The development of a prototype for a mechanical etcher of aluminium plates is presented. These systems are used in different industries to engrave, in pieces of diverse materials, serial numbers, letters, codes or other symbols. The prototype consists of a xyz coordinates table, controlled by a computer, its movements are generated with stepped motors, on the z axis a high velocity driller is mounted, it uses to engrave a little milling device. The desired drawing to be etched, is first edited using a program with a graphics editor and capable of generating output files with HPGL format, HPGL (Hewlett Packard Graphics Language), the control program takes the file, interprets the commands and converts tem in control pulses for the motors that moves the milling of the engraver device, the one that moves and reproduces the edited drawing.At the end of this project, a system capable of engraving drawings in aluminium plates of area 21 x 28 cm² was obtained, actually this prototype is used to etch commemorative plaques.