Rogue Roller

[RogueRoller]

Coloradosigns:
It is a pressure cold unit.
You can apply up to 300lbs of down force without stretching or a wrinkle
There is no heat option but if you feel it may need one please explain and we will look at the development of adding it (There comes that cost thing again. We now would take a few dollars from the sale of each machine to do this. Because I refuse to see people work for free. Hmmmmmmmm)

 

[ZsTsCustomTshirts]

I have first hand experience with the Rogue Roller. As a "newbie" in the industry I really believe this has helped me through numerous hurdles that I think a lot of people go through when breaking into signs.

 

[gvh]

We picked up a Rogue this past fall. It sits beside a Seal 600 60" hot/cold laminator. We still use the Seal for roll to roll or heat applications, but all of our substrate mounting in now done on the Rogue. It's way easier for an operator to use alone, whether new or experienced. The payoff is it cuts down on makeovers tremendously. That cost is not just your material, but the impact of interrupting the print schedule to reprint. It's paying for itself every day by being more productive. We're a small shop, and we get busy. Makeovers are a killer. Having a 5' x 10' light table is really nice for obvious reasons.
Besides all that, the company is great to work with, and it comes packed like it's full of TNT. $12k is a lot of money for a small shop, but you get your money's worth.

 

[RogueRoller]

ZSTS & GVH thank you for your input.
GVH brought up something I overlooked about the price. Part of that price is packing and helping you ship the 1300 lbs machine. The crate is a fully enclosed crate that holds the 1300 lbs to be picked up by a forklift. Plus we also help you with the shipping this adds up to a little over $1000.

 

[RogueRoller]

Is there any more questions I can answer about the application Table?
I would like to thank everyone that has participated from day one on this post.
Good or bad it gives us here at Rogue Engineering good intel on how the public sees our company and products. Allowing us to educate on topics and to also looking into improving our line of products.

 

[The Big Squeegee]

Is it as easy as it looks?

I could not help but notice that part of the process was cut out of the video. I suppose that getting the vinyl to roll back over the roller to remove the liner may be a little tougher than it looks.

I also noticed that the process exposes the unprotected glue surface to dust, dirt and finger print contamination. This is one thing the Big Squeegee was designed not to do.

Is there any more questions I can answer about the application Table?
I would like to thank everyone that has participated from day one on this post.
Good or bad it gives us here at Rogue Engineering good intel on how the public sees our company and products. Allowing us to educate on topics and to also looking into improving our line of products.

 

[RogueRoller]

SignsByDale:
I first must say I love your product "The Big Squeegee" as a owner of sign shops these really came in handy before I was ready to buy a Seal Laminator. Well made product Sir.
I have recommended them many times to people and have always been amazed when they tell me they have never heard of them.

As for your question many people do this process in there own way that best fits there need and ability.

Some start the roll in the process in the middle of the application then we have others start the process like the Big Squeegee in that they fold just 2 inches of one end and roll out a full 8 foot long sheet.

As for dust we have had no report of this being a problem.

The video on the website was the first time that owner used the machine. It was delivered and the cut panels were the first thing he wanted to try. He could not get his laminator to do it with out creating wrinkles. His only other option was to do it was with a standard squeegee. the light table allowed him to line up the image fast. The cut outs in the video was time training him on the machine on the way we thought best to approach this particular job. Our Machine did it on the first try in a training lesson with flying colors and I must add I was a bit worried, we had not tried this before that lesson.

I do love your Product I find it works great for a lot of shops.
Were we are different is that after a 8 hr shift using the Rogue Roller the operator is less fatigued. The Rogue Roller is always putting a constant directional motion in the application process with air controlled down force with no stretching of the graphics.

In a squeegee process there is friction there is the down fall. After friction has been applied (being the squeegee has been pushed or pulled) the vinyl stretches bigger then it was intended. The common way to deal with this is to add transfer tape this adding to the cost of the job in materials and time.

I will always endorse your product because I feel it fills a big void in the sign industry and is a great product. I believe it is still made here in the America and for that alone it gets a TEN from our company. WELL DONE Sir.

 

[phototec]

ZSTS & GVH thank you for your input.
GVH brought up something I overlooked about the price. Part of that price is packing and helping you ship the 1300 lbs machine. The crate is a fully enclosed crate that holds the 1300 lbs to be picked up by a forklift. Plus we also help you with the shipping this adds up to a little over $1000.

