Manual milling engraving

Most engravings today are very modern and are made with the help of advanced machines, often also with the support of computer systems.

In contrast to the modern engraving methods, such as laser engraving and CNC engraving, which currently find the most applications, there is still an older engraving technique that does without new techniques: manual milling engraving.

As the name suggests, an important part of the process is manual. The engraving machine, the so-called pantograph, is controlled by hand via a hoist, whereby the process paths are defined via templates that are run off.

 

At first glance, manual milling engraving seems inferior to modern engraving techniques, which are characterized by their speed and precision. In particular, the production of the templates requires more effort and also limits the font selection. These techniques are therefore particularly suitable for large industrial series production.

However, for some machining processes, manual processing of the workpieces and materials is still advantageous and indispensable. This is because this engraving process is characterized by its simplicity. No exact positions are programmed, calculated and then automatically approached. With manual milling engraving, the desired position is approached by operating a crank. Workpieces that do not yet correspond to the desired final result can thus be processed and improved more rationally than, for example, by a laser or a CNC machine. Therefore, this milling engraving is best suited for individual productions that are to be perfected.