Custom Engraving-Milling Machines for Hardened Steel Tooling

Every serious mould shop needs a machine class between a full VMC and a hand engraver: something rigid enough to cut metal, precise enough for fine detail, and fast enough for small tools. That is the engraving-milling machine. Here is where it fits and how to customise one for your work.

Where Engraving-Milling Fits in a Mould Shop

Three jobs dominate. First, electrodes: copper and graphite shapes for EDM, cut in high volumes with small tools and fine tolerances. Second, precision mould parts and inserts, where detail and surface finish decide quality. Third, fine machining on hardened tooling, where light depths and small diameters put a premium on spindle speed and machine rigidity rather than raw power.

A 6 mm ballnose cutter in hardened steel behaves completely differently from a 63 mm face mill in mild steel. The machine that runs the second well will not necessarily run the first well, which is exactly why engraving-milling machines exist as a class.

The CM Series

VITOP's CM series spans four models from CM650 to CM1280:

• Travels: X 600 to 1200 mm, Y 500 to 800 mm, Z 250 to 400 mm.
• Spindle speed: up to 18000 or 24000 r/min depending on configuration, with 7.5 to 11 kW motor power.
• Positioning accuracy: ±0.003/300 mm across the series.
• Worktable load: 300 to 800 kg.

The CM-870, for example, carries a 12-tool magazine and reaches a repeatability of ±0.002/300 mm, which suits electrode and high-gloss mould work where the same detail repeats across cavities.

The GV Series for Graphite and Metal

The GV series is built around higher rigidity for graphite and metal machining. Two models, GV-650 and GV-870, offer X travels of 600 to 700 mm, spindle speeds up to 24000 r/min, and motor power from 8 to 20 kW depending on spindle choice. Tool holding runs ER32, BT30 or BT40, so you can match the taper to your tool sizes rather than adapting everything to one standard.

For shops that cut both graphite electrodes and hardened steel details, the GV series removes the need for a dedicated graphite machine, though you should still separate the two materials' chip handling and filtration in practice.

What You Can Customise

• Spindle: speed class (18000 vs 24000 r/min) and power (7.5 to 20 kW) matched to your tool diameters and materials.
• Tool taper: ER32 for light engraving, BT30 or BT40 where milling forces grow.
• Table and load: worktable sizes from 600x500 up to 1200x800 mm.
• Tool magazine: 12-tool capacity, with random tool selection available.
• Control and probing options: specified at order time so they integrate cleanly.

How It Fits the Toolroom Line

Many shops run CM or GV machines alongside a wire-cut EDM or the EDM units in our toolroom line. The engraving-milling machine produces the electrode, the EDM burns it into the cavity, and the surface grinder finishes the plate. Specifying the three together, with common tool tapers and fixturing where possible, saves more time than optimising each machine alone.

Practical Notes for Hardened Steel Work

Run light radial depths with high spindle speed and keep the tool overhang as short as the part allows. Rigidity in the machine frame, guided by the roller ways these machines use, matters more than an extra kilowatt. And specify enough Z clearance for your deepest rib; Z travel of 250 to 400 mm is generous, but deep cores still need checking against the spindle nose dimension.

Send Your Detail Drawings

Send the smallest and finest details you machine, with material and hardness. We will propose a CM or GV configuration, including spindle, taper and magazine, and explain the trade-offs in plain numbers.

Talk to VITOP Machinery

Planning a machine purchase or need help matching a model to your parts? Send your drawings or questions to vitopmachinery@163.com, or message us directly on WhatsApp: +86 183 1908 0212. You can also browse all machines at www.vitopmachinery.com. We reply within one business day.