Wow $1000 shipping is extremely high IMO.

You might want to consider offering a similar product in KIT FORM minus the heavy glass table top. A KD version less the heavy top would be be affordable to many smaller shops, they could assemble the roller table themselves and purchase a glass top or similar material locally at a rather large cost savings.

Just a thought.

 

[artbot]

that's a great idea phototec. shopbot has become huge from offering home built cnc kits. i have an old school shopbot built from 2x8's and it works fine for me. i'm a big believer in ugly equipment. most of my equipment is repurposed stuff from craigslist and ebay. from an industry standpoint nice welds and such are a must. you can't show up to a trade show with a piece of equipment made from yellow pine. but if it's level and rigid, that's specs out as "good enough for me". except for once i built this big three blower propane cannon heating web with a hardy plank/board vacuum table. i kinda set the heater sled on fire and the wheels melted eventually. that was back in the day of really cutting corners.

that said, a lot of this is very difficult to acquire parts, but the table could be built from steel framing studs with a heavy glass top bought locally.

 

[SqueeGee]

i'm a big believer in ugly equipment.

I'm in the process of redoing the gantry but artbot's comment inspired me to post how ours looks right now.

...and yes, I realize the moisture trap is upside down.

 

[RogueRoller]

PhotoTec:
This would be a great option. Here is were it gets difficult, DYI assembly affects a warranty. This also raises the amount of tech support on video conferencing and phone support to handle why the machine is not performing as described in advertising. Ending in a machine getting a bad name because of DYI assembly and set up.

Now it comes to the end user calling a local glass shop for a 1/2" thick frosted and laminated sheet of glass at 4'X8' (So I called a couple local shops in the area and asked if they would mind giving me a idea or a quote on this with install. The lowest price so far is $1462.57 the highest so far is $2134.81) Most glass shops don't have the equipment to lower 400 pounds of glass into a table perfect with only one chance of getting it rite the first time.
(Two sided adhesive tape holds the glass in place with a industrial sealant around the edge, a lot like a car window.)

You need a true surface if you plan on getting no bubbles or light contact areas so the best material we know of is glass.
One may think MDF or a like product. Now you have a surface that in not easily cleaned and grows when water moisture is applied over time.

Now we have a product that gets really bad reviews based on actual performance and we have no control of it.

Ending Result:
Giving American Manufacturing a bad name on the World Market.

In closing one can by a high end Automobile or buy the kit car.
Yes they may look the same but do they preform the same?

 

[artbot]

that is up to the OEM. the money is on the table. and i'm sure no one would expect their shop bot to run as flat and square as a high end cnc. my cnc isn't perfect and i don't blame shopbot. but shopbot has brought once expensive equipment to garages all over the country. a home built kit would not use $1500 sheet of glass, ... use a $30 piece of 1.125" mdf soaked in thompson's deck sealer and whenever it looks a bit off replace it. they are pretty damn flat for what they cost.

 

[RogueRoller]

ArtBot:
Good point you have made here.
I will put it to our design and business development departments and get back with every one on our outcome.

One thing I do love is a challenge.
If all goes well maybe in a years time we may have a kit model as a lower cost alternative.

Again I would like to thank everyone for their participation.
I have found this to be very enjoyable.

 

[artbot]

it's not often (or ever that an OEM gets in the mix)... thanks a lot for your candid information, you seem like a very straight forward guy. as far a a market driven approach, i'd suggest you start a thread asking just what the "home/small shop" user might be expecting from price/performance. also, many of these shops own cnc equipment. the sides, supports, rafters, etc could all be in .dxf so that some of the trueness and straightness of the table's tolerances could be less variable. machine slotted plywood can build some very rigid structures.

 

[RogueRoller]

Our biggest challenge When it comes to price and development is that we build all of our products here in America or use American manufactures for parts we do not manufacture (bolts-washers, rubber, glass, steel, aluminum, etc.)
This at times my put a price out of what people feel a product should cost.
America is the largest consumer of china product. that being said it puts a price on what people think something should cost.

Many people don't get a chance to visit China or have been approached by China businesses to build there product at a much lower cost then we currently built our own product.

We find this is the biggest wall we come up to here at Rogue Engineering.

