128Phone: 516-328-3970www.technocnc.comCNC ArticlesCNC Router Expands Sign Shop and Pays for Itself within One YearWe identified accuracy, repeatability, resolution, and reliability as the most important selection criteria for the router. Some CNC routers we evaluated had components such as rack-and-pinion drives that needed frequent maintenance and other items that needed constant adjustment. We wanted to avoid these sorts of chores and concentrate on our business. Price was also a consideration. Some machines on the market at the time were priced in the $80,000 range, and they were ruled out as too expensive for our current volume of router work.Accuracy for the Right PriceThe search for a CNC router eventually led us to Techno, Inc. CNC Routers, New Hyde Park, NY. The Techno machines are designed for production routing and drilling on a The Techno router is easy to set up and easy to use.wide variety of materials including wood, plastic, MDF, solid surfacing materials, and nonferrous metals.The accuracy level of the Techno machine was actually higher than we needed for sign making. It featured a positioning accuracy of ±1 mm in 300 mm. We realized, however, that the ability to produce parts with tight tolerances could lead to new types of work. We also believed, after reviewing the specifications of the Techno machine that it would be as reliable as we needed. Its use of antibacklash ball screws, for example, would ensure play-free motion. These screws have excellent power transmission due to the rolling-ball contact between the nut and screws. This type of contact ensures low friction, low wear, and long life.We didnt fi nd any other CNC router with the combination of capabilities and accuracy level as the Techno machine, unless they were quite a bit higher in price. The Techno system we selected cost the same as less accurate machines yet delivered the accuracy of higher-end machines.With the purchase of the router, we moved National Sign out of the house and into a 5,000-square foot shop. Even employees with minimal computer experience were able to use the driver software and run the machine. We initially used its CNC routing capabilities to do standard By Jeff WolfA computer numeric controlled (CNC) router has allowed our company, National Sign and Design Group, to expand into furniture, counter tops, trade show displays, and other new sources of revenue, paying for itself within twelve months of operation. For example, we more than doubled our income when a restaurant that needed a sign also hired us to produce its counter tops and sneeze guard. We now bid on higher-margin jobs that require close tolerances, using the CNC router to achieve levels of accuracy and repeatability that are impossible by hand. National Sign started out as a home-based screen printing business. We eventually expanded into vinyl graphics, a process in which letters that have been designed on a computer are cut from vinyl using a special plotter and then applied to a plywood substrate. When we got requests for wooden signs with dimensional cutouts, the work was contracted out to a company with a router. Over the years, however, the demand for this type of work kept growing while the quality and the dependability of the outside contractor was becoming a problem. This led us to consider buying our own router, specifically one that was computer-controlled so it could be programmed to cut computer-generated letters and other designs.