Difference between CNC mill and CNC engraver?

[dre101]

Hi guys,

I'm new to the world of CNC and am looking for a machine to do small batch watch dials. I am looking at two options: a mill or an engraver. One thing I don't understand is why are there standalone CNC engravers when a CNC mill is able to engrave also?

Could someone please enlighten me on the differences, on what a CNC engraver can do which a CNC mill cannot? For your reference, I'm specifically looking at the Roland EGX20/30A vs the Roland MDX15/20.

Thanks for any advice.

[LeeWay]

I think you might be looking at it skewed a bit. A mill can engraver, but engraver's can't generally mill. Perhaps higher cost units can, but an engraver doesn't need to be nearly as robust as a mill.

[escott76]

One of those machines is designed specifically for engraving. One feature it has is the ability to "auto track" the surface it's engraving, saving you from having to model your text across a curved surface, or compensate for warped or bowed stock. When you are only going in .010 or .020 it makes a big difference.
The other machine is for light duty milling only, and wouldn't really be all that similar to most of the machines discussed here as milling machines. It does not have auto tracking, but it does have a scanning feature for extracting detail from an existing model.

[MichaelHenry]

Spindle speed is a factor too, isn't it?