Case Study: Laser Engraving Wood Boxes for Beehives

Laser Engraving Wood Boxes is a high-quality, repeatable process that is particularly well suited to small production runs and prototyping. It allows businesses to test branding concepts without the significant setup costs associated with high-volume manufacturing.

While the per-unit cost for a short run is higher than mass production, the overall investment required to get a prototype to market is substantially lower. For many projects, this makes laser engraving a practical and cost-effective solution.

This project presented an interesting challenge. The client was developing a high-value export product and wanted to test branding on bee boxes — the actual hives themselves. Fortunately for us, no bees were involved at this stage.

The brief required branding not only on the exterior of the bee boxes, but also on every individual frame inside them. Both the boxes and frames were made from untreated macrocarpa wood, and presentation was critical for this new market.

The first step was assessing what could be engraved:

• Engraving untreated wood: yes
• Engraving the full box: no, the size exceeded our machine capacity
• Engraving the frames: yes, as they were half the box size

As these were test products, the process needed to be managed in stages. The boxes had not yet been assembled, so we asked for the panel requiring branding to be sent to us first.

Once engraved, it was returned to the manufacturer for assembly. After assembly, the completed boxes — fully loaded with frames — were sent back to us so we could engrave the top of each individual frame.

This was a time-consuming process. Bee boxes are not precision-engineered products, and they don’t need to be. Slight variations in timber thickness, curvature, and small fibres along the edges are normal — and bees are perfectly happy with that. However, laser engraving relies on precise positioning and consistent measurements.

Each frame had to be carefully positioned and checked individually.

There was very little margin for error, as the engraving area allowed minimal space above and below the design. A misaligned engraving, even by a small amount, would have been very noticeable on this first-to-market product.

Once a laser job starts, the machine engraves exactly where it has been told — it has no awareness of whether the image is centred or aligned aesthetically. At engraving speeds of up to 3.5 metres per second, any setup error can compound quickly. With no spare frames available, every single piece had to be right the first time.

This project demanded care, experience, and attention to detail.

The result was well worth it. The engraving looked excellent and met the client’s expectations. There was also an unexpected bonus: the smell of engraved macrocarpa. Each time the machine was opened at the end of a run, the natural timber scent filled the room. We enjoy engraving wood far more than plastics, which can produce unpleasant fumes. Even engraving rubber for our stamps is preferable to some plastics.

Both we and the client were very pleased with the outcome. As no paint or coatings were used — only natural materials — we suspect the bees were quite happy with the result as well.

This project is a good example of where laser engraving excels. For low volume runs, it provides a flexible, cost-effective way to get branding into the market and working for your business.

Thinking About a Laser Engraving Project?

Email or call us to discuss your idea. We’re happy to provide a free quote. To give you an accurate estimate, we’ll usually need the following information:

About the item

• Is it flat or round?
• What material is it made from?
  • Wood must be untreated
  • Specific plastics must be identified
  • Vegetable-tanned leather only
  • No PVC (toxic to engrave)
  • Anodised aluminium is suitable
  • Glass or crystal
  • Bottles or insulated flasks, with or without handles
• We can also supply acrylic (various colours), laser-engraved plywood, MDF, beer handles, and wine glasses

Dimensions

• Width and height (and depth where applicable)
• Measurements in millimetres

Artwork

• A high-quality file is required
• Vector files are ideal
• Low-resolution images can be engraved exactly as supplied, including pixilation
• Image clean-up and optimisation can be done if required and may incur additional charges

Quantity

• How many items need to be engraved?

Logistics

• Will you ship the items to us, or deliver them to Baylys Beach?
• Do you need them returned?

Timing

• Is there a fixed deadline, or are you flexible?

Have questions? Contact our team.

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