Letting China build our product would allow us to sale a product to consumers at a lower cost and line our pockets with money from sales.

The down fall is we would be cutting the throats of our neighbors and other Americans including the sign shops on this forum.

It helps to fuel the trickle effect.

We layoff workers (don't need them) now it is hard to show my face at the local grocery store. We no longer are supporting other US manufacturing Plants. Now they are laying off workers. In some cases this may be the breaking point and now they have to close there doors. This now effects the sign guy that now has lost a good client that bought banners and signs from his local shop to help support his local economy. The employees that have now lost there jobs are not buying from the local shops making them cut corners in their business plan. Advertising tends to be one of the first on the list. Now really hurting the local sign shop.

Amazing, how one decision from a business owner can change so much just to line his own pockets

I remember hearing stories of business ethics as a young man.
A business has a responsibility to help there local families. In turn this builds a business that makes a stronger country.

It saddens me today to see this one thing has been thrown to the way side and now manufacturing and families are in a constant fight for survival.

 

[RogueRoller]

As a owner of a manufacturing company of sign equipment, I find it amazing the businesses that call to order or inquire about our products. Yesterday a gentleman called us that is applying vinyl to glass panels to give it frosted look or to give it a color from the back side.

This is to be installed into European stile doors made here in the US.

At the present time he is Painting the doors then applying laminate over the panted 1/8 thick glass. (making it approved as safety glass in his industry)

This had us running test to see if our Rogue Roller would be a good fit for his pacific needs.

All though he is not in the Sign industry, he has opened a door to us we never would have looked at until today now that testing has been completed.

Now it has me asking what other industries do we cross paths with that our machine would benefit? Any ideas we may have over looked?

 

[The Equipment Guy]

Hi All,

Just throwing in to support Rogue Roller, even though I sell the competition (The Rolls Roller)

If you do not see the benefits of this machine, you have not looked at it enough. If you see the benefits, but think its too expensive, you need to create some ROI's based on your own output, most would be surprised to find that these units are quite often a more productive decision than going to a flatbed printer.

The interesting thing that I hear from my clients that bought it is that they consider it the top purchase they have ever made (and remember, the Rolls Roller is considerably more than Charlies machine) I have not had a single customer that regretted their decision to go with this technology.

Lastly, the shops I sell to are shops like the ones on this forum, Mostly 4-8 man shops, who do a great variety of work. i have not sold one yet to a company that does only one style of sign (ie traffic)

All I hope is that if you get the chance, take the time to really analyze these units and what they can do for you. You might be surprised.

Craig

 

[artbot]

@rogueroller you'll need to do an air up platen for that. i've got some air up platens (22') for my jv3 with those blowers for "kiddie-scapes" it's loud but it a necessity to break the vacuum of a heavy flat sheet. medium weight sheets will just hover right off the edge of the table if you don't keep an eye on it.

 

[RogueRoller]

ArtBot:
That is where we started out also (Air Up Platens)
Thanks to this forum we really put the cost thing into play and came up with 32 inch UHMW sheets that the glass sits on top of. After the transfer you grab the sheet allowing one to move and get under the glass with ease for removing it off the table.
Note: his biggest sheet of glass is only 24X60.

Works great and only is a cost a extra $43.48 Sheet size was 4X8 at a local supply store.

 

[The Big Squeegee]

SignsByDale:
...I do love your Product I find it works great for a lot of shops.
Were we are different is that after a 8 hr shift using the Rogue Roller the operator is less fatigued. The Rogue Roller is always putting a constant directional motion in the application process with air controlled down force with no stretching of the graphics.

In a squeegee process there is friction there is the down fall. After friction has been applied (being the squeegee has been pushed or pulled) the vinyl stretches bigger then it was intended. The common way to deal with this is to add transfer tape this adding to the cost of the job in materials and time...

I doubt very much that there would be much of a difference in the fatigue factor of using the 2 devices.

An 8' sign takes less than a minute to apply the graphic and, there is not much more effort in pushing the Squeegee than there is pulling the backing off on your machine. Applying pressure is not necessary with the Big Squeegee. Low pressure = low friction. The stretch factor in an 8' panel is usually less than a 1/4". The act of pulling the backing off causes the stretching. It is not the friction that causes the stretching.