Commercial signage has gone beyond basic design concepts involving straight lines and right angles. Production routing tools in CNC machining are capable of complex shapes. The tooling ensures maximizing usage of material while minimizing machining times. The complexity of curved shapes which was operationally difficult has now emerged as an exciting routing technology.It is possible due to new software tools such as true shape nesting. The software acts in tandem with new toolpath cutting strategies. Even tool bits have undergone fluting design changes that allow ramping in and out of the material. Cutting times have reduced enormously due to multi-tool pocketing. Pattern texturing for signage as in the YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EmzRxC9ODw) is due to enhancing profile cutting along vectors which change the Z-axis cutting depth in a random fashion. The result is a stunning and unique texturing that adds interesting and unique features to signage carving.
Toolpath Strategy
Software advancements with updated editing and designing tools allow importing and editing projects. For example, the signage in the referenced video contains different vectors. The tooling bit is following a vectored tool path algorithm, but the CNC carving to an onlooker appears random. Toolpath strategy is one of the important features of both CNC Router and the software implementing the G-coded design.
Robustness of CNC Machine
The Router in the video is OMNITECH’s 1325 model which is a proven CNC performer and famous worldwide as among the best CNC Router for sign making. The video exemplifies the wood engraving of an elaborate logo design routed with extreme precision at high speed. The Router is heavy duty making it suitable for sign making, prototyping, and woodworking among other functions. It is a versatile artistic carving tool when used with new interactive tooling software. Fileting tool paths allow vector geometry to reduce the points of arc segments and converting into a smooth curve. Converting 2D drawings into 3D component construction is comfortable with advanced tooling software which the capable 1328 model can perform complex routing effortlessly.
Curved decorative panels and signage architectural elements are efficiently designed and routed on CNC machines. The 1325 model is ideal for outdoor and indoor sign cutting on several substrates such as MDF, acrylic, engineering plastics, and non-ferrous metals among others. Accessories such as fixing a rotary device to the Sign making 1325 CNC Router allows indexing as a 4th axis for processing structural columns. Adding a dust collector is advantageous when working with wood and plastic.
Artistic manufacturing is a combination of efficient CAD design such as OMNI CNC and integrating with Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) technology. It brings complex artwork to life as in the video. The creative process of using lines, arcs, and other geometry for positioning the x, y and z coordinates allows free styling that was unimaginable in the past. The future of CNC machining and new technologies in the CAM domain such as generative designing (artificial intelligence (AI) tools, cloud computing enable CNC machines to generate designs on the fly) is already underway.
