Laser Engraving vs. Impact Etching
Laser Engraver
- Can engrave wood, leather, plastic.
- Burns very thin upper layer of the stone.
- Works best on perfectly black stone. Yields substandard results on non-black.
- Laser machines are complex and have many subsystems: electronic, mechanical, optical, cooling, and fumes removal.
- Requires stone leveling procedure. Stone has to be perfectly flat and level against the machine’s plane.
- Requires manual focusing and/or gap setting to ensure proper distance between the laser tube and stone.
- Has to be used in lab-like environment with stable temperature. Changes to temperature can cause gas leaks from laser tube and can significantly reduce tube life.
- Output of laser tubes changes with ambient temperature and depends on proper cooling.
- High price for high-end models. Questionable reliability for low-end models.
- Most laser machines leave image preparation to the user. This causes frustration and substandard results.
Granite™ Impact Etching Machine
- Can only engrave stone, glass, metal or other hard materials - designed specifically for monument builders.
- Physically hits stone with diamond “needle", creating images that are as close as it gets to manual etching.
- Can be used on any stone of any color, regardless of imperfections the stone may have.
- Has only 2 subsystems: electronic and mechanical, and has fewer components for higher reliability.
- Stone does not have to be perfectly flat or level. Machine has the tracking head that follows the surface of the stone; set-up time is minimal.
- Has automatic gap setting mechanism.
- Designed for your workshop and its environment.
- Price that every monument shop can afford. Pays for itself in a matter of months.
- Assembled from German-made linear drives. Rugged industrial-grade welded frame.
- Comes with Image Editing Service that will prepare images for etching. Editing done manually by artist will ensure perfect quality that your clients will like.
What is the largest size stone that can be etched?
There is no relation between the size of the stone and type of the machine you use. You can put the portable Granite-CP™ model over any monument, regardless of its size. Stationary models Granite-SR™ and Granite-SX™ can work on stones as large as the distance between the machine’s legs on the longest side.
Granite-CP™ Impact Etcher
- 15.7" x 23.6" Image Area
- Portable and can be positioned directly over the stone.
Granite-SR™ Impact Etcher
- 25.2" x 29.9" Image Area
- Mid-range floor model
Granite-SX™
- 25.2" x 48.8" Image Area
- Large floor model