Milling Ada signs

[Robert Wilcox]

Hello, I’m wondering if anyone has experience with milling ada Braille signs.
What I want to do is take a piece of plastic and mill around the copy and braille, leaving them raised from the background.
In the attached pictures, I would route the brown areas leaving the white areas raised.
I’m hoping to leave the brown area with a smooth surface for a clean painting.

I don’t want to use the raster Braille idea.

Thank you

 

[MikePro]

its been done before
if you have experience with a cnc & available router bits and toolpathing, then you should be fine to bog down your machine with this.

....but then painting becomes the hard part, as your toolpathing will reveal itself on the surfaces.

 

[Robert Wilcox]

So it won’t leave a smooth surface on the panel?

 

[MikePro]

you're welcome to try, some bits may be better than others, but there's a reason you see more processes involving adding braille to surfaces via resin or raster rather than machining it down.

 

[tulsagraphics]

So it won’t leave a smooth surface on the panel?

Correct. That's a lot of unnecessary machine time too.

It's better to get a braille drill bit and a bottle of resin braille beads. Dial in your depth and start drilling. Way faster, and way nicer looking. If you're doing a lot of ADA work, consider getting a braille inserter tool to place the beads (or make your own DIY tool like I did)

 

[pro-UP]

There are drill bits (New Hermes or Gravotech) specifically for this method. It's an older process, but works. There can be a significant learning curve. We used to be wholesale manufacturers and our primary products were ADA braille & wayfinding signs. Our go to were lasers. Honestly, if you are new to ADA signs it would be better to buy from wholesalers. This will save you a lot of trouble and time. Always get samples - for you, the client, and whoever their designer / architect approval person may be. Make sure to label them. Over time they all kinda look the same. Have you looked into thermoformed or 3D printed signs? Good luck!

 

[Robert Wilcox]

its been done before
if you have experience with a cnc & available router bits and toolpathing, then you should be fine to bog down your machine with this.

....but then painting becomes the hard part, as your toolpathing will reveal itself on the surfaces.

There are drill bits (New Hermes or Gravotech) specifically for this method. It's an older process, but works. There can be a significant learning curve. We used to be wholesale manufacturers and our primary products were ADA braille & wayfinding signs. Our go to were lasers. Honestly, if you are new to ADA signs it would be better to buy from wholesalers. This will save you a lot of trouble and time. Always get samples - for you, the client, and whoever their designer / architect approval person may be. Make sure to label them. Over time they all kinda look the same. Have you looked into thermoformed or 3D printed signs? Good luck!

I have experience with ada signs so I’m not completely new. I would be new to manufacturing them though. We currently get thermoformed Ada signs and I have thought about getting unfinished thermoformed signs and starting with that. I was just thinking this milling idea might be good idea too since I will most likely be doing this myself. I figured there would be less steps involved.

I think thermoforming/milling are a good idea because the signs are one piece and nearly impossible to pick off. Whereas the raster beads and uv printing is not tamper proof.

How do you make ada signs with lasers?


Thanks for the information!

 

[tulsagraphics]

There are drill bits (New Hermes or Gravotech) specifically for this method. It's an older process, but works. There can be a significant learning curve. We used to be wholesale manufacturers and our primary products were ADA braille & wayfinding signs. Our go to were lasers. Honestly, if you are new to ADA signs it would be better to buy from wholesalers. This will save you a lot of trouble and time. Always get samples - for you, the client, and whoever their designer / architect approval person may be. Make sure to label them. Over time they all kinda look the same. Have you looked into thermoformed or 3D printed signs? Good luck!

I have a nice engraver and tons of materials -- everything dialed in -- but you're not kidding about farmin' stuff out. ADA signs are very involved. It's surprising how much material $$ and labor go into these things (at small scale, anyway). They're not that profitable compared to other products unless you have really good connections and can produce efficiently in bulk.

 

[tulsagraphics]

I have experience with ada signs so I’m not completely new. I would be new to manufacturing them though. We currently get thermoformed Ada signs and I have thought about getting unfinished thermoformed signs and starting with that. I was just thinking this milling idea might be good idea too since I will most likely be doing this myself. I figured there would be less steps involved.

I think thermoforming/milling are a good idea because the signs are one piece and nearly impossible to pick off. Whereas the raster beads and uv printing is not tamper proof.

