Guest onlyme Posted March 8, 2010 Report Share Posted March 8, 2010 Hi Sorry i am sure this has been done to death. New to this site and havnt a clue what to do. Completely new to engraving. I want to engrave mainly lettering on flat laminate plastic. Possibly stainless steel and glass. But mostly plastic. Dimensions would be no more than 20cm x 20cm. its a new business idea so i guess quantities wont be huge. (just being realistic). I have looked at various machines on the internet and am getting lost as some say that you need additional vices to hold material, others have adhesive boards. I am looking for something that will do what i am looking for without having to add on bits that i thought should be included. Can anyone clear things up for me. I have looked at gravograph m40, suregrave, umarq and roland egx350. They all look great but i just dont know. I am totally open to changing my mind as i have done so so many times already. if i havnt given enough details let me know. thanks in advance ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hakeemz Posted March 8, 2010 Report Share Posted March 8, 2010 welcome to the forum,,i cant fault is200tx from gravograph. for area mentioned this would be sufficient yet verstile enough to engrave cylindrical items such as tankards or glasses later..you can also do jewllery , bracelets etc,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenB Posted March 8, 2010 Report Share Posted March 8, 2010 My advice would be to work out how much you want to spend, then pick the appropriate machine from each company & get them to give you a proper demonstration of the machine. If they can't be bothered to come to you to give a demonstration, they probably won't be bothered to come to you if you have a problem, so bear this in mind! Spend time being shown & using the software for each machine, as fundamentally the machines are all going to be doing the same thing, the biggest difference you'll notice is the interface between you & the machine. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted March 8, 2010 Report Share Posted March 8, 2010 your 20cm x 20cm could be restraining on the is200tx, its work space will do 22.5cm x 8cm you'd need to move the table if filling the 20cm on two lines, but if your looking to engrave a figure 18cm high it might be a fiddle. the M40G has had mixed reviews on the forum & I don't know anyone who actually owns one, they seam to be few & far between. Might be worth attending a trade show to view all the alternatives together (if you can wait that long) I think the next one is Cutting edge at doncaster followed by trophex in January. Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petercoulson Posted March 8, 2010 Report Share Posted March 8, 2010 I have a customer with the M40G and it is a great machine that will do up to A4 size and is easy to use but as said above work out a choice of 2 or 3 and get a demo if only just to see if your materials load easily for engraving. ps welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Friend Posted March 8, 2010 Report Share Posted March 8, 2010 Gravograph are at the Locksmith exhibition Nottingham this saturday 1000-1630 PM me if you want to get in the pre reg is closed, but I know a man that can ---oooh thats me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANDY Posted March 9, 2010 Report Share Posted March 9, 2010 welcome onlyme, what industry are you in? the is200tx is the best all-rounder even though the bed size is smaller but as lee said you can get round that by moving the bed you really don't want to be in a position down the line where you have to turn work away because of your machine choice why limit your engraving to just flat items? you can get good money for engraving tankards, glasses and bakerlite bases Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevecoco Posted March 9, 2010 Report Share Posted March 9, 2010 Gravograph IS 400 Volume its the dogs nuts, cannot fault it really. StevenB's advice is sound though, get up and personal to the machines and see which one suits you, remember the software side of it as well, you need to get to grips with that as well. Free the rave 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sooperdooper Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 I am a frequent browser of this forum, but have never been brave enough to post before, however having been in the same position as the orginal poster I felt compelled to reply. Last year I decided that I would take the plunge and invest in a engraving machine, and live the dream and work for myself! Surely I was having a period of insanity....! I had little idea of which machine I wanted, however I read posts on this forum and visited some trade fairs, and came across U-Marq. At the time there was a very complementary thread about Mark from U-Marq on the forum, and as they aren't a million miles away from me I decided to book a demo. He was and still is the most patient and professional person I think I have ever met. I asked a million and one stupid questions, and still do on a regualr basis and he always takes his time to explain clearly how I can improve what I do, or rectify my problem. I did have a couple of the others come and demo other machines, but I decided to buy a U-Marq machine. I have never looked back it does all that I want and I'm now so busy that I have just ordered a second! Once again guided and advised by Mark. I was a total newcomer to engraving and knew nothing at all. But with Mark's excellent training and constant availability on the end of the phone, I soon became confident and have made a sucess of my fledgling business. Happy looking and good luck with whichever machine you choose! