25SP)
I'm in Gippsland though, a bit far from QLD

[asdf2008]

thanks for the offer mate. i'll keep it in mind.
ultimately i'd like to have a small set up of my own so i can punch things out whenever I feel like and experiment a bit

[RCaffin]

I suspect that a laser would be the best solution, for steel and for titanium. No trouble 'marking' the metal: you could cut right through it with the right laser power.
Trying to engrave titanium would be tricky. I happily machine Ti, but I can see problems with engraving it.

Cheers
Roger

[asdf2008]

Thanks Roger for the advise and narrowing the options I need to research into. Will focus on laser engraving.