How does rotary engraving work?

Rotary engraving consists of “hollowing-out” a material using an engraving bit. Engrave It Houston uses a carbide bit to engrave an average of 0.003”-0.007” into the material. Engraved letters, symbols, or graphics can then be filled with paint for greater contrast. The drill follows a machining toolpath defined using specialized computer-assisted manufacturing software, creating extreme precision and repeatability.

Benefits of rotary engraving

Rotary engraving is one of the most cost-effective and durable engraving solutions available, due to its high precision, readability, production efficiency, and more. Specific advantages include:

• Durability: Rotary engraved tags and plates are long-lasting and tamper-proof, remaining resilient for years or decades even in harsh industrial or outdoor environments.

• Flexibility: Rotary engraving is highly customizable and can be used to make a wide variety of texts, shapes, and logos. Rotary engraving also supports variable printing.

• Color contrast: The shapes and letters created by rotary engraving can be filled with paint, offering a stark color contrast, high readability, and an appealing aesthetic.

• Production efficiency: The team at Engrave It Houston can mass-produce rotary engraved tags, labels, control panels, schematic panels, nameplates, and dataplates quickly and cost-effectively compared to other engraving solutions.

Applications of rotary engraving

Rotary engraving is suitable for almost all materials, including metals, alloys, wood, stone, plastics, and more. Engrave It Houston’s rotary engraving solutions include a wide variety of metals: brass, anodized aluminum, stainless steel, and coated metals. Rotary engraving can also be used to permanently engrave plastics, acrylic, plexiglas, wood, leather, paper, and cardboard.

We use rotary engraving for tags, labels, nameplates, data plates, schematic panels, and control panels. It is a useful solution for any application where our customers need high readability and products that will last for years to come, even when exposed to weather, harsh industrial chemicals, and other abrasive or corrosive conditions.