Locating&choosing granite engraver

[Doomstone]

Hello

As you might think I'm pretty new to this kind of subject and since my english is not my native tongue I apologize in advance...

I'm gonna try to be as straightforward as I can:

Planning to start a small business of my own, that manufactures headstones for cemeteries. I'm located in Estonia(North-East Europe). I can imagine that overall cemetery "culture" varies quite a bit from country to country. In here, 90% or maybe more of all the headstones are made out of polished black granite. In recent decades it's become a trend to order engraved photos of the deceased on the stones next to the normal lettering and dates. While it is possible to hand etch such images on granite, it's a slow process and final product looks more or less like shit(compared to images created by specific machines).

I found this company that sells such machinery: http://www.litografa.lt/index.php?aid=255
Similar machine in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfy6iqFVmSc

I've send an e-mail to this company and got no answer. It seems that maybe they are out of business and I simply can't find any other similar company anywhere in Europe. It seems weird, cause I'm pretty sure that this litografa.lt did not manufacture the actual machinery themselves. I'm not even entirely sure what is the name on this type of machines. Is it impact etcher?

Is it possible, that there are no other companies in entire Europe that sell these machines?

I would really appreciate if anyone could help me... Maybe someone has got more experience with the same machines?

[Dan R.]

Vytek is a compnay that sells a similar product in the USA.

www.vyteklaser.com

[deepwater]

To cool my wife is Estonian. She grew up in Tallinn and her mom and family are still there. I've been several times such a beautiful place. The women are to die for... smoking hot!!!! what city are you in?

You should become a member.

[Mark Meriaux]

Additional options for your research:

http://www.ulsinc.com/

http://www.laserprona.com/

http://www.vy-tek.com/

[jbergman]

Omag of Zanica, Italy has been building laser engraving machines for years. Give them a call at 39 035 670070 and ask for Marco Cavalleri. He speaks excellent English. His email is marco@omagspa.it.

Good luck,

John Bergman
Bergman-Blair Machine Corp
Prescott, Arizona
bergmanblair@gmail.com

[Doomstone]

Thank you all for your replies.

Since my business is still work-in-progress, my plans have slightly changed. Yes, the portraits on granite are popular, but actual letters and dates are even more so. I found a company here in Estonia that sells CNC milling machines that are just the thing I need and the price is about three times less then the cheapest etching machine I have managed to find.

Here is the one I would like to buy: http://www.eccom.ee/woodworking-cnc-s1000

I have been writing to this company and told them about my plans for engraving granite. It turns out that the main guy there has got no experience with granite(or any other type of stone). He tells me, that I should go there, take with me a piece of polished granite and together we can explore granite milling. Sounds good, right? Only problem is that he needs me to bring with me also a proper milling bit that can carve granite. I have no idea where to get that. I presume is should be sharp tipped cone shaped cutter(for that V-shaped letters), but what sort of type? Diamond coated or are there by now alloys that can cut granite?

It's not the same machine, but you get the idea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx4wt0vBm9c
The machine I'm planning comes with spindle(1,05kW, 10 000 - 32 000 revs/minute) that has got 8mm hole(don't know the word for it) for the instrument. What do you think, is the power enough and the revs?

Again, I'm stuck. I would really prefer, that these milling bits(is it the right term for it?) would be available here in Europe, but so far I have been able to find only companies from China, that sells this kind of tools. Getting kinda frustrating...

To deepwater: To cool indeed. Where are from? I live in a small town called Tõrva - it's about 220km from Tallinn(and so almost on the other side of the country). Yes, women are to die for... and to live for.

Yes, I'm thinking of becoming a member...

[Dan R.]

There are several tooling companies in Europe.

[Matt Lansing]

The cutters you will want to do engraving with are PCD cutters. Check with Nicolai Tools. They make several different types of them.
http://www.nicolaidiamant.com/pages/?po ... or-carving

Also when looking for a cnc machine for engraving the granite, you will need to look at a machine that can handle large amounts of water being sprayed everywhere. The cnc machine needs to be designed to handle the water and grit. I would say that any wood cnc will not handle it so watch closely what you are buying.

I believe the machine you quoted will not deliver the performance that you will need.

[deepwater]

It sounds like a smaller CNC would be perfect for you.

You could get this cnc
http://www.denver.sm/new/stone/krea.php

and this software
http://www.taglio.it/marble/products/incisione.html

I love the Estonian Language
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTagZf01mPE

[jbergman]

Please be careful! A few years ago Hass, who is a leading CNC machine tool firm, tried to build a stone router with no experience in the stone industry. The results were not good for them or their customers.

John Bergman

[Jerry Kidd]

Hi, When I watch the video link that you provided it is not showing me a laser etching machine is showing a machine that I used to know as a dimplier. I am pretty certain that is not the correct name for this type of machine. It is making its image by impact and not by laser. Really considering it is impact they are remarkable machines. I am sorry I do not know the names of the companies but at the Verona exhibition there were several companies selling them there.

I am part of Omag North America and I just came from Italy looking at really cool laser etching machines and we also have a full CNC with a 1 meter x 2 meter table, the machine was built for making memorials. I watched a demo they did for some potential Israeli clients. It was shaping and polishing the sides of a 5’ thick slab and making the engraved letters on it. Very cool but this is a completely different machine that what you are looking for and a very different price range…

Now that we have clarified that it is making its image by contact instead of laser perhaps there are some people here in the SFA might know what type of machinery is called so you can manage a better search.