Stencil Cutouts???

[splizaat]

Does anyone have a good material to throw through a plotter and use as a reusable stencil? Doesn't have to be rigid per-se, but does need to NOt be peel and stick. Something I can plot out and have a customer use as a spray paint stencil over and over again just by either taping it up or holding it up to the substrate...

 

[signmeup]

Try goggling something called see-temp. It was used by R/C airplane builders to make stencils as you describe. Only they used an Xacto knife.

 

[Sticky Signs]

I've made lots of stencils by hand. Sometimes cutting the vinyl, weeding the stencil part and than cutting the release liner by hand. I've also done the same thing but mounted the vinyl to either styrene or sintra.
Now I get my buddy to make them for me with his laser cutter. He uses a fairly rigid piece of styrene that is very re-usable and the quality of the laser cut is awesome. Only down side is that he's limited to the size of a stencil he can make. Of course most stencils are pretty small anyways.

 

[CentralSigns]

We have made some out of polystyrene, a white ridgid plastic. It makes a re-usable stencil. Our Summa cuts it ok, 300 lb pressures, will not cut through it, you still have to pick out the pieces. We do them for companies that do product testing and have to spray paint the test and section number on the test item. It is very time consuming to make them I would think a CNC router would make nice ones and material thickness could be increased to the max the material is avaliable. that would insure a long lasting product.

 

[Mosh]

+polystyrene, be sure to ROUND CORNERS or your blades with be messed up.
Done it a few times with good results. just babysit the plotter while you cut and run at a lower speed.

 

[TyrantDesigner]

as mosh said, round your corners, also make sure your blade is a 45 degree blade, you can snap a 60 degree blade tip. and slow it down to snail speed.

 

[nashvillesigns]

guys. i used to beat myself up over this stuff. Customcutstencil is so cheap i decided it wasn't worth ruining your plotter for. instead of shelling out 400 bucks for a roll of material vinyl plotters are really not good for cutting, i still made a killing reselling them.
you end up killing a blade, stretching out the bands, and shortening motor life. unless your name is Dr. Evil and you have a "lazer" save a plotter.

 

[signmeup]

We have made some out of polystyrene, a white ridgid plastic. It makes a re-usable stencil. Our Summa cuts it ok, 300 lb pressures, will not cut through it, you still have to pick out the pieces. We do them for companies that do product testing and have to spray paint the test and section number on the test item. It is very time consuming to make them I would think a CNC router would make nice ones and material thickness could be increased to the max the material is avaliable. that would insure a long lasting product.

Hold the phone... your Summa has 300 pounds of downforce??!! Impressive! (I only have 150 pounds of downforce soaking wet.)

 

[ddarlak]

i use .020 styrene, slow down the plotter, round the corners, have the plotter reset back at the begining and run it a few times, then it's crack and peel.....

i think its like $10 for a 4' x 8' sheet

 

[Tony McD]

Had posted on this subject on another thread a couple months ago, but can't seem to find it.

The last stencils I made using sandblast mask. Cut two copies, one in reverse, and stick them back to back. Makes a pretty good flexible stencil.

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

We use Garvey Monarch Oilboard. It works perfect on our fc6000

 

[petepaz]

i use .020 styrene, slow down the plotter, round the corners, have the plotter reset back at the begining and run it a few times, then it's crack and peel.....

i think its like $10 for a 4' x 8' sheet

we do the same but with .010 and we use pvc or styrene

 

[Mosh]

400 bucks for a roll of material

Yeah, try $10 for a 4x8. You must be getting hosed.

 

[Pat Whatley]

i use .020 styrene, slow down the plotter, round the corners, have the plotter reset back at the begining and run it a few times, then it's crack and peel.....

i think its like $10 for a 4' x 8' sheet

What he said except I cover the styrene with vinyl first. Styrene cracks and tears too easy, the vinyl really helps.

Of course unless we're damn good friends or you've got incriminating pictures of me I'm not doing you a dang stencil anyway.

 

[thewrightjenn]

Might not work, but I cut magnetic on the roll on my plotter...