Need Help!- I need a laser engrave

[flinstone]

I'm a small shop pen maker and I need a laser machine to personalize and engrave my pens for my clients and for their companies. I'm looking for a good afordable machine maybe with a rotary attachment. Any recomendations???

[zax15uk]

What materials... are these wood, plastic, painted metals?

Your budget will determine the options, for example if you have under $5k you would be looking at either a Chinese system or a used machine.

Zax.

[flinstone]

The materials are wood, plastic, corian, acrilic, and it would be a nice to have if it could also engrave silver and gold. I'm looking for something under $5K.

[zax15uk]

$5k is a reasonable budget for a Chinese CO2 system with rotary.

Wood, Corian and Acrylic can be laser engraved with CO2 but 'plastic' could be PVC that is not safe for laser engraving or another resin that melts and won't produce good results.

Gold and silver plated would require a YAG laser (different wavelength) to engrave.

The only material that would really work well with laser engraving is the wood, the others will need to be filled (I would think).

Have you discounted other methods, like hot foil printing?

Zax.

[kofi_sunic]

Zax is very professional,I quite agree with him that CO2 laser can engrave on nonmetallic materials like acrylic,organic board,double color plate,plank,bamboo product,paper,plastic,PVC board,density board,marble,glass etc.If the laser power is stronger it even can cut these materials.
You just want to engrave your pen,so you don't need a very strong laser power CO2 laser tube,maybe 30W or 40W is OK!
I am from China, a established company supplying LASER CUTTING&ENGRAVING MACHINE SERIES.We can supply you this kind of machine.SCK5070(the workplatform is 500*700mm) can meet your demand.You have optional configuration to choose USB routeway,Rotary device and the honey-comb striation table.
If u want this machine with a rotary device,now i quote $4500 FOB Shanghai(40W CO2 laser tube so that you can even cut some materials;500*700mm is enough for your pen engraving;A rotary)
PLS think about it!

[Rodney Gold]

You might have some difficulty using the various laser type rotary attachments with very small diameter objects like a pen , taper might also be an issue. Make sure , before you buy a particular laser , that it will actually do what you want it to.
I would look at traditional type computer engraving (rotating cutting bit) rather than a laser , especially if you want to do metals and some plastics (which can melt rather than engrave)