Sustainabilty
Slate is a natural product that comes out of the ground and can safely go back into the ground
Stone Products
Some things really are meant to be engraved in stone, just as the old saying goes. Offering laser engraved stone products to your customers opens a wide range of markets such as memorials, desk accessories or decorative tiles. What makes this form of personalization have such a high perceived value to a customer? On the top of the list is the permanence of the engraving. Dating back to ancient times, important documents were engraved into stone tablets for posterity. The longevity of the engraving was considered crucial in days of old, and is still thought of in the same way today.
Customers also view stone items as timeless and make purchases due to the solid feel and weight of the material. Stone is heavy and has a feeling of quality, elegance and durability — and these features mean value. In our society of plastic “throw-away” products, the durability of an engraved piece of stone has worth and appeal for many years to come.
Stone materials that are suitable for laser engraving vary in quality, color and texture. Many produce brilliant results. Marble is a common stone variety that can produce highly detailed results. Marble generally has a very fine texture and is suitable for engraving photos or detailed text. The color range of marble is one of its benefits. Beautiful and rich colors like Jet Black, Green, Rose and White make marble popular with many customers. Hewn from quarries around the world, better engraving-quality marble comes from India and Pakistan where the marble trade has existed for hundreds of years.
Slate is another type of natural material that can produce good laser engraving results. Slate is relatively soft and sometimes has a very uneven surface. It’s a fine-grained, metamorphic stone derived from sedimentary rock shale. It is uniform in color, and available in shades such as dark to light green, mottled purple, black, gray or dark red. Veined patterns from overseas have also recently been introduced. Unless its surface has been honed smooth, slate can be recognized by its distinct cleft pattern. Slate tiles are commonly available in several sizes and are frequently used on walls and floors. Slate is a natural product that comes out of the ground and can go back safely into the ground.
The geology of slate is important, as it affects the appearance and longevity of the finished product. Often the word “slate” has been used to describe mudstone, limestone and other types of roofing stone. However their properties are significantly different, requiring a different method of use.
The most common, and strongest, type of slate comes from metamorphic rock, which has been exposed to immense heat and pressure over millions of years. This gives good slate some useful properties!
Customers also view stone items as timeless and make purchases due to the solid feel and weight of the material. Stone is heavy and has a feeling of quality, elegance and durability — and these features mean value. In our society of plastic “throw-away” products, the durability of an engraved piece of stone has worth and appeal for many years to come.
Stone materials that are suitable for laser engraving vary in quality, color and texture. Many produce brilliant results. Marble is a common stone variety that can produce highly detailed results. Marble generally has a very fine texture and is suitable for engraving photos or detailed text. The color range of marble is one of its benefits. Beautiful and rich colors like Jet Black, Green, Rose and White make marble popular with many customers. Hewn from quarries around the world, better engraving-quality marble comes from India and Pakistan where the marble trade has existed for hundreds of years.
Slate is another type of natural material that can produce good laser engraving results. Slate is relatively soft and sometimes has a very uneven surface. It’s a fine-grained, metamorphic stone derived from sedimentary rock shale. It is uniform in color, and available in shades such as dark to light green, mottled purple, black, gray or dark red. Veined patterns from overseas have also recently been introduced. Unless its surface has been honed smooth, slate can be recognized by its distinct cleft pattern. Slate tiles are commonly available in several sizes and are frequently used on walls and floors. Slate is a natural product that comes out of the ground and can go back safely into the ground.
The geology of slate is important, as it affects the appearance and longevity of the finished product. Often the word “slate” has been used to describe mudstone, limestone and other types of roofing stone. However their properties are significantly different, requiring a different method of use.
The most common, and strongest, type of slate comes from metamorphic rock, which has been exposed to immense heat and pressure over millions of years. This gives good slate some useful properties!
Possible Markets for Engraving Applications
engravers and cannot handle more complex
work. They would welcome a local trade
source.
enormous amounts of signage and labels
- The engraving market is extremely diverse.
- Examples from A to Z:
- Accountants
- Brass plates
- Banks & Financial Institutions
- Brass plates and badges, door/desk signs Control Panel Manufacturers
- Control panel fronts, labels Drama Schools
- Awards and certificates Electrical Contractors
- Switch plates, labels, warning signs
- Food Processing Equipment & Machinery
- Food grade stainless steel plates
- Garden Centers
- House nameplates
- Hotels & Inns
- Reception signs, brass plates, door
- numbers/names, restaurant table numbers,
- direction signs, information boards, key tags
- Incentives
- Promotional gifts
- Jewelers
- Gift engraving service
- Kennels
- Pet tags, kennel name plates, signs
- Legal Services
- Brass plates, door/desk signs
- Mortgage Brokers
- Brass plates, door/desk signs
- Nature & Wildlife Parks
- Plant and display labels, direction signs
- Organ Builders Getting started in engraving
- Manufacturer’s plates
- Promotional Items & Incentives
- Promotional Gifts
- Quarries
- Durable signage
- Restaurant Supplies
- Table numbers, door nameplates
- Shop Fitting Suppliers
- Brass plaques, edge-lit signs, acrylic, modular
- Signs
- Trophies, Medals & Rosettes
engravers and cannot handle more complex
work. They would welcome a local trade
source.
- Universities
enormous amounts of signage and labels
- Veterinary Surgeons
- Vets offer pet tags which they buy in quantity.
- They would welcome a local supplier.
- Wrought Ironwork
- House nameplates, manufacturer’s plates
- X-Ray Apparatus
- Manufacturer labels for traceability, control
- panels
- Yacht Sellers
- Brass boat registration plates, control panels
- Zoos
- Directional signs, exhibit labels, warning signs
