Router engravers

[laver@zeuter.com]

I am in the vinyl sign business and have decided to start engraving plastic signs. After searching the alternatives the shopbot has certainly got my attention and the forums have answered most of my questions. My main question so far is, is a router with speed control a satisfactory unit for cutting the small letters associated with this signage or would an engraving head be preferable, and if so could someone suggest sources for units compatable with the shopbot.

[diannone]

an engraving head would be my suugestion. I recently bought the PRT 96 and we already have a SMALL New Hermes engraver ( 8" X 8" ). We mounted the head off the engraver to a bracket with its own small motor driven by a Oring belt. then the bracket mounts to the Z axis , just under the router ( 2 bolts). It has to mount to the z axis to raise in between letters.i dont know if a bit directly in the router would work , because of how the engraver head has the slighty spring loaded mount to allow it to float up and down slightly.....we didnt even try it that way (we had an extra head from our machine.
anyway , the engraver works GREAT the way its set up and we have engraved 1/8" tall letters with VERY impressive results. If you would like pictures of the engraving head mounted, just email me and I'll send them. Also I modified the vaccuum , so that its slides up and down with just a thumbscrew adjustment. let me know if you would like pictures. GOOD LUCK
Dave

[David Snow]

M.laver I am in the vinyl business also and I have had my shop bot for over a year and a half, I could'nt get by without it. well maybe if I tried real hard and put in 22 hours instead of the normal 12 and hired three more guys .nuff said as far as the engraving head if you go to www.muticam.com and check out their options you will see an engraving head but very priceeee the unit that David Iannone talks about would work good you could also order bottom feed engraving bits for the router with 1/4" shafts from muticam also and play with the depth and also if my mind dosen"t leave me the type of engraver that dave tals about also has a removeable pully for the O ring so you could get a secound one and chuck that into the router to drive the cutter head that he is talking about. David Snow in Wyoming

[ron_cleaver]

Check here for a vinyl cutter for ShopBot for $300:

Vinyl Mate (http://www.littleeholdings.com/)

[M. Laver]

Thanks for your help, information and enthusiasm.M. Laver Parry Sound, On