Accelerate Your Engraving Productivity
Getting the most out of your sign engraving system depends on more than merely quality equipment. When you establish, or upgrade, your engraved sign program, several small decisions can lead to oversized consequences… both good and bad.
Even if you’re a seasoned sign-making purchasing agent or operator, here are some helpful tips and tricks of the trade that can dramatically improve your efficiency and productivity. It’s our roadmap to the best possible outcome!
1 Simplify and Standardize
A unified look delivers a clear message, without confusion or ambiguity. Fortunately, Scott Machine offers color-coded valve tags and other blanks in dozens of standard colors, diameters and hole sizes so you can develop a coordinated, professional labeling system that meets your requirements for clarity and safety. Whatever you’re engraving, ask us about the choices in our large inventory.
2 Purchase Ready-Made Blanks
Your time is too valuable to be spending it tediously cutting sheets into pieces. The smart choice is to rely on Scott Machine. We manufacture all kinds of engraving blanks, from large sheets to ready-made panels – even custom-cut pieces. Need metals for burnishing or scribing? We have those, too. And the best part is that our entire selection is easily available, right on our Internet store.
3 Select Legible Fonts, Straightforward Designs
The key to effective signage is simplicity, which begins with easy-to-read, usually sans serif, fonts and uncomplicated designs that attract rather than distract. That combination of coordinated color, complementing typefaces and clean designs will ensure that your messaging resonates with all who see it. As an added plus, our quality engraving machines deliver reliable, clean edges so that every letter is easily distinguishable.
4 Use Software Templates to Import Excel Files
When you're engraving a batch of nameplates, tags, labels, or other repeated items, Scott engraving software helps you work faster and more consistently. Use a software template with an Excel spreadsheet to bring in the changing text for each piece.
Prepare the layout once, load the batch data, and run the job with fewer opportunities for error. It is an efficient way to handle serialized plates, employee tags, control-panel labels, asset tags, and other variable-data engraving jobs.
5 Put a Nest to the Test
The coordinated fixture, or "nest", completes the batch-engraving setup. Each tag drops into the same position shown in the software template above, so the engraver knows exactly where to engrave each item in the batch.
The reusable white tacky surface helps hold the pieces firmly in place while the job runs. Load the fixture, start the engraving job, turn on the vacuum, and come back to a finished batch with no chips to clean up. Then lift out the finished pieces, refill the fixture, and run the next group.
This is a real time saver, again and again and again!
6 Keep Things Clean with a Good Vacuum
Our handy, optional vacuum system is the perfect companion for your engraving machine. Quietly removing dust and small bits of plastic created during engraving, it helps you to maintain a clean machine for better performance in an uncluttered environment. The vacuum hose, attached to the back of the machine, is located out of the way so it never snags or catches. And you’ll love the results…a clean work surface that enables your engraving blank to stick to the hold-down mat, and the nose of your engraver to ride on the surface, not on the engraving crumbs.
7 Work Faster, Quieter
You’ll be amazed at how efficient this new engraving vacuum makes your job. So how does it make you more productive and organized at your engraving workbench?
Well, the motor is cooled by an external, low rpm fan that ensures a quieter, more conducive work environment. An on/off foot switch leaves your hands free to work at the bench and increase your output. And, of course, cleanup is faster, as our rubber-tipped, non-kinking hose reaches every point of your workpiece and benchtop for quick, thorough debris removal.
8 Stick to Your Mission with a Hold-Down Mat
Keep your workpiece in place without the need for cumbersome vises, clamps or pricey T-slot tables. Our nanotech GripNGraver mats or traditional releasable adhesive hold-down mats do the job at a fraction of the time and cost. We have mats for all size jobs and, because they’re two-sided, if one side gets worn, just turn it over and keep on engraving! With a thickness of about 0.100”, our mats are not only durable, but easy to handle.↖
9 Ask for Advice
Greater productivity isn’t just about working faster; it’s also about working smarter. And that comes with a keen understanding of the machine you are operating. So, if you have any questions or want to discuss even more ways to increase your productivity, please contact us at your convenience.
We answer most phone calls in person and reply to emails within several hours or less. If you reach our voice mail, kindly leave a voice message and we will respond as quickly as possible. We’re proud of our 100% reply rate to all inquiries. No robots in customer service here…just friendly, knowledgeable people, eager to help.
More than ever, businesses today must accelerate productivity in new, creative ways. A minute saved here and there can make a big difference when added up over days, weeks and months. And that's what Scott Machine engraving systems are all about...saving you time and hassles so you can produce more efficiently and consistently. Now we're eager to prove it!
