Engraving metal strips: what machine do we need?
June 25, 2019 7:47 AM Subscribe
To create display-style plant labels, we would like to engrave the first 6-10 inches of 2.5-3 foot long and approximately 1-1.5 inch wide metal strips. These will stay in the ground year round in the NYC area.
Two questions: what kind of metal do we want and what kind of machine is used to do this?
The labels will read, for example, Heuchera cylindrica. So just a single line of text.
If this is something we should really outsource, let me know. I'd also like to know what brand of machine, if you have a preferred brand. Where I should buy metal strips? What kind of metal? How thick?
I have many questions...
The labels will read, for example, Heuchera cylindrica. So just a single line of text.
If this is something we should really outsource, let me know. I'd also like to know what brand of machine, if you have a preferred brand. Where I should buy metal strips? What kind of metal? How thick?
I have many questions...
You'll definitely want stainless steel if you go with a ferrous metal. You could also go with anodized aluminum.
Putting the text on them can be done with CNC engraving or laser marking. If laser marking, anodized aluminum marks beautifully. Stainless requires the use of a marking spray like Ceramark.
You could also go low-tech and use an electric engraving pen, if you don't mind it being handwritten.
posted by tomierna at 8:10 AM on June 25, 2019
Putting the text on them can be done with CNC engraving or laser marking. If laser marking, anodized aluminum marks beautifully. Stainless requires the use of a marking spray like Ceramark.
You could also go low-tech and use an electric engraving pen, if you don't mind it being handwritten.
posted by tomierna at 8:10 AM on June 25, 2019
Response by poster: We definitely don't want handwritten.
And we would love to be able to do this in house if possible.
posted by sciencegeek at 8:19 AM on June 25, 2019
And we would love to be able to do this in house if possible.
posted by sciencegeek at 8:19 AM on June 25, 2019
You could do acid etching: https://www.wikihow.com/Acid-Etch-Steel
posted by annathea at 8:30 AM on June 25, 2019
posted by annathea at 8:30 AM on June 25, 2019
Response by poster: Note: we will be making more than 400 labels.
posted by sciencegeek at 8:32 AM on June 25, 2019
posted by sciencegeek at 8:32 AM on June 25, 2019
And we would love to be able to do this in house if possible.
That will be difficult, given the size of the pieces you describe (it means, for example, that a metal-stamping Dymo unit won't suffice).
Some options:
1) CO2 laser plus stainless steel covered with Thermark/Ceramark/Brilliance spray
2) anodized aluminum (possible to do in-house, I've done it in a basement, but it's pretty tricky and requires nasty chemicals and semi-specialized equipment with a high failure rate unless you're really damn careful)
3) buy pre-anodized aluminum plates, etch by hand (dremel or equivalent, this will be obviously hand-done)
4) stainless steel + paint + machine etching
5) stainless steel + paint + hand-etching
6) stainless steel + stencil + paint (stencil could be cut by hand, laser, or Cricut-type)
7) brass plate and photo-etching (some nasty chemicals and semi-specialized equipment)
8) stainless steel plate + pre-formed metal letters and numbers, riveted/brazed/glued onto the plate
9) UV-resistant dual-layer plastic plate, etched by rotary machine
...at 400 plates I'd suggest either getting a sign place to do it for you, or else try #6 first, followed by #8 if necessary.
posted by aramaic at 8:38 AM on June 25, 2019
That will be difficult, given the size of the pieces you describe (it means, for example, that a metal-stamping Dymo unit won't suffice).
