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One-step away from buying a channel letter bending machine.

AndersHerp

AndersHerp

Something, something Dark Side
I've got a guy that runs our fab shop that was here before our company got our bender (all before I started working here). He uses explicit words to describe when they use to hand bend letters, so I would say it is worth it. But I guess it really depends on how many channel letter sets you are going to make with it in a year, and are you going to end up covering your cost.
 
MikePro

MikePro

New Member
SDS makes the best machines and bends the tightest angles/radius, but pricey as hell. We've been rocking an Accubend for a decade now and love it. The SDS can hit 3x tighter bends, but it doesn't matter much if you're just making your standard 8"+ channel letters. Feels like a little trickery to get it setup', but that's what your time with the service tech is for. Once you get the process down, and know the limitations & how to setup your files, its incalculable how much physical labor and time you'll save.

I've seen plenty of used machines out there, but you'll definitely want a tech to help you set it up and guide you through your processes.
if you do take the plunge, double-down with a clinching machine like a Norlok
 
B

Brister signs

New Member
SDS is the company that I am talking to. They are the most expensive that I have come across, but they seem to be the best when it comes to reliability and performance.
 
JBurton

JBurton

Signtologist
Maybe you'll be lucky like me, we've had ours for 6 months and churned out 8 sets so far. It's definitely easier, but it seemed like channel letter orders dropped off the instant we had it set up. We got the cheapest accubend, it's fine, but if I had to do it again I'd go for either an old model 26 or SDS.
How does the SDS handle artwork? Do you have to buy and use a version of Enroute just to make files. That's the most annoying part to me, as my fab guy has just enough computer skills to pick the next return to run, nothing more, so artwork modifications are all on me.
 
G

GaSouthpaw

Profane and profane accessories.
Our shop uses a CLN notcher and CLN bender. Does what they're supposed to do and, if you do have issues, you usually get a tech call from the owner of the company (or I did the two times I called, anyway).
 
rse290

rse290

New Member
We went with SDS about a year ago. Mainly use it for trimless exhibit type letters.
Have only made 1 set of actual channel letters for a building!
Once it's dialed in and you get the rout file side of it in line, everything works very nicely.
 
JBurton

JBurton

Signtologist
rse290 said:
Have only made 1 set of actual channel letters for a building!
Click to expand...
This was my experience when we first bought ours. Suddenly everybody wants cabinets. Took quite a while to recall how to run the machine after that first run with the manual in hand...
 
C

Continentalsigns

New Member
We have a Varisigns letter bending machine S18 that has always worked well, we purchased it from Varibend 4 years ago and it is still running well, with no regrets about the machine or technical support. We plan on buying their handheld laser welder to replace our trimless letter Mig welder...
 
B

Bxtr

New Member
We bought an Accubend Freedom and just like said earlier once you understand the constraints of the machine and how to design for it. I was a great investment to compete with other local sign shops that had been doing them for years.
Is it the best machine out there? Probably not but we get better margins on this, plus we were already UL listed so it made sense to add this in. We also purchased a couple brakes to bend our own cabinets and retainers. It's nice not having to outsource this stuff and be on someones schedule.
 
Bradley D

Bradley D

www.jigsign.com
If anybody wants information about the SDS Automation benders, I used to be a tech for the company from 2013-2017 and then started my own company specializing in trimless channel letters since noticing that even after training most large companies were not able to produce trimless channel letters because of the greater difficulty in fabricating them. I will happily give you my take on the SDS Automation benders for standard channel letters and I am also very familiar with CLN and Accubend. My contact information can be found at: www.jigsign.com Please email me with your contact information and I will call you back.


I also own a LITE Channel Bender from SDS Automation. This model wasn't sold in the USA but is the ideal machine for what I do.
 
White Haus

White Haus

Not a Newbie
Bradley D said:
If anybody wants information about the SDS Automation benders, I used to be a tech for the company from 2013-2017 and then started my own company specializing in trimless channel letters since noticing that even after training most large companies were not able to produce trimless channel letters because of the greater difficulty in fabricating them. I will happily give you my take on the SDS Automation benders for standard channel letters and I am also very familiar with CLN and Accubend. My contact information can be found at: www.jigsign.com Please email me with your contact information and I will call you back.


I also own a LITE Channel Bender from SDS Automation. This model wasn't sold in the USA but is the ideal machine for what I do.
Click to expand...
That's some impressive work you do there with the trimless channel letters! I've always thought traditional channel letters were ugly and just looked cheap, those trimless ones are definitely a huge improvement.
 
G

Get Bent

New Member
If anyone wants the full story about SDS Automation ChannelBenders vs CCI, CLN, etc give me a call. James Cross SVP SDS Automation 303-956-7959. I've been with SDS for 13 years and have replaced more than 500 AccuBend machines and dozens of CLN machines in just the past 7-8 years. Do you pay more up front for SDS bender than most "competitors"? Yes. Are SDS ChannelBenders more expensive than competitors machines? No. There's a lot more to the price/cost equation than just the amount of the check you write to buy the machine.

How accurate are the returns that the bender produces relative to the actual artwork (.dxf file). Are you bending your letters twice, once by machine and once by hand to fix them? How quickly does the machine produce an (accurate) letter? Even if you're not doing channel letters 24/7, the faster you get the letters done, the faster you and/or your fab guys can move on to other projects that are generating revenue for your business. How much manual manipulation do the files require just to get the machine to run them? AccuBend machines are notoriously finicky about artwork and my former AccuBend customers frequently said that they would waste HOURS every week just cleaning up files so the CCI machine would run them. How much waste does the machine produce on each letter segment? (A capital letter B is actually 3 separate segments and channel letter coil is about $.60ft) Does the price of the machine include installation and training at your facility, or do you have to watch hours of YouTube videos to learn how to run the machine? How many field service techs does the company have and can you count on them to be available when you need them? Where is the parts inventory located and can they get the parts to you the next day to keep you up and running? Do they offer lifetime tech support with the machine, or do they try to charge you $5000 just to talk to them after 8-10 years. How long does it take to get the machine once you buy it? Is the lead time 1-2 weeks or 1-2 months? Does the company have a thorough library of tech support documentation and videos available to help you down the road?

I'm passionate about what I do and I love helping sign companies become faster, more innovative, and more efficient in what they do. I'm happy to answer questions and I will gladly provide dozens and dozens of
references

The attached photos are identical .dxf files run on SDS benders and several different AccuBend machines. No hand finishing was done on any of these letters. These photos represent raw machine output using identical files.


20150605_081254.jpg
20161227_184051.jpg
20161227_183732 (edited-Pixlr).jpg
Open Face Neon SCB vs AccuBend.jpg
SCB vs AccuBend Chipotle .jpg
 
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