we get calls asking ‘Can I cut this material? How do I do it? What tooling do I need? we know the answers from experience.” Once a CNC router system has been
installed, an all too frequent mistake is to use cheap tooling, says Robert Marshall of AXYZ. As with many things, you get what you
pay for. Solid carbide or carbide tipped tools are generally accepted as the most desirable because high speed steel tools can wear out quicker due to the coolant system found on most CNCs. “The customer then wonders why they
can’t get good clean cutting and the tools keep wearing out. High quality tooling such as those manufactured by Belin which AXYZ supplies will last longer and give much better results,” he explains. Manufacturers often recommend
AXYZ offers what it believes is probably the widest choice of machine configurations. AXYZ maintains a dedicated training suite at its
Wolverhampton headquarters, and Robert adds: At AXYZ we train not only on machine operation but also on applications,” says Robert. “For example, what tool to use for what material, how fast and deep to cut, and all that. We supply a comprehensive range of tooling for all materials as well as useful wall charts for cutter selection, machine settings and so forth.” “In the UK AXYZ has a team of five service technicians in
addition to a dedicated telephone helpdesk for providing customer assistance. We also pioneered the remote support service which allows a technician to remotely log into a machine for fault diagnosis and support.” It’s easy to forget that historically CNC machining was a
five year apprenticeship. Even with technology advances and systems designed to make it much easier to achieve good results, still decisions have to be made regarding speed, feed, tooling, cutting materials and health and safety. Huw Davies says: “At Tekcel, not only do
we educate our customers in the safe operation of the machinery and how to maintain it, we also train them on the most efficient and profitable ways to make signs and display products using a CNC router. In practice, this means we spend a minimum of two days onsite with new customers following the installation and commissioning of their Tekcel routers. We believe it’s very important to train new customers on their new router … at their own premises. As part of a comprehensive training course, we teach our customers a wide range of machining techniques used to produce everything from flat cut acrylic letters to folded sign trays using aluminium composite. By the end of the training, our customers are capable of using their new routers to cut, carve, engrave fold and/or inlay a wide range of materials to produce signs and display products for profit,”. “A big advantage for our customers is that
at Tekcel we know how to make signs, POS items, exhibition displays, and the like, so when
Precision alignment for cutting out pre-printed materials with AXYZ’s AVS camera registration system.
ISSUE 132 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 Sign Update 55
experimenting with different tools, speeds and materials. Too fast a RPM and a slow feed rate can result in the material melting
rather than being cut. It’s recommended to use the largest diameter tool to rout the job and the shortest flute length. To round up: research your market, research the products on
offer, take advice from experts, check out the manufacturers, make sure you have a demonstration on the same equipment doing the same work you want to do, and speak to someone who’s using the machine, not forgetting to find out about training and support packages being offered. Do all this and you could be routing your way to a profitable future. For details of AXYZ International’s routers and accessories,
visit
www.axyz.co.uk For information about Tekcel CNC Solutions, go to website
www.tekcelcnc.co.uk
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