Engravers

Most air engravers run on standard workshop compressed air at 90 psi and consume around 4 cfm, so they'll work off any typical shop compressor. The tool body is light—usually under 200 grams—which matters if you're marking dozens of items in a shift. Trigger control is simple: pull to start, release to stop. Depth and line width come down to downforce and pass speed, not the tool's settings, so test your pressure on scrap first.

The needle is a wear part. Tungsten carbide tips last longer than tool-steel ones, especially on hardened steel or stainless, but they're brittle—if you drop the tool with the needle extended, expect to replace it. Keep a spare needle on hand. Needles thread in or use a collet mount depending on the model; check the thread or shaft diameter before ordering replacements.

Air engravers leave a clean, narrow scribed line—about 0.2 to 0.5 mm wide depending on tip geometry and applied force. They won't fill the line with ink or paint, so for high-contrast marking on dark surfaces, run a paint marker over the engraving afterward. For serialised parts or inspection stamps, use a stencil to keep characters uniform.