Signs & Large Format Print
What we cut on the CNC: materials and typical uses
The router is an everyday machine for us, because without it there would be no lettered sign, no light box with a routed face and no decent display. We most often machine:
- Dibond (aluminium composite panel): signs in the shape of a logo, non-illuminated letters, light box faces with routed lettering, boards with fixing holes. Dibond can also be V-grooved and folded, which lets us make light boxes and housings without welding.
- Acrylic (PMMA): letters, plaques on stand-offs, illuminated elements, stands, displays. Thicker sheets we prefer to route rather than laser cut.
- Foam PVC: 3D letters from thicker board (10–19 mm), indoor signs, display components, mock-ups.
- Plywood and MDF: stand elements, set pieces, letters for painting, bases.
- Other plastics: HIPS, polycarbonate, sandwich panels, after checking the specific material.
Solid metal, steel and thick aluminium plate call for a different technology from our typical sign boards, so we quote such machining individually. Dibond, although it has aluminium skins, machines like a plastic and is no problem.
Before routing, we can UV print the artwork on the same board: we do both print and routing in-house, so shape and print register to each other. It is a common combination for shop signs and company plaques.
For larger runs, e.g. dozens of identical plaques or display parts, we nest the shapes on the board to minimise waste. That genuinely lowers the material cost, which is why for a series quote we ask for the exact quantity, not "about".
CNC routing price list
| Service | Price | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 2D cutting: material up to 3 mm | approx. €1.65 / lm | Dibond 3 mm, acrylic 3 mm, HIPS |
| 2D cutting: material up to 5 mm | approx. €2.10 / lm | PVC 5 mm, acrylic 5 mm, plywood |
| 2D cutting: material up to 10 mm | approx. €2.80 / lm | PVC 10 mm, acrylic 8–10 mm |
| 2D cutting: material up to 20 mm | approx. €6 / lm | PVC 19 mm, MDF, thick letters |
| 2D cutting: material up to 30 mm | approx. €8 / lm | thick boards, structural parts |
| 2D cutting: material up to 40 mm | approx. €11 / lm | blocks, plinths |
| V-cut routing (for folding Dibond) | approx. €3.30 / lm | light boxes, housings, Dibond letters |
| Mechanical engraving | approx. €5 / lm of path | rating plates, labels |
| Edge chamfering | approx. €1.90 / lm | premium finish |
| File and machine set-up | approx. €8 / order | one-off |
| Minimum routing charge | approx. €19 | below this amount |
A metre of toolpath is the distance the cutter travels, i.e. the sum of the outlines of all the shapes cut, including holes inside letters. Lettering in a fine, decorative typeface has a much longer path than the same width set in a plain typeface.
Example: what it costs to cut a logo from Dibond
Take a 3 mm Dibond logo, about 80 × 40 cm, with a few letters. Once the file is loaded, the software shows 6 lm of toolpath.
- Routing: 6 lm × €1.65 = €10
- File and machine set-up: approx. €8
- Total for machining: approx. €18, in practice about the routing minimum of approx. €19 net
- Plus material: UV-printed 3 mm Dibond costs approx. €35–55 net/m² depending on quantity, and for a single piece we charge the whole board area taken up by the shape
Finished letters fitted on stand-offs are priced as a product: non-illuminated Dibond or acrylic 3D letters and logos start at approx. €16 net per character at 30 cm high.
It is often cheaper to have us make the whole sign than to buy the board elsewhere and order cutting only: you avoid transporting large boards and the risk that the material will not suit the machine.
Router, laser or knife: when we choose which
We have three ways of cutting boards, and we match them to the material, not the other way round.
- CNC router: Dibond, thick acrylic, PVC from 5 mm up, plywood, MDF. A clean, straight edge; on acrylic it is matt and can be polished.
- Laser: thin acrylic up to 5–6 mm, plywood and MDF up to 5 mm, felt, PET. Laser-cut acrylic has an edge as glossy as polished, with no extra work. Above about 8 mm edge quality drops, and then we choose the router.
- Oscillating knife: foam PVC up to 5 mm (approx. €1.30 net/lm), card, HIPS, foam. Fast and cheap, with no dust.
We never laser cut PVC: burning it releases corrosive, harmful fumes. If someone asks for "laser-cut PVC", we do it with a knife or router. More about lasers in laser engraving and cutting, and about choosing a sign material in acrylic, Dibond or PVC.
How to prepare a file for routing
A router needs a vector, not a picture. Ideally PDF, AI, EPS, DXF or SVG, at 1:1 scale, with closed curves.
Checklist before sending:
- text converted to outlines,
- cut lines on a separate layer or in a separate colour, with no fills or effects,
- no duplicate lines on top of each other: the cutter will go round twice, and you will pay for it,
- material type and thickness stated,
- what is cut through and what is only engraved or pocketed to depth clearly marked.
Remember the cutter is round. Internal corners will always have a small radius equal to the tool's radius: a sharp 90° internal corner cannot be routed. Very thin elements, e.g. serifs on small letters, can break off, especially in PVC.
Only have your logo as JPG or PNG? We will vectorise it for approx. €26 net per logo, ready for routing.