Brass vs. Magnesium dies – Which Type of Engraving Should You Choose?

Perhaps the most frequently asked question in our customer service department is: What type of engraving should I order? Brass or magnesium engraving? Giving an immediate answer to this question is not so easy, our answer will always be: It depends 🙂.

In this post we will guide you through the advantages and disadvantages of each material and you will be able to decide which is the most suitable for the job you have in mind.

Strength

(Magnesium ⭐⭐⭐ Brass ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

This one is easy, for small runs printed on flat stock, without small lines or very fine details, always choose magnesium, in case the job involves multiple assembly/disassembly steps, large quantities or rough material, choose brass as this is more resistant.

Price

(Magnesium ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Brass ⭐⭐⭐)

TIn the case of magnesium, since it is photo-etched, several dies can easily be produced at the same time in the same production process, which is why the price variation consists mainly of the costs of machine usage time.

Brass engravings are programmed individually through software and each project has its own characteristics, which means that the price of brass engraving is higher due to the labor costs involved.

Heat transfer

(Magnesium ⭐⭐⭐ Brass ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Especially if you are working with delicate stamping tapes or material that is difficult to print, a material with good heat transfer is essential, in the case of brass etchings, these have slightly better heat transfer which can be an advantage in some occasions.

Delivery time

(Magnesium ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Brass ⭐⭐⭐⭐)

All magnesium engravings ordered before 11:00 am will be produced and shipped the same day, however, production time for brass engravings depends on the size of the engraving area, these can normally take up to one or two days.

Level of details I – Brass

(Magnesium ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Brass ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

If there are small details or very fine lines in an image to be engraved, a brass engraving may show better results. On the other hand, brass engravings give a better result with the greatest possible depth, meaning that fine lines will be better defined in a brass machining.

Level of details II – Magnesium

(Magnesium ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Brass ⭐⭐⭐⭐)

If you have an image with a lot of small details or a pixelated image, a magnesium photo-etch is your best option as this would be too time consuming to etch into brass.

Foil + embossing in one shot! – Combi

(Magnesium ⭐ Brass ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The only way to have an image with hot stamping and relief (embossing) in a single process (a single pass) is with Brass, doing it with magnesium involves doing each process separately; first the stamping and then the relief, this means that by working with brass we would save machine time, labor, time and money.

Level of details III – Embossing

(Magnesium ⭐⭐⭐ Brass ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

First of all, for a good embossing, the embossing should be at least 1.5 times the thickness of the paper. In the case of smaller images, the embossing will be lower or even not visible. If the lines are smaller than 1.5 mm, it is better to consider brass engraving.

Multilevel or 3D (realistic) embossing dies

(Magnesium ⭐ Brass ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

We end this little guide with the simplest answer of all: multi-level reliefs are only possible with machined brass engravings, but before engraving we will send you a preview so you can confirm that the design is correct.

This blog should help you answer the eternal question of whether you should use brass or magnesium engravings. But if everyone knew what to ask for, what would be left for our consulting service to do? And if after reading this article you have any questions, do not hesitate to call us and we will be happy to share with you our more than 40 years of experience.

Contact us today and we will advise you on choosing the best type of die for your projects.

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