Wood & MDF Signage: CNC Laser Engraved & Cut

Wood and MDF signage is great for a wide variety of purposes, both CNC laser and / or CNC routed by CNCROi.com.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHGHMJCLOtA/

We’ve really pushed through a lot of MDF at the shop this year, some of our biggest production cycles have been using this material and for this example, we are using 1/4″ thick MDF (masonite or hardboard).

CNCROi.com has worked with a wide range of different MDF thicknesses, from 1/8″ (3 mm) through to one inch this, it all depends on what you the customer needs to be made using this material, whether it’s MDF signage or other applications such as ornaments or wall art.

Just to give you an idea of the absolute diversity that CNCROi.com can offer you using MDF, here are some parts that were made using thicker material.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjDRHcxjIvo/

This MDF signage featured in this blog post is actually a piece of scrap from a large job we recently did, we strive to not throw away good working and still very good scrap at the shop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvHMBQN0-sI/

What I really enjoy about MDF is that it’s an incredibly cost effective material, it’s pretty strong and paints super easily.

One disadvantage of MDF signage is that it doesn’t hold up very well outdoors so it must be totally sealed otherwise it starts to deteriorate relatively quickly.

As for resolution when it comes to laser engraving or router carving, it’s very good because unlike real wood, there is no grain – hence no material density variations from knots to voids.

If you are wondering what is possible when it comes to CNC router carving MDF, here’s a door panel I made to give you an idea of what’s possible for MDF signage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPnWLWwNDeQ/

Add a bit of paint or finishing and wow, MDF can really transform into something amazingly beautiful.

Not having grain is also a disadvantage when it comes to MDF signage, it’s rather boring to look at so this is why you generally see this type of work painted and sealed rather than “natural”.

As with other wood signage CNCROi.com produces, if we want things to be a little darker contrast wise, we just pass over it a second (or third) time, this introduces more burning rather than engraving.

If you are wondering what painted MDF signage looks like, here’s a family monogram I made a while back which still looks great to this day, using just MDF!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4oWTtjMgPo/

If this was just regular wood, you’d want to keep it “natural” with maybe staining, MDF signage though, you might as well just paint to make it pretty.

The darkening isn’t amazingly deep or dark with multiple passes using our CNC laser but it does happen a few shades at a time during each pass.

What are some other applications that MDF is great for? It’s all over the map, including hundreds of gears.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R21T4lYAXeA/

It’s a lot of fun seeing what our customers come-up with when it comes to MDF signage options, from carving to engraving.

The white light you see in the MDF signage below is the instant vaporization of the MDF and gasses released instantaneously.

CNCROi.com has also made lots of custom MDF cake toppers, again, the applications are basically endless when it comes to what’s possible using this material, it isn’t just good for MDF signage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ9PW6B4g2c/

Just keep in mind with MDF that most of the time, paint really transforms the material into something bland to amazing with very little effort.

If you look at the MDF signage below, all the details laser engraved into is are tight, sharp and totally legible, this is because CNCROi.com’s laser is Austrian designed and made, top of the line for all our customers!

After laser engraving this MDF signage twice (one for engraving, the other for darkening), it’s time to cut it out of the scrap MDF so we can have a better look at it.

The results look fantastic, for this MDF signage, I didn’t want to paint it, so I decided to go for a smoky look, without grain, you really need to do something “neat” and that’s one of the tricks to add a lot more depth and interest to an otherwise bland material.

Just to give you an idea, on the left of the picture below is MDF, followed by today’s MDF signage then the same design (my CNCROi.com logo) onto bamboo and then at the far right is whitewood (not Pine as I mentioned in the video).

At a distance, the smoke really adds a lot of character to this MDF signage but in a very cost effective manner, it almost looks branded rather than painted, I just used the smoke of the process itself to add this effect.

Compare that to the clean surface of the bamboo below, the bamboo of course could have been made smoky like the MDF signage but I did them two different ways to give you a better understanding of this effect when it comes to custom wooden signage options.

Looking for custom wooden signage? MDF or solid wood, contact CNCROi.com right now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTfJfvbOO1s/