Routing, cutting, laser-ing... oh my!

[allegraasheville]

Hi everyone,
I'm in research mode trying to come up with a "next step" growth plan...
The unbelievable actually happened. -The owner gave me a blank sheet of paper and asked what kind of machinery would help our Large Format department go to the next level.
I was floored.
So just for context, our typical large format jobs consist of banners, real estate signs, vehicle lettering -not wrapping, vinyl cutting, etc. Nothing super crazy.
So we want to get into some dimensional capability (probably PVC, acrylic, but also possibly aluminum or even steel?) but it seems my options are pretty overwhelming.
CNC Routers seem to be a staple, but I've had some laser-cut acrylic outsourced in the past, which also polishes the edge as it cuts, so I have that in the back of my mind too... then there's waterjet. The thing that concerns me about a router is the whole "round bit" thing. It can't cut a sharp edge in the inside of the letter "E" or any counter for that matter. How does one get around that?
I'm at the beginning stages of my research so I'm a sponge. If you can give me any guidance I'd really appreciate it!

 

[Gino]

What is your combined total budget ?? No sense spinning wheels if he comes back and says, oh sh!t, we can't afford that, we only have $75k allotted for this venture.

 

[rossmosh]

For a pure sign shop, a router is going to be more versatile and less expensive than a laser. With a router, you can almost cut anything. A laser, you're far more limited. That said, if you do a ton of acrylic, a laser is the best machine. It sounds like you're looking to do a bit of everything, which means a router is the tool for your shop. If you really want a laser, you can get a 36x48 Chinese laser designed for cutting for under $10k delivered.

For budget, a 4x8 machine starts at around $10k and goes up from there. You can get a lot of work done with a $20-30k router. That should give you a 5x10 cutting table, vacuum, 3-5HP spindle, and some "basic" software (something like Mach 3 and Vectric Aspire). Add another $10-15k for an "eye" which will allow you to cut based on registration marks.

 

[allegraasheville]

< $20k for the router is the budget. What brands would you recommend I look at? So far I've looked at websites for AXYZ and Gerber. Both seem great. Probably way more than I "need" now, but look like I could grow into them and never look back. Any other suggestions/tips?

 

[rossmosh]

< $20k for the router is the budget. What brands would you recommend I look at? So far I've looked at websites for AXYZ and Gerber. Both seem great. Probably way more than I "need" now, but look like I could grow into them and never look back. Any other suggestions/tips?

Shopbot is probably going to be one of your best options. Especially if you find a used one that's in decent shape. Any other brand will likely be too expensive.

I strongly recommend you get a vacuum setup. You can do your own that will be pretty darn good for under $2000 and it will "only" draw 30A @ 220v. Look into the black box vac setup.

 

[fixtureman]

Agree with the Shopbot and for Vacuum I use 2 Fein turbo III vacs they run off 110 and are way quieter then the Black box For less money you could run 4 and still be able to carry on a conversation