Man I am really struggling, trying to make a decision

[jdwilliams1]

One a limited budget....

I make novelty signs and I am trying to get them done faster and try to maintain the cut vinyl quality I currently use. I am thinking flatbed printer...I need a true flatbed. I looked at the vutek 200 and it really will not fit my needs.

I realized the UV outdoor life is not very durable but my items are more for novelty purposes.

I am looking at used gerber ion, used oce arizona 1220 uv, mimaki jf1631.

I usually cut and weed vinyl and then send a sheet of 20 signs through my laminator. this is pretty fast but I am thinking direct print might be better.

I would start out building a jig to hold my blanks but would eventually like to print on 4x8 sheets of .040 and .080 aluminum and then take the sheet to the router and have the blanks cut out and the holes drilled.

I am still not entirely sure how the router works with registration marks but I have been told it will. More info from someone on here would be appreciated.

Here is another thought. rather than using a flatbed, might I be able to print my novelty signs onto a sheet of vinyl using a hp latex printer and then somehow get that sheet onto a sheet of aluminum without wrinkles and then take that over to the cnc router and cut the novelty sign shapes out?

I know I am speaking under the heads of most of you, but please humor my ignorance. I really would not say I am a sign shop expert, I have just been making and narrow line of novelty signs for 10 years.

We also make rustic wooden signs and it might be nice to print those with a uv flatbed as well. the are on 3/4 inch pine.

 

[artbot]

i had to do a lot of production cutting of artwork back in the day. my solution with my extremely low tech (circa 1980 shopbot) cnc was i mounted lasers from lowe's on the x/y at zero. then i printed targets onto my substrates. all i had to do is slip the piece onto the table, line the targets up with the lasered lines and hit enter. ...i couldn't use jigs because a portion of the mounting process didn't allow for perfect alignment to the edge.

 

[cdiesel]

Printing & mounting isn't going to save you much time.. while it'll save time on weeding, you'll still have to mount the vinyl, and printing is much slower than cutting vinyl. It will, however, let you print full color signs, which may allow you to charge a premium for them.

Do you already have a router? Which one? Does it have the ability to read registration marks?

Here's how routers with cameras work: When you prep the files, you create two files; a print file and a cut file. The print file has registration marks and the artwork, both of which are printed. The cut file has the registration marks as well as the cut paths. The router will read the registration marks to orient and position the cutpaths accordingly.

I'd be weary of buying a Gerber Ion.. they're not being made anymore, and they've had a ton of complaints and unhappy users for many different reasons. Service will be even harder to come by with time, and the machine will essentially be worthless before long.

 

[SignManiac]

Only problems I had with mounting vinyl to your substrate was 1/4" to 1/2" of stretch in some cases using the laminator to mount with. Your cut file would be off because the router won't stretch

Artbot...I came up with the same solution nearly eight years ago using lasers for registration. It worked quite well and was very fast.

 

[cdiesel]

Depends on the router/cut program.. most will adjust for skew & stretch.

 

[jdwilliams1]

Man you guys are smart...thanks for all the advice and tips.

My problem is I have been asking around for about 3 weeks...which machine to get. I think I have been told at least once that every machine is awful and every machine is great.

How do I decide?

My budget is at no more than $30,000 for a used UV. what are your thoughts about this UV printer?

Oce Arizona T220UV

This would be in my budget. How does it compare to the gerber ionx.

Is there a true flatbed out there(used)that you all might think I could get my hands on that would print these novelty signs on aluminum?

I am with some of you, in regards to, I am afraid I gain no speed if I still have to print to vinyl and use the laminator.

 

[cdiesel]

In all honesty, I wouldn't buy anything at this point if I were you. I know that's not what you want to hear, but you're better off saving up more money or securing more financing to purchase the right machine. At the volume you're doing, it shouldn't take long to save up $80k and buy a better machine that will treat you right.