With all the cutting involved in the sign making business, we are very appreciative of our various routers. The MultiCam Apex 1R CNC Router resides in our Petoskey shop, and although it’s not our biggest router (which is 5’ x 16’), it’s still quite large at 5’ x 10’ and is relatively messy, so it occupies a room all by itself.
Thoughtfully engineered to ensure the highest quality output, the router has a very heavy solid steel frame which keeps it stable. Aircraft-quality aluminum cutting extrusions result in extremely smooth, clean, and precise cuts. There are two different interchangeable blades to choose from, depending on the task at hand, which broadens the opportunities for production even further. This machine is not only capable of making flat pieces, but also allows for creating three-dimensional objects.
We use the CNC machine to cut a multitude of materials including ACM Alupanel (Aluminum Composite Material), HDU Foam (High Density Urethane), PVC, aluminum, acrylic, and SeaDek marine flooring. The unique capabilities of this machine allow us to produce a wide variety of quality signage. What is really slick is that the router integrates with our design software so almost anything we can digitally sketch out, it can produce with extreme accuracy. This also makes for seamless coordination with our vinyl cutting machines which work from the same files.
Our main operator, Cody, has already routed thousands of pieces of material, but continues to experiment to see just how many ways this machine can be used. In addition to the straight cuts, it can create angles, bevels, and v-carves, producing faux wood grain and a variety of other 3-D textures. Although quite a bit more time consuming because of the intricacy involved, these designs look amazing when complete. The router is far more than just a simple cutting machine; it truly is a valuable tool in the fine finishing of many projects.
