HOWTO engrave text using 3Drag/K8200

thingiverse

Human: I wanted to create a custom 3D printed keyring for my Bridge club, inspired by a design on Thingiverse (thing:1235307). To make it extra special, I decided to engrave the text "GIOBRIDGE 2015" onto the back of the PLA keyring using my 3Drag CNC machine. However, after failing to achieve an acceptable result with two separate bits, I had to take a break and reassess my approach. To that end, I conducted extensive research and testing on engraving text, which has culminated in this document. It also includes a valuable toolchain utilizing regexfiler, my custom program for filtering G-code files, aimed at automating repetitive tasks. My goal is to share this information with fellow 3Drag users, potentially benefiting their own projects. The main issues I encountered during this process can be categorized into hardware and software problems. **Hardware:** Engraving PLA is a challenging task, requiring precision and control. My experience has taught me that even the smallest imperfections can have significant consequences on the final result. **Software:** 3.1 TextGraver Despite its simplicity, TextGraver failed to deliver a satisfactory outcome for my project. 3.2 DeskEngrave Although DeskEngrave offered some degree of precision, it lacked the accuracy I required. 3.3 StickFont Unfortunately, StickFont's lack of flexibility made it unsuitable for this task. 3.4 Inkscape Inkscape proved to be a reliable tool, allowing me to create complex designs with relative ease. **Toolchain** By automating some operations on G-code files using regexfiler and my custom filtering program, I was able to streamline the engraving process and improve overall efficiency. For more detailed information and step-by-step instructions, please consult the document "HOWTO_text_en.pdf" or its Italian counterpart "HOWTO_text_it.pdf." The complete toolchain can be found at https://github.com/msillano/toolchain3Drag.