How to Make a Stencil

[AGinVT]

Hello and thank you in advance for any tips. I have a national brewery interested in getting several reusable stencils cut. We have made large stencils out of PVC sheets in the past, but these guys want stencils with little one inch tall lettering cut out.

One of our printers is a Roland Soljet XR-640 with vinyl die-cutting ability. I have tried sample cuts on a few materials with varying results. Typically, the materials are too thick and thus don't cut through cleanly, or they are too flexible and bunch up when die-cutting, making a mess. I tried an old rigid grayback retractable banner material, (closest to success) and a less rigid grayback material that was to soft, a non-adhesive backlit material that was too thick, some thick backing that was a bit too flexible. I'm at a loss as to what might work without chewing up my little blades.

Recently we have gained access to a plasma cutter, but I have no clue what materials would cut cleanly on it. All I know is that I was told that certain plastics can produce a toxic gas that will kill everyone in the room. Trying to avoid that.

Any suggestions? It is not the first time that someone has approached us about stencils. I would love to find a go to option.

 

[Jburns]

Check out Oracal translucent Stencil Films - 813 is nice - its 3 mil thick.

 

[AGinVT]

Check out Oracal translucent Stencil Films - 813 is nice - its 3 mil thick.

Thanks you. I just looked it up. It sounds like a great option, but will the adhesion prevent repeated use over time? Will they last for multiple sprays?

 

[Jburns]

Yeah you can maybe use it 3- 5 times but then loose adhesion.

 

[mpn]

Find someone with a laser

 

[Martin Denton]

We CNC route magnets. Works fine so find someone with a CNC router..,

 

[marunr]

You can cut Acrylic or Polycarbonate (which is more durable) on a CNC router but of course you will have a slight inside radius on your letters. You can cut Acrylic with a laser and avoid the inside radius. You can't cut polycarbonate (it will melt) or pvc (toxic) with a laser.

 

[Billct2]

I use a stencil company, send them the file and hand it to the client

 

[Greg Kelm]

How big is the stencil they want?

 

[JimmyG]

Oracal 813 is only good for 1 use because there is no way to remove it after painting and keep all parts aligned properly...

 

[JimmyG]

I exclusively use Bren Stencil. The have a great product line of stencil materials for plotter cutting, and suited to specific stencil types and uses with and without adhesive backing.

https://www.breninc.com/product-category/materials/stencil-material/

https://www.breninc.com/technical-support/materials-guide/

https://www.breninc.com/technical-support/demo-videos/

 

[henryz]

Styrene is a good durable thin material available in different mils, you should look into having someone laser cut if it's small lettering if not cnc router would work, but if you are talking about 1" letters you might need to do Gerber or other type of mask specially if it's an interior wall. If you have a design might want to attach it? Depending on the application a stencil might not work.