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128   Phone: 516-328-3970 www.technocnc.com CNC Articles CNC Router Expands Sign Shop and Pays for Itself  within One Year We identified accuracy, repeatability, resolution,  and  reliability  as  the most  important  selection  criteria  for the  router.  Some  CNC  routers  we evaluated  had  components  such  as rack-and-pinion  drives  that  needed frequent maintenance and other items that needed constant adjustment. We wanted to avoid these sorts of chores and  concentrate  on  our  business. Price was also a consideration. Some machines on the market at the time were priced in the $80,000 range, and they were ruled out as too expensive for our current volume of router work. Accuracy for the Right Price The  search  for  a  CNC  router eventually led us to Techno, Inc. CNC Routers,  New  Hyde  Park,  NY.  The Techno  machines  are  designed  for production  routing  and  drilling  on  a The Techno router is easy to set up and easy to use. wide  variety  of  materials including  wood,  plastic, MDF,   solid   surfacing materials,  and  nonferrous metals. The accuracy level of the  Techno  machine  was actually  higher  than  we needed  for  sign  making. It  featured  a  positioning accuracy of ±1 mm in 300 mm. We realized, however, that  the  ability  to  produce parts  with  tight  tolerances could lead to new types of work. We also believed, after reviewing the specifications of the Techno machine that it  would  be  as  reliable  as we  needed.  Its  use  of antibacklash  ball  screws, for example, would ensure play-free motion. These screws have excellent  power  transmission  due to  the  rolling-ball contact between the nut and screws. This type  of  contact ensures low friction, low wear, and long life. We didn’t fi nd any other CNC router with  the  combination  of  capabilities and  accuracy  level  as  the  Techno machine, unless they were quite a bit higher  in  price.  The  Techno  system we  selected  cost  the  same  as  less accurate  machines  yet  delivered  the accuracy of higher-end machines. With  the  purchase  of  the  router, we  moved  National  Sign  out  of  the house  and  into  a  5,000-square  foot shop.  Even employees with minimal computer  experience  were  able  to use  the  driver  software  and  run  the machine.  We  initially  used  its  CNC routing  capabilities  to  do  standard By Jeff Wolf A  computer  numeric controlled  (CNC)  router has allowed our company, National  Sign  and  Design Group,  to  expand  into furniture, counter tops, trade show  displays,  and  other new  sources  of  revenue, paying  for  itself  within twelve months of operation. For  example,  we  more than doubled our income when  a  restaurant  that needed a sign also hired us to produce its counter tops and sneeze guard. We  now  bid  on  higher- margin  jobs  that  require close tolerances, using the CNC  router  to  achieve levels  of  accuracy  and repeatability  that  are  impossible  by hand.   National  Sign  started  out  as  a home-based screen printing business. We  eventually  expanded  into  vinyl graphics, a process in which letters that have been designed on a computer are  cut  from  vinyl  using  a  special plotter and then applied to a plywood substrate.  When  we  got  requests for  wooden  signs  with  dimensional cutouts, the work was contracted out to a company with a router. Over the years, however, the demand for this type  of  work  kept  growing  while  the quality  and  the  dependability  of  the outside  contractor  was  becoming  a problem. This led us to consider buying our  own  router,  specifically  one  that was  computer-controlled  so  it  could be  programmed  to  cut  computer- generated letters and other designs.