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.
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