Leather engraving and stenciling equipment

[esantoro]

I've had some customers ask about custom engraving and stenciling (the latter for journals not bags). I have a few questions about getting started in researching options.

How much would it cost to get into the following machines:

1. An adequate laser engraving machine

2. A stenciling machine

3. An engraving machine for stainless steel, sterling silver, and brass plates.

Thanks,

Ed

[Studio-N]

I'll field the laser engraving machine question. I answered a lot of these same questions before the crash, but since it is all gone, I'll

add my 2 cents worth again.

When looking at lasers, there are 3 considerations: POWER, speed and table space (including clearance).

Leather does not require a lot of power. You can get a good engraving with as low as 20 watts. A good engraving is a

dark burn with about a 1 - 1.5 oz. of depth. Cutting the leather all the way through requires 30-35 watts but it will char the edges,

so at least with my work I use the laser to mark the leather pattern on the surface but still cut it with a knife to avoid the burned

edges.

Speed is a consideration and is tightly related to power. You can run the machine faster the more power you have. If it is

small machine with a 15 -20 watt max, you'll have to run it slower. Doing an 8x10 photograph with my 45 watt machine at 100 %

speed will take 20-30 minutes max. Doing the same work on a 20 watt machine may take 3-4 times longer. This is a worse case

scenerio since when doing pictures you use raster drawings and every inch of the leather is scanned whether the beam is actaully

turned on or not.

Table space and clearance are the final consideration. There have been many small machines introduced since I bought mine. These

small machines are targeted at the trophy industry (i.e. FLAT PLAQUES) which only require minimal clearance. Small machines usually only

provide 3 - 4 inches of clearance. This is sufficient for engraving the parts before construction, but it is tough to work with on finished goods. Larger machines give you about 9 inches of clearance. The table space dictates your engraving area. These small machines only give you

about 12 x 12 inches of space. Great for a wooden plaque, but tough to shove a saddle fender under it. The industry standard is a minimum

of 12 x 24 inches. All these machines are driven by something like stepper motors on a parallel beam, so the largest reliable sizes are

no bigger than 18x36 inches. Prices go up exponentially on anything bigger.

Ok, I'm sure you want to know about pricing. There are some cheap Pacific rim (read crap into this) models out there for about 4K.

These are the 12x12 trophy models. Lots of luck is all I have to say. Support is zero and I hope you can read chinese.

The two largest and best makers of laser engraving machines are either EPILOG or my personal favorite Universal Laser Systems (ULSINC.COM). These machines have gotten bigger, more powerful, faster and cheaper since I bought mine. Mine is a 45 watt ULS machine with a 12x24 table and 9" clearance. At the time, it was $16k. Since then, the newer models allow up to 100 watts, are 30% faster and come in 12x36 or 18x36 models. Pricing usually starts in the $12k range. The smaller 12x12 models from these guys are in the 4k range. Support from both of these manufactures and their dealers are beyond reproach. Excellent. Top notch. Primo. And they are both made in the USA.

There are other costs involved as well such as Software. Most US models will run with Corel Draw. That adds about $500. Venting is a

necessity both for safety and because burning materials like leather usually stink to high heaven. The venting can be quite elaborate using

HVOC filters and the like or as simple as what I use which is a woodworking dust collector vented to the outside.

Last thoughts - lasers have indeed made a foot hold in the leather business. I can name at least 2 large saddle manufactures who are using

laser engravers to lay out the patterns for carving some of their production saddles. It is not for everyone and they are certainly

not toys (except for idiots like me who had a few bucks to spare at the time). They are a major part of the trophy business on leather items

since you can get a level of detail unrivaled by the mechanical means. They are becoming more and more a part of the craft business as

the price drops. I myself, probably engraved over 2000 leather wristbands for client running a home craft business. (I never want to see

another wrist band again). I see more and more laser engraved items when I attend craft shows.

That's all I got for now. If you have any other questions I'll be happy to share my 2 pennies. peace.

[esantoro]

Thanks for this great post on laser engraving machines.

Ed

I'll field the laser engraving machine question. I answered a lot of these same questions before the crash, but since it is all gone, I'll

add my 2 cents worth again.

When looking at lasers, there are 3 considerations: POWER, speed and table space (including clearance).

Leather does not require a lot of power. You can get a good engraving with as low as 20 watts. A good engraving is a

dark burn with about a 1 - 1.5 oz. of depth. Cutting the leather all the way through requires 30-35 watts but it will char the edges,

so at least with my work I use the laser to mark the leather pattern on the surface but still cut it with a knife to avoid the burned

edges.

Speed is a consideration and is tightly related to power. You can run the machine faster the more power you have. If it is

small machine with a 15 -20 watt max, you'll have to run it slower. Doing an 8x10 photograph with my 45 watt machine at 100 %

speed will take 20-30 minutes max. Doing the same work on a 20 watt machine may take 3-4 times longer. This is a worse case

scenerio since when doing pictures you use raster drawings and every inch of the leather is scanned whether the beam is actaully

turned on or not.

Table space and clearance are the final consideration. There have been many small machines introduced since I bought mine. These

small machines are targeted at the trophy industry (i.e. FLAT PLAQUES) which only require minimal clearance. Small machines usually only

provide 3 - 4 inches of clearance. This is sufficient for engraving the parts before construction, but it is tough to work with on finished goods. Larger machines give you about 9 inches of clearance. The table space dictates your engraving area. These small machines only give you

about 12 x 12 inches of space. Great for a wooden plaque, but tough to shove a saddle fender under it. The industry standard is a minimum

of 12 x 24 inches. All these machines are driven by something like stepper motors on a parallel beam, so the largest reliable sizes are

no bigger than 18x36 inches. Prices go up exponentially on anything bigger.

Ok, I'm sure you want to know about pricing. There are some cheap Pacific rim (read crap into this) models out there for about 4K.

These are the 12x12 trophy models. Lots of luck is all I have to say. Support is zero and I hope you can read chinese.

The two largest and best makers of laser engraving machines are either EPILOG or my personal favorite Universal Laser Systems (ULSINC.COM). These machines have gotten bigger, more powerful, faster and cheaper since I bought mine. Mine is a 45 watt ULS machine with a 12x24 table and 9" clearance. At the time, it was $16k. Since then, the newer models allow up to 100 watts, are 30% faster and come in 12x36 or 18x36 models. Pricing usually starts in the $12k range. The smaller 12x12 models from these guys are in the 4k range. Support from both of these manufactures and their dealers are beyond reproach. Excellent. Top notch. Primo. And they are both made in the USA.

There are other costs involved as well such as Software. Most US models will run with Corel Draw. That adds about $500. Venting is a

necessity both for safety and because burning materials like leather usually stink to high heaven. The venting can be quite elaborate using

HVOC filters and the like or as simple as what I use which is a woodworking dust collector vented to the outside.

Last thoughts - lasers have indeed made a foot hold in the leather business. I can name at least 2 large saddle manufactures who are using

laser engravers to lay out the patterns for carving some of their production saddles. It is not for everyone and they are certainly

not toys (except for idiots like me who had a few bucks to spare at the time). They are a major part of the trophy business on leather items

since you can get a level of detail unrivaled by the mechanical means. They are becoming more and more a part of the craft business as

the price drops. I myself, probably engraved over 2000 leather wristbands for client running a home craft business. (I never want to see

another wrist band again). I see more and more laser engraved items when I attend craft shows.

That's all I got for now. If you have any other questions I'll be happy to share my 2 pennies. peace.