For engraving silver and gold plating: Diamond or spindle?

[altaran]

Hello all,

I have to decide on which engraving system I'm going to buy to engrave small silver plates (small medallions etc) and I'm trying to understand the difference between machines that have a diamond head and others that use spindles. Is there a noticeable difference in quality?

I had a demonstration of the Gravograph M20 (around 4500$)and the quality was great but it seemed unable to engrave evenly on rounded surfaces.

I saw a Korean machine (comengraver for around 2700$), much cheaper, but the quality I found was slightly inferior.

Both these machines use diamond heads.

I'm going to look at the Roland EGX 20, because apparently it has active surface detection that allows it to engrave on uneven surfaces, and it's pretty cheap compared to other machines (around 2500$?). Does anyone have this machine and can comment on its quality?

Also, do any of you guys use the Metaza photo impact machine? I don't like the photo realistic results too much but maybe after vectorizing the photos the results can be nicer.

Thanks a lot

[OldEngraver]

Diamond Tip is a must for plated articles as a normal rotating cutter increases the risk of lifting the plating. However, you can get a feather light rotating diamond cutter which is probably the safest for engraving plated articles. Most operators prefer a normal diamond drag tip for this type of engraving as it is simpler and faster. Many factors affect the quality of this type of work. Dependant on adjustment of pressure, materials being engraved and the age of diamond tip.

Most machines have the option of diamond or rotary cutter and can be quickly changed from one to the other.

[altaran]

Thank you very much for your answer Oldengraver.
I've been having a hard time getting any advice.
The problem is that here in Korea where I reside not all machines are available.

Originally Posted by OldEngraver However, you can get a feather light rotating diamond cutter which is probably the safest for engraving plated articles

Could you point me to where I could find such a machine?

Thanks

[OldEngraver]

I haven't made myself very clear I guess. The Featherlight Rotating cutter (also known as a burnisher) is an attachment for any engraving machine like a New Hermes, Roland etc. It is used in place of a conventional diamond drag tip or a rotating tungsten carbide or stainless steel cutter.
To reiterate, these tips should all be interchangeable with the spindle on a single engraving machine like those mentioned above. We have 2 elderly Meistergram Engravers and a Vision Max and we can use all the tips/cutters I referred to.

[altaran]

Oh ok, sorry, I get it now.
Thanks a lot