WHAT WE CUT AND HOW.
Half a sheet or half a thousand sheets no job is too big or too small.
THE CNC
CUTTING
PROCESS
We use state of the art 3-axis C.N.C. Routers capable of accuracy to 0.01mm, with tools ranging from 2-50mm diameter and a maximum cutting area of 2160mm x 3050mm (7’x10’).
All work is efficiently nested to make the best use of material, and our bespoke ‘Speedy System’ production layout means we can process up to dozens of sheets an hour.
It all begins with an idea.
We can take your idea , whether it is just descriptions or complete engineering drawings; and turn it into reality.
We can accept most types of drawings, but the best format is a .DXF file. This can be exported from most CAD programs.
Other CAD files include: .DWG .AI .PDF .SVG .STEP .SKP .3DM .3DS & .STL
Take a look at our guide on how to export a .DXF file and submit it for a quotation below.
STAGE 1
Next we select the correct material for your job.
We hold a certain amount or regularly used sheet materials in stock and have plenty of off-cuts for tests and samples. We can cut almost any sheet material under the sun including:
Hardwood/ Plywood/ Veneer - Composites/ MDF/ Valchromat
Plastics/ Acrylic/ Polycarbonate - Solid surface/ Corian/ Himacs/ Staron
Aluminum/ Brass - Specialist/ Richlite/Jesmonite/ Dibond
Take a look at our sheet material shop where you will find fair prices, material specs, recommendations and most importantly; honest reviews by us, who have actually been using these materials for years.
STAGE 2
Then the manufacturing begins.
Your work is efficiently nested to optimise material use then CNC cut out as per your requirements. Any cutting marks, are expertly removed so the work appears to have been magically formed from your chosen material.
In 3 steps your order is CNC cut, sorted and checked. Our production line workshop is designed to process dozens of sheets an hour with no loss of quality.
STAGE 3
Finally your order is complete and ready for delivery or collection.
Once checked for accuracy your work then will get packed depending on collection or delivery.
Some parts fit in an envelope, others need a flat bed lorry. We have a good network of couriers for most medium sized jobs, accounts with all the major postage firms for small jobs and regularly send out pallet loads of parts.
You are also welcome to come to our workshop to collect and meet the team.
STAGE 4
MATERIALS.
WHAT WE CHOP:
PLYWOOD/
HARDWOOD/
LAMINATES
We can cut almost all types of plywood in thicknesses from 2mm to 50mm.
Veneered and laminated boards are great to CNC cut, leaving a very smooth edge unlike using a saw.
Though less common; we do cut solid hardwoods, timber lengths, blockboard, bamboo and exotic woods.
FIBREBOARDS/
MDF/
VALCHROMAT
Manmade composite boards are often ideal for machining as they have a consistent density throughout.
MDF, Valchromat, Hardboard, MFC, OSB, Smartply, HDF and Chipboard.
From fine furniture to construction cladding, composites vary in price and use.
ENGINEERING PLASTICS/
ACRYLIC/
POLYCARBONATE
Nylon, Delrin, Acetel, Tufnol, G-10, PVC.
We have machined many parts for top universities and engineering companies.
SOLID SURFACE/
CORIAN/
HI-MACS/
STARON
Dense, brittle and expensive, solid surface is a favourite for kitchen counters and desk tops.
It cuts beautifully with CNC and can be sanded to shape, bonded together and repaired.
We also have a lot of experience cutting Smile Plastics.
ALUMINIUM/
BRASS
Over the last few years we have become highly competent at cutting Aluminium plate with the ability to machine 3 metre by 2 metre sheets of up to 25mm thick.
Our main CNC happens to be designed for large format aluminium machining and we have invested heavily in tools and fixtures to improve.*
We have completed large orders for Transport for London and Network Rail as well as components for classic cars and furniture.
*CNC routers are not capable of achieving the same tolerances as a regular milling machines but have the added benefit of processing large sheets.
SPECIALIST/
JESMONITE/
RICHLITE/
CEMENT BOARD
Do you have a material other companies won’t touch?
We have tried many more materials including concrete and even toast. Some successful, others not so much.
We are always on the look out for new brands, material types and cutting methods.
MAKE IT
We have started to compile a sheet material shop.
The aim is to provide transparent prices, material specs, recommendations and honest reviews by us.
Over the years of using these materials we have come to some idea of their best use cases, their benefits over other materials and most importantly, their flaws the manufacturer will not tell you about!
CAD FILES
What we need To Manufacture your work:
DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURE
We can accept any form of designs, from sketches on napkins to fully realised 3D CAD and CAM files.
For the fastest turnaround of your work we recommend .DXF files. These are easy to produce and you can upload them to our website and receive a price for your work in seconds.
We even have a comprehensive guide on how to export .DXF files from all the major programs here.
If your company only has time to produce architectural drawings, that’s not a problem, we can easily extract the parts we need to fulfil your order.
If Computer-Aided-Design is not your thing, don’t worry. You can submit cut-lists, sketches and even photographs! We are happy to work with you to complete your idea.
PROCESS LAYERS.
Using layers in your drawing is the best way to display different cut types. Annotations or an explaining drawing are the next best options.
SCALE 1:1.
To avoid Spinal Tap problems send drawing in a 1:1 scale or at the very least within a bounding box that we can scale appropriately.
10MM BORDER.
We also recommend that parts are spaced in from the edge by 10mm. The edges of sheets are often damaged.
10MM SPACING.
Parts need to be spaced out on sheets, we recommend 10mm apart.QUICK GUIDE FOR .DXF FILES
All internal corners will have material left in them due to the circular diameter of the cutting tool.
To counter this we can add either ‘Dog-Bones’ or ‘T-Bones’ to remover the corner material. This a good solution for fast joinery where appearance is not important but precision and ease of assembly is, or you can make a feature out of the ‘Dog-Bones/T-Bones’. Alternatively we can leave them as fillets and you can file or chisel out the material for fine fitting joinery.
T-BONES.
This a good solution for fast joinery where appearance is not important but precision and ease of assembly is, or you can make a feature out of them.
DOG-BONES.
Slightly more subtle, Dog-Bones are symmetrical therefore look better, are easier to hide and still make for fast assembly.
FILLET.
A regular fillet is what is created when the tool just follows the inside line, as you can see it means internal corners are rounded, usually a 3-4mm radius. Outside corners are square.
TOOLING.
CNC Routers use a cylindrical tool to cut material. We use tools from 2mm diameter to 50mm but most of our work is done with 6, 8 and 10mm diameter tools.
