wood substitude

[asd]

I am new to the cnc sign routing and I have lots of questions for those of you with experience. what other materials can be use other than wood to make signs? how do they compare to wood, durability, flexibility and cost?

thanks in advance

 

[Richard Flint]

High Density Urethane Foam Board is ideal for sandblasting, carving and routing. Unlike wood it's 100% waterproof so it won't rot, decay or decompose.

 

[Gino]

You also can't get rid of it....... it won't burn, rot or legally be put in a trash dump.

 

[Inlaying Corian]

Corian

You can also use Corian. Corian as a substrate will cost more out of the gate but will last far longer than any other material you may consider. When you talk of a material that can last as long as Corian you are also talking about a happy customer. A little info on the Corain is that it is completely UV stable, nonporous and can handle any weather condition that is thrown its way.

 

[SignManiac]

Most of my stuff is multimedia. I work with a lot of solid PVC, acrylics, DiBond, cedar, HDU and aluminum. Many times all on the same project.

 

[imaSIGNr]

Depending on it's use MDF ( Medex ) can be routed. Edges need to be sealed well after .Careful with exterior use.

 

[John L]

Extera is outdoor MDF. Cheap. Routs like mdf. Paints well with anythng after clear sealed with sanding sealer. I dropped a piece of unfinished scrap in a bucket of water for a week and it showed no signs of swelling.

 

[asd]

thank you for all the information

 

[SqueeGee]

You can also use Corian. Corian as a substrate will cost more out of the gate but will last far longer than any other material you may consider. When you talk of a material that can last as long as Corian you are also talking about a happy customer. A little info on the Corain is that it is completely UV stable, nonporous and can handle any weather condition that is thrown its way.

We've had our CNC for about a year now and I would like to try Corian. Do you have any suggestions about how to find a distributor?

 

[Doug Weaver]

There are several brands of Solid Surface materials. Corian, Wilsonart and Formica which are the leading suppliers in the U.S. All are comparable to one another in quality, the difference is the variety of colors. In most cases, before you can purchase the material from a distributor, you need to get certified by the distributor. This usually involves on sight training, approximately 4 hours at the distributor, in some cases they will do it at your facility. Regardless of what you are doing with the materials, most of the time they require the certification for material warranty purposes.

We too have been making signs, inlayed coutertops and more with this material for years now. It is great to work and not that difficult to do. As stated by Inlaying Corian, it is more expensive upfront but worth it. The material comes in sheet sizes that are 30" or 36" in width by 144" in length, be carefull in handling.

To find a distributor for any one of these, try the following links.

www.corian.com

www.formica.com

www.wilsonart.com


Good luck.

 

[SqueeGee]

Thanks for the links. Have you ever tried a product named Avonite? It appears to be similar to Corian.

 

[Gino]

Yes, but so far.... only interior signs.

 

[Doug Weaver]

Thanks for the links. Have you ever tried a product named Avonite? It appears to be similar to Corian.

Yes, I have. Interesting enough, the world of Solid Surface is somewhat of one big family. Wilsonart does not manufacture thier own, they purchase it from Avonite, who is actually Aristech Acrylics. There are a number of companies that purchase Solid Surface Material from Aristech and brand it as thier own. I personally perfer Formica brands to the others. Solid Surface material from Aristech, primarily the white colors, are soft and when cutting on the CNC with an "O-flute" straight bit, the "chip" has a tendency collect and melt together like that of a EPVC, and is difficult for a dust collection sytem to pull it away from the cutting surface. Formica brands don't do this. When cutting thier material, the cutting "chips" are pulled away easily by the dust collection system. Corian I cannot speak for, I have used it only once and used a saw only.

Hope this sheds some light.

 

[Just Another Sign Guy]

if you would like to experiment with hdu duna used to send out a very generous box of samples about 1' X 2' approx 5-6 pieces. a nice way to test out the material without dropping a couple hundred bucks on a full sheet.

 

[Hugo Carradini]

Can plywood be used for out doors signs? In my country we don't have adequate substrates for working cnc cut signs, Basically we get MDF, PVC, acrylic
Thanks

 

[Hugo Carradini]

:Oops:I just found after long time that what you call MDO is plywood so this brings to me great new possibilities. (language differences) Now i am concerned in the best way to seal the edges.

 

[artbot]

i like to use 1 1/8" mdf seal it with deck stain (indoor sign, will still warp over time if it's not sealed). then after cnc i stain the interior edges with black wood dye. the mdf will soak up copious amount of pigment/paint. but one pass of black wood dye and it's pitch black for good.

 

[bossprint]

Artbot what method and brand on wood die do you use. I have a project where I am going to need to coat/paint the edges of a lot of mdf.

 

[johnnysigns]

thanks for the heads up Art, gonna use that soon on a personal project.

 

[Jackpine]

Avonite works well also. I have bought from the company. Check out custom kitchen and bath companies for cutoffs an scraps.
http://www.avonitesurfaces.com/

We've had our CNC for about a year now and I would like to try Corian. Do you have any suggestions about how to find a distributor?