1/8″ Thick Custom Steel Sign: CNC Waterjet Cutting
When it comes to making a custom steel sign, the CNC waterjet does a quick job of it with clean edges and perfectly round bolt holes!
This sign was left unfinished on purpose by CNCROi.com as the customer wishes to back this with a piece of plywood (hence the bolt holes) and complete the custom steel sign to their liking.
The reason for going with regular steel over stainless steel is cost, cutting 1/8″ thick of either metal costs about the same to CNC waterjet but in terms of raw material, it’s a fraction of the price and can be painted very nicely just like the thinner gauge steel signage below.
When it comes to CNCROi.com making a custom steel sign, there is no point in paying a premium for stainless steel when the desire is to paint it as you are hiding the finish and protecting it at the same time using enamel paint.
This is why one of the first questions I often ask customers who want a custom steel sign is what they plan on doing with it and what environment they will stick it in, although steel rusts very fast compared to stainless, if it’s coated, it’s perfectly acceptable.
When it comes to CNC waterjet cutting, just about any thickness can be easily cut, the thicker the material (metal or otherwise), it just takes longer to cut but the same relative precision exists.
CNCROi.com has a variety of equipment types, as a result, we can also easily mix and match different processes to produce really unique finished products.
One thing to keep in mind is that regular steel rusts very fast, that’s one reason why stainless steel is employed a lot for production of custom steel signage and other items that don’t need to be painted.
To give you an idea of how fast cold-rolled steel rusts, the stainless steel that I used to make my Drais BMT mock-up has been in the CNCROi.com shop for a few weeks now and it doesn’t have even one spec of rust, while this custom steel sign started rusting a few minutes after being CNC waterjet cut.
CNCROi.com works with a variety of metals, from anodized aluminium to cold-rolled steel to stainless steel in addition to other metals and alloys, it all depends on what our customers request us to cut on their behalf.
When it comes to making a custom steel sign, it’s generally cold rolled steel or stainless steel, the thicknesses (gauge) may vary but regardless of your spec, CNCROi.com can cut it for you and finish if you’d like.
If you wish to have something made out of aluminium instead of steel, CNCROi.com can cut that out just as easily, and even help design and fabricate items that are 3D too.
The nice thing about anodizing aluminium is the very durable but extra thin finish that’s possible on it compared powder coating (also possible) or even enamel painting which can then be vaporized using our CNC laser.
When it comes to engraving anodized aluminium, the resolution CNCROi.com can achieve is upwards of a thousand DPI, which means that regardless of the image or text you wish you to have branded on the aluminium, we can put it on there sharp and permanently.
The durability of a custom steel sign is second to none compared to wood or plastics and it can be easily refinished a few years later as well by just sanding down the steel and re-coating it with enamel paint.
When it comes to annealing steel, stainless or otherwise, the process is completely permanent but it’s more cost-effective most of the time to cut the steel when it comes to large signage.
There is no perfect process though, annealing is great for some signage and branding options while cutting through is best for others, but it all depends on what you wish to accomplish.
The mud you see going over the custom steel sign being CNC waterjet cut in these photos and video doesn’t damage the sign at all, in fact, for this project, it actually gives it a light cleaning.
Another application where CNCROi.com produces lots of custom steel products are welding tags, which the advantages of using REAL metal without adding anything to it for branding produce incredibly durable welding tags.
CNCROi.com offers those custom branded whether it’s steel or anodized aluminium.
There are many advantages when it comes to metal signage, durability and flexibility of design are definitely up there but flexibility to mix and match materials also comes into play.
For instance, if you wish to have a metal “front” and a wooden back or even a plastic back, having the machinery to produce a seamless design across multiple processes and materials allows for pretty unique production.
And here’s another version using similar processes to but for a totally different application and design use.
The reason you don’t see too much of this type of signage around it because it requires a design optimized for a variety of different materials and processes for total accuracy… something CNCROi.com excels at.
Another use for custom steel-cutting are custom stencils, something that CNCROi.com does a lot of using a variety of materials, from metal to plastics and woods.
CNCROi.com does custom signage of all types, whether you want a full-sized wooden sign for a cottage or plastic overlayed material.
The easiest way to go about getting CNCROi.com to make you a custom steel sign is to have some sort of budget range established ahead of time along with a rough idea of the design you want.
We have full custom design facilities so even if you aren’t sure what you want, we can optimize the design for a specific material and thickness to get the best result you are hoping to have.
CNCROi.com has a lot of experience custom design through fabrication, as a result, let us put that knowledge for your benefit and turnaround time is generally a few days.
Just about any design could be cut out of metal, the thickness of the metal we use and the type do depend on the application but also the budget you’ve established.
Here’s the finished custom steel sign we CNC waterjet cut, this will be finished by the customer with a plywood backing using all the holes around to help align and adhere the wood that will be painted in a contrasting color for contrast.
Need a custom steel sign?
Contact CNCROi.com.