Name plate fixture

[Zlatko Kursar]

I should engrave a few hundred brass plates with diferent size and shapes (rectangular and rounded).
Does anyone have good plans for rapid customization and change of the plates.

[George Brown]

Are you cutting them one at a time, or can you lay out multiples on the table to cut?

[Zlatko Kursar]

I am engraving one by one.

[George Brown]

For multiples I might have had a suggestion, but one at a time, nothing comes to mind that would make it easier, sorry.

[Zlatko Kursar]

What is your solution for multiples engraving?

[Scott Shepherd]

What is your solution for multiples engraving?

Find someone with a laser and sub contract it out. A laser will do the job in a fraction of the time.

[Zlatko Kursar]

I have a laser but must do this with CNC.

[George Brown]

What is your solution for multiples engraving?

Lay it out using corel draw, it has a mail merge feature where you can generate multiple pages with the changes you need from piece to piece. Then export each page in dxf format that you can import into your cad program and generate the toolpaths. It should not take too long especially since each export will have many pieces done at once.

[Zlatko Kursar]

I might not well explained. I need a JIG for fixture plates.

[Conrad Fiore]

If you are doing one at a time, then a vise with different profiled jaws to hold the shapes is the fastest.

[George Brown]

If you are doing one at a time, then a vise with different profiled jaws to hold the shapes is the fastest.

For holding the work, take a look at this. Have never used one yet, but seen it used and it looked good.

[Zlatko Kursar]

Thanks George, I have already seen, but I've never been sure of functionality. Does anyone already tried?

[Scott Shepherd]

My mistake, I missed the words "brass" in the first post. Sorry about that.

I have a mat like that used on a rotary engraver. It works well. I've cut aluminum on it before, but taking very light cuts (.005" or so at a time), going about .020" deep.

You have to keep them clean. When they are clean (soap and water), they stick like glue. Get a little dirt, dust, or chips under them, they'll let your part zing across the room.

[George Brown]

Scott, now that you mentioned cleaning the mat with soap and water, I remembered that I had a roller made of this material (or something very similar). It was really stick when clean and dry, was sold to remove lint from clothing. It worked, but as soon as it was covered with lint, that was it, needed to be washed, so did not work too well for removing lint. However, my point is, it was dirt cheap, those mats, made of the same material, are way overpriced.