Most of us have probably heard of metal engraving, which is nothing more than a process of removing excess from solid metal. In the past, metal engraving was mostly done by hand by craftsmen. Now with the continuous progress and development of society, people have invented a lot of carving tools instead of manpower, such as the most popular pneumatic engraving machine on the market, as well as without direct contact with the metal can be engraved laser engraving technology. Metal pressing technology can be considered a branch of metal engraving technology, but metal pressing technology has its own characteristics. Metal pressing technology refers to the use of special metal processing machine will be metal through the machine’s external force stamping in a variety of specific molds. This process is very similar to flat iron punching machines. The next part of the article is about the characteristics of the metal engraving process and the metal pressing technology, as well as what kind of operation process they have, and the difference between the two of them.
Metal Engraving
The first is the characteristics of metal engraving
If you really want to dig deeper, there are still many features of metal engraving. But here is a list of three features. The first is that metal engraving works generally have a relatively high ornamental and artistic value, and some of them are even able to sell for more than you can imagine.
The second is that the production cost of metal engraving is relatively high, and most of them are engraved with some precious metals, such as gold, silver and other metals. So for the carving of such metal craftsmen need to have a very high carving skills.
Lastly, engraved metal is capable of producing more layered pieces, and the complexity of engraved metal can be quite impressive, as long as the engraver’s carving techniques are in place.
Again, the process of metal engraving
Step 1: Choose the type of metal you want to engrave
We all know what metal engraving is, which is nothing more than engraving the desired pattern on metal. However, there are actually many types of metal engraving. For example, the most common gold engraving, and then platinum engraving. Different metals, they correspond to different engraving methods. So before specifying an engraving program, the most important thing is to know what you or your customers’ needs are first.
Step 2: Develop an engraving program
After choosing the metal you need to engrave, you have to conceptualize in your mind what kind of metal work you need to engrave. It is best for you to have a detailed communication with your client. The time consumed in developing the program is also unpredictable.
Step 3: Complete cleaning of the metal
You need to clean the stains from the metal before you proceed with the formal metal work. Here into the shares you don’t observe more obvious stains then you’d better have a simple cleaning of the metal. You can do this as follows: first wipe the metal with a specialized metal cleaning solution along with a soft cloth, and then wipe the remaining liquid on it with a dry soft cloth.
Step 4: Choose the right engraving tool to start engraving
For beginners, it is still a bit difficult to use purely handmade carving tools directly. Even professional engraving masters need to have many years of engraving experience to be able to use the engraving tool to perfection. So a lot of people will choose the pneumatic engraving machine as their first choice for engraving metal. Before engraving, if you can not guarantee that you can be successful at once. You’d better draw the pattern you want to engrave on the metal first (no need to be particularly fine, this is for you to see). If you’re engraving text, you can also use a ruler to draw two horizontal lines on the top line of the metal in case you subsequently carve the letters crookedly when engraving them.
Metal pressing
Three features of metal pressing technology
First of all, the time cost of metal pressing is shorter than that of metal engraving. Therefore, if you want to use metal mass production processing, metal pressing technology is more reasonable. The second is that the surface of the metal work produced by metal pressing technology is relatively smooth, and the lines are also relatively simple. The last feature is that it is more malleable, as long as you can make its template, you can make any form of metal works.
Metal pressing process
The process of pressing metal is actually not very different from the metal engraving process mentioned above. It can also be divided into the selection of the metal, the basic line division, the cutting of the metal blocks, the pressing of the metal into shape and the subsequent adjustment of the piece. Much of it actually involves dividing the metal into multiple, uniform blocks; after all, the size of the metal module is fixed. After the initial press molding, there may be some small imperfections on the finished product, such as burrs. So the metal needs to be subsequently sanded or carved with some details. The purpose is to make the work more finished.
Finally, there is the distinction between metal engraving and the practical uses of metal engraving
The most common use of metal engraving is being used for engraving artwork, and more commonly for jewelry, such as necklaces, rings, earrings, and other accessories. Lastly, metal engraving for clocks and watches, some clocks and watches are decorated with metal engraving on the outside.
Metal pressing is mainly used in the production of automobile parts, kitchen appliances and other daily necessities.