CNC ROUTING
CNC routing – is it time you made the investment?
There comes a time in many a signmaking and display business when it makes sense to consider bringing routing in-house. CNC routing capabilities on site gives greater
control over product, timing and quality. It offers the major advantages of speed, accuracy and easy repeatability. In the time it takes to cut one letter by hand, a router could have cut all the letters for your sign or multiples of the same letter. In addition, you can save the file and do it all again tomorrow and the day after, and the day after that. Income can be boosted through in-house
routing enabling the range of products offered to be extended, money can be saved through more efficient production, and potential profits are higher. For example, a routed sign sells for much more than a vinyl one, even taking into account different production costs. Having a router also provides opportunities to custom rout metal forms used to fabricate custom signs, to fabricate channel letters on scale, to produce fixtures and fittings for or sign trays and to enter new markets. Advancing technology, more reliable motors
and improvements in software with more user-friendly interfaces makes routing much more accessible to a wider audience than ever. However, buying a CNC router is still a significant investment; depending on what type is bought, it may last 20 years or more and be a ‘once in a lifetime’ purchase. The majority of machines in this country, especially
Many different types of sheet materials can be routed using a Tekcel CNC machine.
those from the high end manufacturers, are leased. Monthly lease payments can be as little as a few additional sales a month and with some routers having high residual value, even after five years, the deals some finance companies offer are attractive. It all sounds wonderful, outlay
compared to potential profit looks appealing, but before any decision is made, questions such as “Can I afford it? Who’s going to operate it? Have they got the skills? Where am I going to put it?” all need to be answered. And then there’s the decision of what model router you should be buying and from whom. On the face of it, routers can
look much the same, as can inkjet printers, plotters and computers. However, experience tells us that although certain technology may appear to share common physical characteristics, it does not mean to say that they will all deliver same quality, performance or lifespan. This is because most of the important differences tend to be found under the covers and out of sight. Whatever class of machine
This recreation of the iconic Spitfire was created using an AXYZ router. 50 Sign Update ISSUE 132 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011
you’re considering there are certain features such as quality of build and ease of use of both software and hardware that you should look for.
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