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ScanNCut Engraving with the Zoom Precision Engraving Tool – Review

Alanda Craft January 20, 2021 12 Comments This post may contain affiliate links.

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In this post, we are going to be taking a look at the Zoom Precision Engraving Tool for the ScanNCut. This was kindly sent to us by its creators to try out and you will be able to see it in action in the video posted below.

Zoom Precision Engraver for ScanNCut - Review

Bear in mind, that we tested it only on the ScanNCut 2 but the creator tells me it works on all versions of the machine.

We also only tested this on aluminium blanks but this engraver can also engrave on copper, silver, metal clay, acrylic, plastic, glass, and leather.

The engraver comes with three tips and you also receive some aluminium blanks to play with, but you can also buy a number of other accessories for the Zoom Precision Engraver.

Zoom Precision Engraver for ScanNCut - Review

There is a precision tip, a regular tip, and a blunt tip. I personally only played with the regular tip since everything seemed to work out so nicely with it.

Zoom Precision Engraver for ScanNCut - Review

You use this tool like you would your blade holder. So you just remove the holder in your machine and replace it with the engraver.

Zoom Precision Engraver for ScanNCut - Review

I started by using the default settings on the machine and the result was okay but not great. It wasn’t until I played around a bit with the settings that I started to get much better results.

It also made a difference if I made multiple passes with the machine. In other words, I would leave the mat in the machine and get the machine to repeat the draw again.

For example, in the image below, the word ‘MAX’ was engraved using different settings for each as follows:

  1. Draw Speed 1 – Draw Pressure 4 – 1 Pass
  2. Draw Speed 1 – Draw Pressure 4 – 2 Passes
  3. Draw Speed 1 – Draw Pressure 4 – 3 Passes
  4. Draw Speed 1 – Draw Pressure 8 – 1 Pass
  5. Draw Speed 1 – Draw Pressure 8 – 2 Passes
  6. Draw Speed 1 – Draw Pressure 8 – 3 Passes

To get the fill to appear, I went to the Settings in the machine and enabled the Fill Pattern option and then changed the Fill Spacing to 0.039 and the Fill Direction to 0°.

Now it may be a little difficult to see the differences in the image, but there is a difference. (Note that you don’t get these large aluminum blanks with the engraver. We purchased these separately from our local Spotlight store here in Australia.)

Zoom Precision Engraving Tool ScanNCut

Eventually, I got to the point where I only used the following settings for pretty much everything.

  • Draw Speed – 1 or 2
  • Draw Pressure – 9

When I did that, I stopped doing multiple passes because it didn’t really need it.

My favourite was when I used an SVG file that highlighted the FILL function. So instead of just creating an outline of a pattern, it would also add a fill.

Zoom Precision Engraver for ScanNCut - Review

You can get the SVG file we used at LoveSVG here. It’s one of their free svg files!

These are the settings we used to create this:

  • Draw Speed – 1
  • Draw Pressure – 9
  • Fill Pattern
  • Fill Pattern Size – lowest possible
  • Pass – 1

Tips for Making it Work Smoothly

Apart from the settings noted above, here’s a few things to keep in mind to make this work smoothly for you.

  1. Use double-sided adhesive to ensure that the blank you are using sits securely on the mat.
  2. Make sure that you line up the blank on the dotted lines to ensure it is straight.
  3. Use the Scanning option to scan through the blank so that you can easily place your image/text on the blank correctly. Use the Zoom function in the machine to better help you do this.
  4. Always use the DRAW function when using this tool.

Where Can You Buy the Zoom Precision Engraving Tool?

  • Amazon

Official Website Link:

  • Zoom Precision

Watch the video below for the full tutorial on how to use the Zoom Precision Engraving Tool

(Can’t see the video? You may have an ad blocker on.)

image_pdfimage_print

Filed Under: ScanNCut, ScanNCut Reviews

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. TONYA says

    March 9, 2021 at 11:40 am

    HELLO CAN THIS TOOL WE USED WITH THE CM650W? IF SO WHERE DO YOU GET THE TAGS?

    Reply
    • Alanda Craft says

      March 9, 2021 at 11:58 am

      The creator of this tool tells me it will work for all ScanNCut machines but it is always a good idea to confirm with them first. They also sell the tags. So just head over to their website and contact them there. Here’s their website link: https://www.zoomprecision.com/

      Reply
  2. Lisa says

    January 8, 2022 at 8:19 pm

    Hi Alanda,
    I’m looking into the zoom engraving tool I was wondering if they do replacement parts I’m from the UK hope you can answer my question

    From Lisa

    Reply
    • Alanda Craft says

      January 13, 2022 at 9:52 am

      You will probably need to contact the manufacturers direct on this one Lisa. Here is the link to their contact page on their website: https://www.zoomprecision.com/contact

      Reply
  3. pauline boyd says

    January 28, 2022 at 4:28 am

    Hi I have purchased this tool and have engraved on metal, acrylic and plastic with great results.
    I do the last 2 passes with the medium and blunt tip to get a smoother feel to the finish so it doesn’t feel rough to the touch.
    Great product and would highly recommend

    Reply
    • Alanda Craft says

      January 28, 2022 at 10:22 am

      Nice tip Pauline. I will have to give this a try because some of mine did come out a little rough.

      Reply
  4. Lynda says

    January 28, 2022 at 6:05 am

    OMG!! This may be a game changer. I’m hoping it will work with my 650! Thanks for the info!

    Reply
    • Alanda Craft says

      January 28, 2022 at 10:24 am

      The creator of this tool says it works on all ScanNCut machines so it should work on yours.

      Reply
  5. Monica Bester says

    September 30, 2022 at 3:44 pm

    Hi can it in engrave on plywood?

    Reply
    • Alanda Craft says

      October 1, 2022 at 9:21 am

      We haven’t tried it ourselves and the plywood would have to be pretty thin to get through the ScanNCut machine. It’s probably something you will need to contact Zoom Precision about. They may have done some testing already to see if it works.

      Reply
  6. Woendi Lindersmith says

    February 16, 2023 at 9:47 am

    What is the maximum thinkness for the metal blanks? Thanks for sharing this information it was a great help

    Reply
    • Alanda Craft says

      February 21, 2023 at 9:25 am

      Here is a link to the Brother site which tells you the maximum thickness for the machine – https://help.brother-usa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/129108/~/maximum-thickness-that-can-be-cut

      Reply

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Welcome to Alanda Craft - We are Wanda & Paula, two friends who love to craft. Our goal is to show you techniques on how to improve your crafting skills. Learn how to use your ScanNCut, your Dream Machine, make quilts and create quick and easy sewing projects! Learn, Create, Enjoy!

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