You want to make a design on a metal product you want to sell and you don’t realize there are two big processes of doing that. When you realize that you will start asking which one is the best between etch vs engrave.
Etch
In etching, the metal is drowned in a solution that will protect the part that does not have the design. Doing this that part will be protected from the acid in which will be immersed at the next step. When the metal is brought out to the air, the surface that was not protected is looking like a tattoo on the metal. For the protected area is used wax. Then the design is formed by scratching that wax of in the design. So when the metal is taken out where there was no wax, it will be the design.
Engrave
It is a physical process, in which someone makes the incision of the wanted design in the metal object. This can be made with the laser by a machine or with a tool of steel with a diamond-shaped end. Is used this tool to produce high quality and clean lines.
Etch vs Engrave and witch one is the best
There is none of the best or worse. They are simply two different processes that produce similar results. The big difference between them is that etching is a chemical process through with the surface of the metal is burned by the acid and the engraving process is made manually with a tool that scratches deep in the surface. Or Engraving is made trough laser.
Another difference between etch vs engrave is that etching will give you a cleaner design on the surface of the metal and engraving will give you a strong design trough is deep lines. Also in the etch process, the metal is less consumed than in the enragve process. In the engraving process, the metal is being removed much more than in the Etching process and it causes a lot more damage to the metal.
If we talk about laser etch vs engrave, you must have in mind that with etch laser, the design will fade away with time. With the engraving laser, because is a lot deeper will resist a little more in time, but it won’t be soo smooth. Each process have their advantages and disadvantages
Those are the things you need to know when you have a choice to make in Etch vs Engrave.