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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dcarr, post: 2466152, member: 4781&quot;]The sharpness of the corners is a function of the accuracy of the engraving machine and the size of the cutting bit. A smaller-tip cutting bit will be able to reveal more fine detail and will produce sharper corners, at the expense of requiring significantly more time to complete the engraving. As the cutting bit tip gets smaller, the cutting radius also gets smaller. Cutting is the result of the tangential velocity of the cutting edge. The tangential velocity is the tip radius times the spinning RPM. As the tip radius approaches zero, the required RPM approaches infinity. Of course, there is a limit to the RPM of an engraving spindle.</p><p><br /></p><p>Earlier this year, however, I changed my engraving parameters. I cut my dies in a spiral pattern starting at the center (like a traditional reduction lathe). Each complete 360-degree spiral arc moves out away from the center by an amount called the &quot;step-over&quot; distance. The linear motion of the cutting bit through the die steel is called the &quot;feed rate&quot;. A higher feed rate will cut the spiral faster, but could result in more stress on the cutting bit (possibly breaking the tip off).</p><p>A larger step-over will also cut the die faster, but at the expense of less resolution and more stress on the cutting bit.</p><p><br /></p><p>I recently switched to using one fifth the step-over distance but five times the cutting speed. So the dies take the same time to engrave as before, but the resolution and sharpness is higher.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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