Modding can anodiosed aluminium be engraved?

just wondering if it can be done

 

anything can be engraved with the right equipment.
you may be asking whether the colour goes right through the alu - but I don't know anyway, though I assume not.

 

I know the color does not go right through. it's just a layer on top of the aluminium.

There's a local trophy place, who say they do engraving.
www.trophies-manchester.co.uk

I will go and ask them if they'll do it.

Should I take a small bit of aluminium when i go and ask?

 

That place would only do machine engraving of letters for trophies and plaques, not a image onto a case side. The machines are small, they aren't capable of such a large job. Best you may find is a guy with a Dremel and some skill or a specialty company on the web that does that kind of stuff, of which I've heard of a few.

 

it's only small engravings, but it's on a big sheet.

 

you could always laser etch it

 

The problem then would most likely be not that the machine can't engrave what you want, but the holding mechanism to hold the piece is designed for maybe max 10x10cm pieces, not a large sheet, and therefore unless you want the engravings around the edges of the sheet, it couldn't be done.

Like I said talk to them, they may have something they can help you with, or point you in the direction of someone who can.

 

if it is an engraving only shop and the material is "hard anodized" they might not be able to do it. some hard anodized can be extremely resilient and some of the smaller engraving machines might have a difficult time with it. however cnc machines should be able to cut through it no problem.

 

I'll go and talk to them.

 

Ive worked with hard anodized aluminum, its nothing that even a lightweight machine cant handle, its just wears on endmills quickly. If the machine can handle the aluminum, then hard anodization shouldnt present a problem to it with the righ set up.

 

the color on an anodized piece of aluminum is a dye added to the oxidized layer on the surface of the metal. When you machine it you cut through the oxide layer where the dye is and expose the metal below the dye. This will make the etched part be not colored but will not effect the properties other than that. The hard anodizing is a thicker coating of Aluminum oxide applied to the surface of the metal. The oxide is a hard ceramic that wears aways at milling and machining bits that are meant to be used for cutting metals.

So anyplace that does machining or engraving should have the equipment to engrave the anodized aluminum. Good luck