For jewellers, jewellery designers or retailers, the choice is not always easy when faced with the multiplicity of solutions for engraving jewellery. Our expertise at Gravotech has enabled us to bring together all the elements to take into account when choosing the best jewellery engraving machine for your application.
Whether you want to develop your ideas, internalise the customisation, reduce your production time or upgrade your equipment, we have the solution!
For jewellery engraving, Gravotech (formerly Gravograph) has 4 dedicated solutions, such as the M10 Jewel and M20 Jewel our mechanical and rotary engraving machines, the WeLase™ and LW2 our jewellery laser engraving machines.
This ultimate guide reviews the different criteria to consider in order to help you find the best jewellery engraving machine based on: degree of expertise, budget, types of jewellery, types of engraving, work environment, mechanical and laser technology and also software.
The first consideration in choosing the type of jewellery engraving machine adapted to your need is your current level of knowledge about engraving processes and engraving machines.
M10 Jewel | M20 Jewel | WeLase™ | LW2 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Technology | Rotary | Rotary | Laser | Laser |
Learning time | ⏱ | ⏱⏱ | ⏱⏱ | ⏱⏱⏱ |
Need for a computer | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Windows® tablet compatibility | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ |
There are many types of jewellery engraving machines for an infinite number of possibilities and budgets. The estimated return on investment (ROI) is part of the criteria to choose the best jewellery engraving machine for your needs.
Other criteria to take into account are the budget, the current or future volume of production, the cost of consumables and the cost of use.
If you have a limited budget, you may prefer a mechanical machine. They are affordable jewellery engraving machines and they become profitable more quickly than a laser engraving machine.
However, if you have a high volume of engraving to produce, a laser engraver will allow you to have more efficient productivity.
So, how much does a jewellery engraving machine cost ? Here is an overview which will help you understand the different costs to take into account.
M10 Jewel | M20 Jewel | WeLase™ | LW2 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Technology | Rotary | Rotary | Laser | Laser |
Initial budget | £££ | £££ | £££ | £££ |
Cost of use |
Low | Low | Medium | Medium |
Cost of consumables* | £££ | £££ | £££ | £££ |
Volume to be produced for a quick ROI** | Low | Medium | High | High |
*Consumables include cutters, diamonds, lubricating gel, paints (color etching) and thinners.
**ROI between 1 and 6 months is calculated on the basis of an engraving between 10 to 40 objects per day for £5 to £10 each (depending on the machine).
Need support and advice on your engraving project?
You can find different type of jewellery engraving machines depending on the shape and type of jewellery to be personalised. If you have a large catalog of jewellery to engrave, your future machine will have to be compatible with the different shapes and sizes of your pieces.
• You want to engrave only cylindrical jewellery such as rings, wedding rings or round bracelets?
The mechanical engraving machine M10 Jewel is dedicated only to bracelets and rings engraving. The M10 Jewel is an outside and inside of ring engraving machine thanks to its integrated rotating device.
• You want to engrave pendants, flat bracelets and as well as rings?
The rotary engraving machine M20 Jewel and the laser engraving machine WeLase™ are versatile machines. They engrave both cylindrical jewellery such as rings (inside and out), wedding bands or flat bracelets, and curved jewellery such as kerb chains or bands.
• You also want to engrave larger objects (metal cups, watch cases…)?
Jewellery laser engraver like the WeLase™ and the LW2, or the rotary engraving machine M20 Jewel will be able to engrave larger objects.
The comparative table below shows the main types of engraving that can be done on the different types of jewellery according to our machines.
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