When laser engraving cylindrical objects like cups or tumblers, you need a rotary attachment to hold and spin the object. There are two main types: chuck and roller. Each type spins the cup differently, and choosing the right one can make your engraving more accurate and easier to control.
A chuck rotary clamps your cup around its center. While this keeps the cup very stable, it also means the outer edge of the cup spins faster as the cup’s diameter gets bigger.
Imagine drawing a circle around the cup’s middle, then flattening that circle into a straight line. A larger cup has a longer line and travels a greater distance each time it makes a full rotation. Because of this, the spinning speed at the cup’s surface can vary depending on its size. That variation can make chuck rotaries a bit tricky to set up, but they offer excellent stability for the cup.
A roller rotary uses two spinning rollers under the cup. As the rollers turn, the cup spins at a steady rate, no matter its size. This happens because the cup rests on top of the rollers and simply rotates in the opposite direction. With a roller rotary, you don’t have to worry about changing diameters—setup is usually simpler, and the speed is easy to understand. But, tumblers that are not flat are much more difficult to setup.
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