Some options:
1) CO2 laser plus stainless steel covered with Thermark/Ceramark/Brilliance spray
2) anodized aluminum (possible to do in-house, I've done it in a basement, but it's pretty tricky and requires nasty chemicals and semi-specialized equipment with a high failure rate unless you're really damn careful)
3) buy pre-anodized aluminum plates, etch by hand (dremel or equivalent, this will be obviously hand-done)
4) stainless steel + paint + machine etching
5) stainless steel + paint + hand-etching
6) stainless steel + stencil + paint (stencil could be cut by hand, laser, or Cricut-type)
7) brass plate and photo-etching (some nasty chemicals and semi-specialized equipment)
8) stainless steel plate + pre-formed metal letters and numbers, riveted/brazed/glued onto the plate
9) UV-resistant dual-layer plastic plate, etched by rotary machine
...at 400 plates I'd suggest either getting a sign place to do it for you, or else try #6 first, followed by #8 if necessary.
posted by aramaic at 8:38 AM on June 25, 2019
(Also, CO2 lasers are getting fairly widespread, you might want to see if someone in your local community can help out with #1. The sprays work pretty well, so if you bought the spray and supplied the metal plates they might be willing to make the laser time reasonably affordable (couple bucks apiece). I mean, I'd probably do it, but I'm on the wrong coast)
posted by aramaic at 8:42 AM on June 25, 2019
posted by aramaic at 8:42 AM on June 25, 2019
If you're willing to reduce the length NYC Resistor has a laser cutter that can etch aluminum up to a 32" length. It would be prohibitively expensive to do 400 through renting time on their machine, but if you're wanting to slowly add and change labels slowly over time might work for that. Their machine cannot cut aluminum.
NYC Resistor
You will need to take their intro class on laser cutting and have access to software that can produce .dxf files.
posted by edbles at 8:49 AM on June 25, 2019
NYC Resistor
You will need to take their intro class on laser cutting and have access to software that can produce .dxf files.
posted by edbles at 8:49 AM on June 25, 2019
Member of NYC Resistor here! Laser-etched anodized aluminum would look beautiful and probably be pretty expensive, because etching is slow. Probably at least $4-5 per stake.
A cheap engraver with a lettering template might give nicer looking results than just handwriting with an engraver. Here's one for less than $20 - I've never tried it.
posted by moonmilk at 9:13 AM on June 25, 2019
A cheap engraver with a lettering template might give nicer looking results than just handwriting with an engraver. Here's one for less than $20 - I've never tried it.
posted by moonmilk at 9:13 AM on June 25, 2019
Depending on the number of these you're handling, a low-tech alternative would be to get a set of letter punches.
posted by adamrice at 10:43 AM on June 25, 2019
posted by adamrice at 10:43 AM on June 25, 2019
You could do this in-house with a basic desktop CNC router/engraver, as long as it's a type with a fixed, open bed so that you can lay the 2-3ft metal strip on a workbench with one end in the machine. Exactly how long you want the "6-10 inches" engraveable length to be will be critical to choosing a suitable machine.
If you go this route you will want to use aluminium for the strips - cutting into stainless steel requires a much more rigid sort of machine.
posted by automatronic at 11:03 AM on June 25, 2019
If you go this route you will want to use aluminium for the strips - cutting into stainless steel requires a much more rigid sort of machine.
posted by automatronic at 11:03 AM on June 25, 2019
Are phenolic laminate labels off the table? The right ones last for years.
posted by StephenB at 1:07 PM on June 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by StephenB at 1:07 PM on June 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
Can you separate the label and the stake? And then fasten them together afterward. (rivets? Brazing?)
I'm having some trouble imagining your description, unless the text runs vertically the length of the stake.
posted by meaty shoe puppet at 7:11 PM on June 25, 2019
I'm having some trouble imagining your description, unless the text runs vertically the length of the stake.
posted by meaty shoe puppet at 7:11 PM on June 25, 2019
Response by poster: The text runs vertically.
Plastic is off the table.
Letter punch is too informal for what we are doing.
posted by sciencegeek at 2:08 AM on June 26, 2019
Plastic is off the table.
Letter punch is too informal for what we are doing.
posted by sciencegeek at 2:08 AM on June 26, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by notsnot at 8:03 AM on June 25, 2019