[BIG IGG]

I was interested in one because I would like to engrave some aluminum key-chains for a local event and started to look in to them. Was wonder if it makes a difference between diamond vs carbide. I'm hoping some one know here. Saw some on eBay or do you know of a better place to get it.

[BIG IGG]

Anyone?

And I have a png file that I would like to engrave. Is there converter. I tried a png to dwg but it just made a mess. I only have mastercam available.

[diecutter]

Try this company Diamond Drag & Rotating Engravers by J & M Diamond Tool, Inc.
I bought my diamond points from them and built the tool holder per youtube videos. Works great on aluminum, steel, and glass, etc.

Try this site for more than you want to know about using diamond drag engravers. Good luck. https://www.johnsonplastics.com/engr...ag-engravingtt

[BIG IGG]

Okay I will check it out. Thank you
Which YouTube video did you watch

[Bob La Londe]

I bought a spring loaded drag engraver many years ago and tried it with diamond tip engravers. After breaking the diamond off of them I got frustrated and just started making my own drag engravers out of broken and worn out 1/8 shank carbide endmills. I'd just chuck them in the drill and spin them against a grinder. Worked pretty good. I made several sharp pointed tips that way. They worked on all kinds of things, and I didn't break them like I did the diamond tipped ones. Aluminum, brass, even the side of a hard impact socket. I also made one rounded one I used for "embossing" a plastic wood grain covered soft wood box.

One thing I should mentioned is that drag engraving with a sharp tipped tool does raise a burr on aluminum and brass. More recently I rotary engraved brass plates by making a fixture/jig for them out of a piece of aluminum and clamping them down along the edges with button head screws. This way they are held flat and they can be rotary engraved more consistently. It does not seem to leave a burr the way drag engraving does. You can see tiny tool marks when cut dry, but when cut with flood coolant it looks very very good.

[diecutter]

Okay I will check it out. Thank you
Which YouTube video did you watch

Search diy diamond drag engraver on You Tube and pick whichever of the dozens of builds shown. None of them are very difficult.

[spumco]

Drag engraving can be fast, but I prefer a burr-free finish so I don't have to Superfly the final surface. I try to fly-cut the surface before engraving, but my spring-loaded holder is pretty forgiving of surface variations. Also permits fast feed rates for a given DOC.

Lakeshore 0.020" ball engraver at 7kRPM, 12IPM, 0.001"-002" DOC in a DIY spring-loaded holder leave a superb finish in aluminum with mist or flood.

[MichaelHenry]

And I have a png file that I would like to engrave. Is there converter. I tried a png to dwg but it just made a mess. I only have mastercam available.

A PNG file consists of a bit map, doesn't it? That might take quite a while to process and to machine.

[spumco]

Anyone?

And I have a png file that I would like to engrave. Is there converter. I tried a png to dwg but it just made a mess. I only have mastercam available.

Inkscape is the software you need. Convert .png or bitmap to vector graphics so you can import in to master cam.

[Bob La Londe]

Inkscape is the software you need. Convert .png or bitmap to vector graphics so you can import in to master cam.

CamBam has some new engrave capabilities for images files in V1.0, and one of the regulars on the CB forum has been working on a half tone plugin.