In the sign industry, we use multiple pieces of equipment to fabricate and assemble the custom signs we produce for our customers. Each machine serves a purpose and does a wonderful job bringing our designs to life. One of the most useful and functional machines we have at our fingertips is the digital flatbed cutter.
Flatbed cutters precisely cut materials at a high rate of speed. The quick speed of the cutter allows us to provide our customers with professional results with a quick turnaround time. The flatbed cutter uses a pattern design software to outline the path that is to be cut around the graphics. We can also import cut files from Adobe Illustrator and other design software.
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Our digital flatbed cutter hard at work![/caption]
The cutter allows us to customize products made from the following materials:
- vinyl (vehicle wraps and custom stickers)
- plastic
- foam board
- cardboard
- PVC
- acrylic
- aluminum composite
- and so much more!
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The customization process usually begins with graphics or logos being printed onto vinyl with our high-quality wide format HP printer or printed onto a rigid substrate such as foam board or PVC with our flatbed printer. If a vehicle wrap or other project using vinyl is being produced, we apply a layer of clear laminate to provide extra protection against environmental wear and tear. Once the graphic is ready to be cut from the substrate, we put our digital flatbed cutter to work to finish the job!
Our flatbed cutter allows us to precisely cut, route, plot, punch, and engrave at high speed. We like to offer our customers options so we have a variety of knives and tools available. The cutter has the ability to use three knives working simultaneously to produce a wide range of custom products. The knives can also be configured to cut in different diameters and angles. The knives that we most commonly use are:
Electronic Oscillating Knife- a vibrating knife that can cut substrates up to 1mm thick and are composed of soft or medium dense materials.
V-Cut Tool- can cut complex designs from foam core and sandwich board material from 5 different angles.
Kiss Cut Tool- this knife lightly kisses and cuts through the material without cutting the release liner underneath. Used for vinyl, foil, film, paper, cardboard and other thin substrates.
Router- rotating up to 50,000 rpm, the router knife can cut harder material, such as plastic, acrylic, and wood. It is also very precise and has the ability to engrave items like the kiss cut tool.
Driven Rotary Tool- precisely cut textiles such as banners.
The digital flatbed cutter is an amazing machine that grants us the capability to very quickly produce professionally finished custom products every time! If you are looking for custom signs, prototypes, point-of-purchase displays or vehicle graphics, let us find the solution that works best for you! 12-Point SignWorks “creating WOW!”, (615) 595-6564.
