The CNC engraving machine moves the engraver and the object that is to be engraved with an image over a fixed number of axes.

The simplest CNC engraving machine provides for movement along four axes. One axis is a horizontal axis to the left and right of the operator. One axis is a horizontal axis that runs perpendicular to the left to right axis. One axis is the vertical axis that runs parallel to the erect operator. The fourth axis of the simplest CNC engraving machine is determined by the angle of the tool that has at its tip the engraving device.

Sometimes the CNC engraving machine has the ability to create a 3D effect within the engraved image. This effect is made possible by a g-code in the CNC software. These engravers can work with wood, plastic, or metals. The makers of signs have found many applications for the CNC engraving machine that can create a 3D effect.

For those who need a CNC engraver that has the ability to work on a harder surface, the Internet is an excellent resource. One Website, findstone.com, has engravers that will work on marble or granite. These CNC engraving machines have the software that allows them to serve a dual purpose. In addition to engraving, the machines at this Website can perform any needed inlay work.

Another Website, gravers.com, offers for sale a tabletop CNC engraving machine. It advertises this small engraving machine as an ideal way to make either jewelry or gifts. A third possible use goes unmentioned by the owner of gravers.com.

The small table-top CNC engraving machine could prove an ideal tool in a biomedical laboratory. Those who have faced the challenges of working in a lab know how important it is to label items. Sometimes such labeling requires engraving. In the past, the lab technician has had to rely on use of an engraving pencil, a metal stick with a diamond in the tip. The table-top CNC engraving machine could make the life of a research technician much simpler.

The availability of a table-top CNC engraving machine could increase the efficiency of the research lab. Research technicians would not need to run around looking for a small engraving pencil. They could easily find the table-top engraver. There would also be greater incentive for planning ahead and labeling any receiving vehicles ahead of time. Then the technicians would not need to interpret the flow of an operation in order to label tubes or vials. 

Still, if one cannot obtain a suitable CNC engraving machine, such an individual might want to consider making such a machine. One European has made the creation of CNC engraving machines into a hobby. He offers advice on the making of a CNC engraving machine on this Website: majosoft.com. 

His instructions include information on how to take an old drill and convert it into an engraver cutter. He also reveals how one can locate downloadable software that can be used in a CNC engraving machine.