CNC suggestions for engraving aluminium plates for hot foil printing (fine details)

[paul4523]

Hi, was looking for some suggestions on a CNC machine that can engrave aluminium plates for hot foiling

The engravings are typically 1-2mm deep and need very fine details such as small text and graphics - heres an example - https://www.cpcards.co.uk/hot-foil-printing/hot-foil-printing-images/magnesium-blocks.jpg

30cmx20cm or 30cmx40cm would be fine.

Anyone make these type of plates on the forum or have experience with fine engraving to suggest things i should be thinking about?

My budget is £500-800

thanks

[KevA]

I don't think any CNC machine would be suitable.
I have an hot foil printer, not used it for years, and the blocks and plates, I used some place that made them.
You can get machines to make poly plates, not as hard wearing as magnesium plates.
These poly plate machines are pretty cheap, around the £120 mark.

[magicniner]

I don't think any CNC machine would be suitable.

That displays a massive lack of CNC experience, a suitable CNC Mill will easily make Aluminium plates of that kind.




Anyone make these type of plates on the forum or have experience with fine engraving

I've made branding irons for wood and stamps for steel, this a 10mm wide 01 Tool Steel stamp I made for a customer and the impression on steel

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I did this work with a Contour Minor CNC milling machine driven by Mach3 and an old 12v Router CNC control box with no PP buffering.
I just sold the whole system for just less than the sum of it's parts cost with 5 Coventry Easy Change holders and six ER11 10mm shank collets, a 4th axis and a 30krpm high speed spindle :D

Mass and rigidity are your friends when machining fine detail

[KevA]

Yeah, you could make the plates, but in most cases, not detailed enough for the plates needed for hot foil stamping.
I had to send camera ready artwork to get the plates made for me.

[magicniner]

Yeah, you could make the plates, but in most cases, not detailed enough for the plates needed for hot foil stamping.
I had to send camera ready artwork to get the plates made for me.

My current mill will engrave to 9 microns, what's required? :D

Given that Hot Foil is used for irregular outlines on graphics define the requirements because part of what you are implying is that the process is not accurate and requires some compensation in the stamps, which I doubt.

Also what is your CAD/CAM/CNC experience?

[KevA]

I'm mainly speaking from my hot foiling experience, and some of the jobs I did.
The blocks/plates I used were magnesium, and used some kind of photo etching process to create them.
I've no doubt, CNC would be good for some jobs in hot foiling, but a lot of the stuff I did, I don't think so.
I have attached a scrap card, showing a broom head. I don't any other examples at hand.

As for experience, I was a CNC programmer/operater in the mid eighties, and after that, I worked for a CAD/CAM software house in tech support for 7 years. We had 2D and 3D products and an NC product, as well as surface modelling and FE products(I'm definitely no FE expert). While not recent experience, my son works in precision engineering and I have seen some of the stuff that can be produced. A model of the Jules Rime(world cup, not sure how you spell that lol) was very impressive.
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