Technological advancements have afforded many new sytles of marking award products. These different engraving styles affect the finished look of your awards. At Trophies2go.com, we offer several, but not all, of the engraving styles. The purpose of this article is to describe some of the styles and address some of their strengths and weaknesses.
Diamond Drag (metal):
Possibly the most common engraving method, this style of engraving uses the tip of a diamond to physically scratch into metal. The Diamond Tip is operated by a computerized machine. Our Engravers program the engraving job according to the specifications (size, style and text) of the job. The job is then sent to the machine that holds the material. The machine then follows the programmed template in a robot-like fashion. The end result is a product that has been physically scraped by the diamond-tip. If text is used, there can be multiple passes to each letter. Unlike traditional true-type fonts, there are a limited number of engravers fonts that are available. These fonts usually have 1-3 passes per letter. The single line fonts yield a thin (and simpler) look to the engraving, where a triple-line font gives a bolder look. Most trophy shops have the ability to diamond drag, but an increasing number have opted to just use a laser engraver to engrave metal. We use diamond drag engraving on our trophies and plaques, especially those that do not have intricate logos. The end result is a classic engraved look and vibrant marking to the metal.
Burnishing (metal): Burnishing is an engraving method very similar to diamond drag. Instead of using a tip of a diamond, burnishing marks the metal with a rotating carbide or diamond tip. This method creates a thicker marking to each stroke of the engraver. Some people and engraving shops prefer this method, but one of the downsides is that the oxidization of the brass may occur more quickly. There is more surface area to the exposed brass. Depending on your climate where your award is placed, the burnished letters may become less vibrant over the course of time. For this reason we prefer the diamond drag method.Routing (plastic):Routing is an engraving method that carves into plastic. We use the same engraving diamond-drag machinery to program the job, but use a different spindle to engrave the plastic signs. Similar to a router, we place a carbide tipped bit into a spindle. There are many different sizes of carbide tips to choose from, ranging from .005 of an inch to .2 of an inch. The different tips allow us to control the width of the engraving stroke. The rotating carbide tip is just below the Plastic Nose Cone. When finished, the letters in the sign should be completely etched out. The depth of the letters of the sign should be such that the coating of the plastic is removed, but not so deep as to look as if the letters were gouged out.
Laser Engraving (wood, metal, plastic, acrylic, glass, crystal):
Laser engraving has become very important to the awards industry. It offers a versatile way to mark a lot of different products. The technology of the laser engraving is relatively complex, yet it can be explained easily by making an analogy to a laser printer. The engraving job is programmed using a graphics program (we use Corel X3) by an experienced programmer (Jeremy). The engravers (Jeremy & Travis) then ‘print’ the engraving job to the laser engraver. The laser engraver is a large box that holds the product that is being engraved. When we run the laser engraver, the Laser Beam is focused a certain distance from the product. The settings of the laser are set according to the material that is being engraved. We can alter the speed in which the laser travels as well as the intensity of the beam. These two factors enable the appropriate depth of the marking and are at the core of why this machine can be used for so many applications. When laser engraving into wood, we use a slower and more intense setting to ensure a deep burn into the wood. With other materials, we can use a faster setting. Although laser engravers can be used to create plastic signs, we prefer to use the routing method (above). Even though some trophy shops use the laser as the only way to mark glass and crystal items, we prefer to laser engrave and then sandblast (see below) our glass and crystal awards. The net effect of the combination of these 2 processes gives glass and crystal pieces a higher resolution as well as a deeper etch.
Sandblasting (glass, crystal andmarble):
Sandblasting is an engraving method that uses gritty sand to carve directly into a product. A mask is created that enables sand to penetrate certain areas yet prohibits it from entering others. The sand applied through a pressurized nozzle. This method is particularly useful when used on glass, crystal and marble. The depth of the etching can be controlled by the time, pressure and amount of sand applied to the product. After the sandblasting is complete, a paint-fill can be applied to make the engraved area have a different color. The residual mask is then removed to yield a great award. One of the drawbacks of sandblasting can be the size of the lettering. When certain serif fonts are used or the lettering is below 14pt, the interior of the letter is susceptible to blasting out. We do our best to control this when creating artwork, but if you chose another awards supplier, that might be something to be aware of.
Screen-printing (metal, acrylic, glass, crystal, plastic and apparel):
Even though we do not screen print, it is an important engraving method that you might want to be aware of. It is applied to different products by using one or many different screens. Paint filters through the screens and dries on the product. This process can be repeated in different areas using several different colors. One downside could be that the paint can come off. If applied correctly by the screen printer, this should not occur. Also, be careful and use a cleaner that will not take the paint off.
Pantograph (unique items):
Pantograph engraving is one of the oldest forms of engraving still done today. This style consists of oversized letter templates that are traced out as the engraver manually depresses a stylus onto the product they are engraving. Pantograph engraving is quickly becoming a lost art and subsequently can be extremely expensive. If you have a unique or difficult item to engrave, you might need to find a pantograph engraver in your area.
Sublimation (metal, other items):
Sublimation is a process of engraving that applies an image on to a product. This is usually accomplished by applying heat to the image and item. There are several new inks in the sublimation market. These new products can either produce higher quality sublimation printing or lower quality (and lower cost). The benefit of sublimation is the addition of color to your award. In the past, sublimation was limited to metal and apparel, but recently advances have been made that enable sublimation on certain glass and acrylic products. We do not offer sublimation right now.
Direct Color (plastic):
Another newer engraving process is a process I call Direct Color. It is a process, similar to sublimation, that applies ink onto certain plastics. The best application for us is for full-color name badges. Through this engraving technique, the color quality and resolution of name badges has increased dramatically. Security barcodes and employee pictures can also be added to these badges. When color is needed on a name badge, using this process definitely creates a wow-factor.
Labels (adhere to trophies and other awards):
Finally, the last ‘engraving’ style that I wish to discuss is labels. Some awards suppliers have chosen this route as an inexpensive way to imitate engraving. It definitely gets the job done with marking the trophy, but the quality leaves something to be desired. They are made out of a thinner mylar material (usually gold or silver) and printed with black letters. We do not offer label-like engraving. If you are concerned about whether or not your awards supplier uses labels, make sure to ask and get clarification before you place your order.
