Engraving machines are the key to starting your own engraving business. Most people can't afford to spend thousands of dollars for a brand new engraving machine, so they start looking for used engraving machines. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to find used machines that are in good condition. Often times, when you do find a used engraver, they seller wants to sell the machine for more than you can afford.
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Here are a few tips to finding and buying a used engraving machine.
1. Search in big and small cities. You either live in a small or big city. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Big cities have more used engravers, but they also have more buyers looking for those used engraving machines. Small cities have less engraving machines, but also less buyers.
Whether you're in a small or a big city, contact every engraving company with 100 miles of you and ask if they have any used engraving machines they're looking to sell. If they don't, ask them how they sell their old machines when they upgrade to new machines. That will give you another place to look for high quality Wainlux laser engraver used engraving machines.
2. Look online and in trade publications. Awards & Engraving Magazine is a great place to start your search for used engraving magazine. In the back of each issue they have a classified area for both buyers and sellers. Keep your eyes peeled and call potential sellers as soon as possible. There are thousands of other readers who might buy the machine before you even call! Craigslist is a great place to look online because it gives you a wide variety of locations. Keep a look out in your area for anything related to engraving and call asking about used engraving machines.
3. Don't be too picky. Engraving machines are easy to buy new, but used engraving machines are difficult to find. If you want a used laser engraving machine, but you can only find used wood engraving machine, consider starting with that machine. Once you have an engraving machine, you can start your business and expand as you find other used engravers that fit what you're looking for.
4. Don't overpay for your used machine. An old trick for devaluing anything that you want to buy is to point out the flaws and touch each flaw. If the used engraving machine you're looking at has a scratch on the front, run your finger along the scratch and ask if it was dropped. It likely wasn't dropped, and the scratch won't affect it's performance, but that will get the seller thinking about how the engraving machine is really "used". If the cord looks like it was replaced, touch the cord and ask if the electronics were fried and what other problems it has. If you can make the price seem steep in the sellers eye, you're more likely to be able to ask for a discount on the price of the used engraving machine for sale.
Good luck in your search for used engravers!
A laser, which is an acronym of Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, is a highly focused controlled beam of single colour light and can be used either to discolour the surface of a component or to vaporise material by laser ablation to produce a deep engraving. The laser parameters and position can be precisely controlled to provide high contrast marks in the form of barcodes, data matrix codes and logo graphics. If a surface is painted or anodised then the laser can be used to precisely remove the surface to give a contrast. By choosing a contrasting colour translucent substrate, a graphic can be backlit for night and day readability for example on car dashboards and aircraft cockpit controls.
What materials can be marked?
All metals (both precious and non-precious), most plastics, glass and many ceramics can be marked or etched.
Uses:
As the demand for more personalized items of jewelery has increased, many jewelers are appreciating the benefits of lasers and their engraving capability.
By using a laser, engraving tasks such as inscriptions, texturing or etching can be achieved with more precise control and flexibility in design and excellent results can be achieved with minimal training. Earlier laser engraving machines were outrageously expensive and far out of the reach of the independent retail jeweler to consider buying. Advances in technology and a reduction in price now make the option much more affordable allowing jewelers to offer the service as an in-house option to customers using desktop units.
Laser engraving machine manufacturers have developed some very specialized equipment specifically for jewelery applications. They have designed attachments that can engrave the inside of a ring as well as the outside and have also created machines that have the ability to engrave the backs of watches, lockets and inside of bangles. A curved surface is not an obstacle to a laser engraving machine.
Many manufactured components need marking or branding in the form of serial numbers, product codes, data matrix and barcodes, logos, serial numbers and product codes. EU compliant components need CE marking and many components require traceability. Laser marking information such as this gives a non-damaging, permanent, and aesthetic solution. Parts can be directly marked and this can be useful where labels must be avoided. Almost all sectors of industry already benefit from laser technology and a quick glance around a room will almost certainly find something that has been marked by laser.