Setting your sights on expansion

Following on from last month when I looked at a printer that opened up different options, this month I have considered an area that is probably overlooked, but is just as much a part of a sign-maker’s offering as the more obvious digital print and the like.

Most of us are always looking for ways to stand out from our competitors in some form, and probably one area that has not seen so much activity is the market for engraving. Over the years, it has become a more niche market either operated by a high street cobbler or a trophy supplier, but with a growing range of laser engravers available, it could be time to consider the range options available.


Laser systems have been around for a while now, but with technology advancing at a rapid rate, and with equipment available in many shapes and sizes, the entry point into new lucrative areas of business is more affordable than ever.

Targeting expansion

Trotec is one such company, offering a variety of machines from the entry-level Rayjet with an A3 Process area up, to the largest in the range, the SP1500, which has an impressive work area of 1500 x 1250mm. If you add in the fact that these machines are not just a capable of cutting letters or shapes from acrylics, metals, woods, and the like, but are also highly accurate engravers, then the opportunity to acquire a laser starts to make a lot of sense.
 
Laser engraving has some distinct advantages over conventional mechanical engraving, and routing for a start there is no pressure on the work piece needed so no awkward clamping down which could be useful on more sensitive products. As it is a laser, it is one tool fits all, so once you have learnt how to operate the equipment, there is no need to have to get to grips with tooling as well.

But, I guess the main advantage, and it is what you see these machines doing at the trade shows, is that there is virtually no limit on how intricate a design you can produce.

The other area to consider is that just as you can engrave complex designs so you can also cut highly detailed shapes quickly and easily with edge quality that cannot really be matched with normal CNC devices. So, if that is something you do regularly, investing in a laser could not only improve lead times, it will also save production time and money.

The Speedy 300 has been the most popular one in the past, it is a solid looking piece of engineering, well made with a processing area of 726 x 432mm. However, this is gradually being surpassed by the Speedy 400. This offers a greater production area of 1000 x 610mm. Both are offered in three variants with the option to upgrade at any time.


Additional options

All the Speedy lasers are offered in three options, standard is with a CO2 laser, next up is fiber, and the third is flexx, which is a combination of both. If you intend to engrave a lot of metals, then fiber is the way to go, but better still, have the best of both worlds and specify the flexx variant.


Both the Speedy 300 and the Speedy 400 have no front bar, which gives easy access to the work area so loading and unloading materials is straight forward. With this class of machine, it is also possible to use a rotary attachment so you can work on cylindrical or even spherical objects, which increases yet further the opportunities available to a laser owner.



In common with any other equipment of this specialist type, you can create artwork using familiar software or using Trotec’s own in-house job creator software. It has the full range of features you would expect, and, as with any other type of editing software, you have the ability to import the usual array of file types to be included in your design.

If you have chosen the flexx option for your laser, then by using the soft-ware, you can engrave the substrate with the CO2 laser and seamlessly cut the finished article out using the fiber laser. The Speedy 400 is no slouch as it will process work at up to 355cm per second on CO2, using fiber is slower but still impressive at 200cm per second. The Speedy 400 comes with a selection of tables dependant of what you are doing, so magnetic for thin and light materials, a black aluminium grid for smaller pieces, a vacuum table, and a white plastic cutting grid.



The Austrian manufacturer has kept the environment in mind too, equipping the software with an efficient engraving function. This optimises the energy consumption of the Speedy range by automatically switching to stand-by mode and the system shuts down once a job is completed automatically.

Trotec appears to have thought of most things, even having a catalogue of laserable products such as pens, key fobs, and wine bottle boxes for the corporate giftware market and of course, the full range of sheet materials.
 
Finance packages such as the Ray-as-you-go scheme make starting up a relatively straight forward task with an upfront payment and then monthly payments. The lasers themselves range in price from £9,450 plus VAT for the smallest Rayjet, up to £120,000 plus VAT for the top end speedy 1500. extraction and accessories on top of this price though.

With all the options available and the ability to be able to use the valuable artwork to create additional products along with being able to tackle intricate and detailed engraving, could make a laser system a valuable addition to any sign business.



Allen Signs is an established family run business with over 100 years of combined experience. It provides a complete sign, display, and vehicle livery solution from concept and design through to final installation and maintenance.

For more information on the issues discussed in this article please visit www.allen-signs.co.uk or tel: 0115 704 3017



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