How do you make ada signs with lasers?


Thanks for the information!

Raster beads "aren't" tamper proof? I don't know about your processes, but nobody is getting my beads unless they drill them out. They are far more resistant to "vandalism" than any other method that could simply be broken off with a hard fingernail. If your beads can be picked out, you're not drilling deep enough, or using the wrong bit.

Lasers don't cut edges perfectly straight -- they leave a slightly beveled edge. By cutting out circles (smaller than the bead) the braille can be added from the back side so they're locked in place by the applique.

 

[Jrassel]

I produce roughly 175 Ada signs per day. 1 person 7 machines. Profitable for sure but what you want to do is just killing days of machine time

 

[Robert Wilcox]

I produce roughly 175 Ada signs per day. 1 person 7 machines. Profitable for sure but what you want to do is just killing days of machine time

I know but I see on specs a lot of the times that “glued on characters won’t be accepted”
I think my best options are what I mentioned or getting finished thermoformed.

Do you glue the characters on?

 

[pro-UP]

Raster beads "aren't" tamper proof? I don't know about your processes, but nobody is getting my beads unless they drill them out. They are far more resistant to "vandalism" than any other method that could simply be broken off with a hard fingernail. If your beads can be picked out, you're not drilling deep enough, or using the wrong bit.

Lasers don't cut edges perfectly straight -- they leave a slightly beveled edge. By cutting out circles (smaller than the bead) the braille can be added from the back side so they're locked in place by the applique.

If you raster with your laser you can create a divot. We used to set braille with our laser, cut them first, and then roll them into place. It was our own method we developed after doing thousands of these signs. You are correct about the bevel, but that was a selling feature to us. Just a bunch of different ways to do the same thing.

 

[Signs101Admin]

To create raised Braille and text on a plastic substrate while ensuring a smooth, paint-ready background (like the brown areas in your attached pictures), here’s a recommended approach:

1. Material Selection: Choose a durable, ADA-compliant plastic like acrylic or PVC, which machines well and holds fine details. Acrylic is often preferred for its smooth finish and paint adhesion. Ensure the material thickness (e.g., 1/8" or 1/4") supports raised elements (ADA requires 1/32" minimum height for tactile characters and Braille).
2. CNC Milling Process:
   • Tooling: Use a CNC router with a small-diameter end mill (e.g., 1/16" or smaller) for precision around the Braille dots and text. A ball-end mill can help achieve smooth contours.
   • Setup: Secure the plastic sheet to the CNC bed to prevent vibration. Use a high-resolution vector file (e.g., from Adobe Illustrator or CAD software) to define the white (raised) areas and brown (recessed) background.
   • Milling Strategy: Program the CNC to mill away the brown areas to a consistent depth (e.g., 1/32"–1/16" below the raised text/Braille). Use multiple shallow passes to ensure a smooth finish and avoid melting the plastic. A high spindle speed (e.g., 18,000–24,000 RPM) with a slow feed rate works well for plastics.
   • Cooling: Apply air cooling or a mist coolant to prevent heat buildup, which could cause rough surfaces or melting.
3. Achieving a Smooth Background:
   • After milling, lightly sand the recessed (brown) areas with fine-grit sandpaper (e.g., 400–600 grit) to remove any tool marks and ensure a smooth, paint-ready surface.
   • Clean the surface thoroughly with isopropyl alcohol to remove dust and oils before painting.
4. Painting:
   • Use a high-quality spray paint or acrylic enamel designed for plastics to ensure adhesion and durability. Apply a primer first if needed for better paint bonding.
   • Mask the raised (white) areas with tape or a stencil to protect them during painting. Ensure the paint is ADA-compliant (non-glare finish).
5. ADA Compliance: Verify that the Braille meets ADA standards (e.g., Grade 2 Braille, 0.8 mm dot height, proper spacing). The raised text should also meet minimum height and font requirements.

If you’re new to this process, I recommend testing on a small sample piece to fine-tune your CNC settings and confirm the finish quality. If you don’t have in-house CNC capabilities, I’d be happy to assist as an independent contractor to oversee the milling process or produce these signs for you. My manufacturing company specializes in precision machining and could ensure a smooth, ADA-compliant result. Please let me know your project scope (e.g., volume, timeline, material preferences), and I can provide a quote or further guidance.