Shopfitters

When jointing, we are trying to achieve a perfectly flat and square cut along the full side of the component. Usually a large surface area of material needs to be planed, and a moderate to high level finish is required. If there is enough clearance, this is generally where we will recommend a spiral or helical cutter.

Engraving is a common process for sign-makers and can be applied into all sorts of different materials. The standard of quality required is very high and different shapes or lettering require a tailored approach.

Foams have a wide range of applications from prosthetics and camera cases through to wall panelling for office fit outs and flooring on sea crafts. Foams must be treated differently to timber or harder plastics regarding tooling and working parameters. Soft foams are highly susceptible to tear out and melting.  Some foams can be machined effectively with spiral cutters, whilst others require oscillating or drag knives for effective cutting. Router bits used on foam are designed to shear the material very delicately and have polished flutes to allow the chips to glide over the tool with minimal friction.

Solid Surface’s such as Corian or HPL are a popular alternative to stone for countertops due to their strength and resistance to the elements. It’s density and hardness makes it somewhat abrasive to machine. Fortunately, there is a solution, hard laminates and plastics are effectively machined by a combination of roughing tools and diamond tooling, depending on the application.

Sign-makers are at the forefront of working with new, niche and advanced specialty materials. Their projects are highly detailed and they demand high quality finishes as their work is often the show-piece of a fitout.

For most sign-makers, no job is the same and they need to be dynamic to keep up with the latest trends. They need a tooling partner which can offer both a quick and effective tooling solution at the early stages of prototyping and a repeatable and efficient tooling solution for high volume batches. 

At Panel Tools we can work with you on a project by project basis and to ensure that you have an arsenal of tools that will cover a vast range of materials that you encounter on a daily basis.