Shapeoko as engraver in 7075-T6 AL

I thought I would post regarding one of the test engravings on 7075-T6 AL (ignore the black dots at the bottom and sanding marks - it was a piece of scrap) that I made after attending Jay’s Shapeoko class 11/12 - thanks Jay, great class.

I used Easel, which is the software provided by Shapeoko. It has limitations, but it is very easy to learn, so for something simple it works well.

I used a Harvey Tool Engraving Cutter # 993215-C8 ($19)
In “Bit Size”, I chose “Other Bit” and inserted .005 in. as the bit size
In “Cut Settings” I inserted 20 in/min feed rate (as a conservative rate based on chip load info from Harvey and assuming at least 10,000 rpm shaft speed of the Shapeoko), 6 in/min plunge rate, and .003 in depth per pass.
My total cut depth was .006 in.
It took about 45 minutes for it to engrave the attached. It is 1-3/16 x 1-9/16 in. in size.

I imported the image through the Easel Import function which converted my .png file to vector graphics very well. I tried to convert my image using Inkscape, but it did not convert as well. I’m sure that was a function of my lack of skill with Inkscape, but I spent several hours trying to figure it out in Inkscape while it took me less than a minute to successfully convert it in Easel.

I also engraved some standard text using the same material and cutter, and it worked well. I had tried to set up the text file with Fusion360 but could not get it to work - although I’m quite sure that was due to my lack of knowledge and skill with Fusion360. The font selection is limited in Easel, but again, for something simple, its pretty easy to use to get started.

Keep in mind that I had no knowledge/skill in any of the above-mentioned software (or any other CAD/CAM, design or graphics software) prior to working on this little test project.

With Jay’s direction, it’s really easy to get started on the Shapeoko.

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Exciting stuff! The potential of that tool is huge!
I’m happy we adopted this beast and so many are learning and doing with it.

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Don’t forget to share this in the “Show and Tell” thread for this month! :smiley:

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