Search results

We have a Lightweld laser welder and it sucks. The safety always triggers and it shuts off. So far it's a $40k paperweight. I need to spend more time with it and figure it out, but it's hard to find the time. We have an SDS bender and it's awesome. Fast, accurate, good customer support based in...

I laser cut all my letters and use the cabinet face as a template to glue them to the backer. I avoid using the router if possible. It's slow, noisy, messy, can't cut sharp inside corners, and leaves a poor surface finish compared to the laser.

I have yet to have any issues with the acrylic Coming in glued. I always use acrylic for the push through and the backer and acrylic adhesive. I have yet to find anything that glues well to polycarbonate. The glue can leave shadows on clear acrylic which is another reason I prefer the white.

We use square coil and do surveys with pictures then add measurements to the pictures on coreldraw. The production drawings and site drawings are all produced as soon as we receive the deposit. The same paperwork and drawings are submitted for the permits.

I always back my acrylic with acrylic and glue them together as they are all laser cut and not routed. The only thing I cut on a router is ACM and polycarb.

Thank you all for the replies. I'll fire up the lasers tomorrow and make some samples for comparison and post som pictures.

So I need two 12'x18' flex faces for a client and am struggling to find a good supplier locally (Utah). I used to use a shop called Ferrari, and they got bought out by signs.com. I called and got a call center in the Philippines that had no idea what a flex faces was. I called another local...

I have a customer who specified 1/2" clear acrylic with white vinyl applied to the faces for a push through cabinet sign. I have usually used white acrylic in the past so I don't have to apply vinyl. I would think white would be better because the vinyl won't get destroyed by the sun. That got...

Lords acrylic adhesive or 3M urethane body panel adhesive would be strong enough. I would put some VHB foam tape in a few spots to hold it in place until the adhesive dries and put the adhesive everywhere else. Yes they are big letters, but the bigger the letter the more surface area you have...

ACM is the cheapest option and would probably last longer than the print. Aluminum will last the longest. You can typically apply and remove several prints to the same sheet over its lifetime. It can be bought in several thicknesses such as .040, .063,.80,.090..125 etc. I wouldn't go any thinner...

The only routers bits with bearings I'm aware of are for wood. They are usually carbide, and should work fine for ACM. The proper tool would be to cut the whole panel with a CNC router.

I too have been able to build a successful sign business rather quickly. My business partner and I started a year ago and have had sales increase steadily. We now do about 200k a month in revenue. Yes, the business struggles if either of us leaves for more than a couple days. Owning a business...

I glue the letters to an acrylic backer, mask the border for good adhesion to the aluminum face,then paint the letters and backer at the same time. I've stopped using ACM except for rare occasions. I can cut 20 sheets of aluminum an hour with the laser. The time savings is worth way more than...

What do you mean by flood coating?

Please tell me you at least have the desktop set up with a shared network drive that all the computers can access. You need to find out what file types can be exported and imported from the different software you use then test them out to see which one works best. We use dxf (digital exchange...

Any of the green laser levels are seen easier in daylight. I use a DeWalt. The main issue is finding a good stable metal surface to attach the magnet to. The basket of the boom truck moves too much to get a steady line. I once tried a light post, but it also moved too much from the wind. It only...

I would go push through with painted CO2 laser cut letters and fiber laser cut aluminum faces. It's the only way to get sharp inside corners. It's also super fast because the aluminum face acts as a template to glue the letters to the backer. At that quantity it might be worth while to outsource...

Grimco sells ge tetra, their own in house Hanley kestrel brand, and g2gs brand.

It's not that uncommon for a startup to be cash flow negative in the beginning. If you break even your first year or come close you're doing alright as long as those numbers include the equipment purchases. Starting a business is hard. Once you get established and get your equipment paid off...

The main purpose of air assist is to help clear the cut path of vaporized material, and preventing flare ups when cutting. When engraving with air assist it tends to cause the smoke to stick to the acrylic around the engraving area blurring the image.