Weighing my options....

[STSMotorsports]

Hello!
We are looking into purchasing CNC routing equipment to start building our own signs and making custom trophies, and plaques. I am absolutely green when it comes to routing and sign making. We create a lot of plaques by just making a decal that fits over a standard 9x12 plaque but we are seeing a trend in some of our customers wanting a custom plaque that is the shape of a MX helmet or sprocket. I started looking online for different routers and I am just lost. If anyone could steer me in the right direction as far as where to start or if anyone knows anyone who is looking to get rid of there equipment let me know. Thanks in advance for your help!

Steve W.

 

[rossmosh]

You should really run your numbers before you get too far into this. My experience is that people want custom plaques but are typically on a trophy budget. By the time you design, cut, finish, engrave, and pack, the budget on a custom item is typically WAY higher than stock stuff. I've found the numbers only work out if:

1. You have customers with deep pockets and don't care.
2. You work cheap and are happy making cool awards but not making any money.
3. Quantity runs. If you can do 150pc runs regularly, you can probably make the numbers work.
4. You do acrylic awards and invest heavily in equipment. If you spend serious money on a high power laser (200w+) then you can laser cut awards and have them come out essentially finished. This streamlines the process quite a bit but again, it's expensive to get involved in this. I'd say your minimum budget should be $70k. Even if you make the investment, you still need the skills to pay the bills. I send my custom acrylic orders to a guy in California that is an acrylic specialist and even after it comes off of his laser nearly perfect, he still processes the edges to get a fantastic edge.

You can make your awards look unique combining different processes like laser cutting, engraving, & printing.