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenB Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 Well said sooperdooper, and well done for taking the plunge =D> =D> As you may know, I also bought a new U-Marq machine last year & having mentioned a small issue with it to Mark at Trophex this year, he made a point of coming to see me to rectify it. =D> If you've ever found Cromer on a map you'll know that I'm not in a location he was ever going to be 'just passing through', so I certainly cannot recommend Mark & U-Marq highly enough. =D> \:D/ =D> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 What software are you guys using with these new U-marq machines? I'm still using Vistool 6 on my old Mastergrave Universal 280 and wondered if the improvements are worth the money for an upgrade? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenB Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 I'm on 'Universal Engraving 8' which really means Vistool 8. I was previously on Vistool 5 & it's a great improvement. An upgrade I'd certainly recommend. =D> It has great new features such as the depth profile function. This enables you to set the 'z' depth reference to follow a curved profile such as a Georgian Tankard or hip flask. \:D/ \:D/ It's much easier to switch between machine types - flat bed, centre vice, rotary, inside / outside ring / bangle etc are all selected from the auto layout dialogue box, and so much more. I could go on, but give Mark a call & let him show you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 Can it do the v-carve like on slate numbers? I had heard a few months ago that there was a universal engraving 9 coming out, and so planned to wait to upgrade,but not heard anything for a while so may take the plunge when I get a few pennies together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenB Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 Hmmm, not that I'm aware of. Mark, over to you on this one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironplanet uk900 Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 Gravograph machines are capable of V carve engraving, talk to them about it before you buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted March 11, 2010 Report Share Posted March 11, 2010 U-marq are everything the other forum members have said they are, patient, helpful and the demo's are great, as is the after purchase training. I contacted four manufacturers when looking for a machine only two made demo's. Suregrave & U-Marq. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAW Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 Mark of U-Marq came to my premises last year with a machine and provided a super demo. What a great chap clearly been around the engraving world a while and knows what is all about. For whatever reason, following demos at Gravo & Mastergrave, I decided actually to purchase one of Mark's competetors machines. The point I suppose I am trying to make is that there was absolutley no hint of a hard sale. I recommend that you get a U-Marq demo, pronto. Good luck with your purchase. Mart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
key cabin Posted March 18, 2010 Report Share Posted March 18, 2010 Have a very good look at the universal 300 machine by U-MARQ, probably the best machine you will ever buy, and Mark will come round and do a demo, not just that, he will give you as much advise as your brain will hold, and he is always just on the end of the phone if you are stuck with anything. How many other companies will do that i wonder? TOP COMPANY. GO GET. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironplanet uk900 Posted March 18, 2010 Report Share Posted March 18, 2010 Have a very good look at the universal 300 machine by U-MARQ, probably the best machine you will ever buy, Only if you don't buy a is400 volume, undoubtabley the best all round machine on the market Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forest Cobbler Posted March 19, 2010 Report Share Posted March 19, 2010 Hello all, Just wanted to add my twopen'orth to this topic. We are now the proud owners of a Umarq Universal 300 running Vistool 8, and I couldn't be more pleased. Vistool 8 is even more straight forward than Vistool 6 to use, the inside/outside ring & bangle engraver is already earning it's keep and it won't be long before the picture software is doing the same. Mark's patience when demonstrating a machine knows no bounds, and Umarq's after sales back up is superb; they never make you feel stupid, no matter how 'daft' you might feel that your question is. I know this sounds as though I might have been paid to say it, but I can assure you I haven't. Praise where praise is due. With regards from a happy engraver, Valerie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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