What we cut, mill, model and build
A 1600 × 6100mm CNC router, CO² laser, in-house CAD/CAM, and 35+ years of hands-on engineering — full detail on every process below, plus a look at recent jobs out of the workshop.
Large-format CNC routing
Two beds in-house — a 1500 × 3000mm ATC router for everyday sheet work and a 1600 × 6100mm ATC router for full sheets and long-length runs.
- 1600 × 6100mm bed, 16HP spindle, rotary ATC — full sheets and long-length runs without re-fixturing
- 1500 × 3000mm bed, rotary ATC — everyday sheet work and shorter-run jobs
- Full vacuum hold-down on both beds for thin sheet and awkward shapes
- Repeatable cut-file driven production for short and long runs alike
Process
Jobs come in as a cut file, a drawing, or sometimes just a sample part. Files are checked and nested for the sheet, toolpaths set for the material and finish required, then run on the bed with vacuum hold-down for a clean, chatter-free edge.
Smaller jobs run on the 1500 × 3000mm bed; long-length and full-sheet jobs move to the 6.1m bed — no need to break a run into sections or compromise on a panel size.
On the 1600 × 6100mm bed
Traverse speeds up to 1.2m/s. 12-tool ATC with HSK63 holding, so larger, heavier tooling is no problem. All axes run on 10:1 gearbox drives through substantial helical rack and pinion — the kind of drivetrain that holds a true circle and a proper bearing-fit tolerance, not just a clean-looking edge. Repeatability to 0.001mm, calibrated to six decimal places. There aren't many machines in this class built to this standard.
CO² laser cutting & engraving
Cutting, etching and engraving up to 1600 × 900mm on wood, acrylic and other laser-safe materials.
- Bed size up to 1600 × 900mm
- Clean-cut edges on acrylic without secondary polishing in most cases
- Engraving and etching for signage, awards and decorative panels
- Fine detail work that isn't practical on the router
Process
Best suited to thinner sheet goods and detail work — fine text, logos, fretwork, and parts where a router bit's minimum radius would lose the detail. Vector files are set up directly from artwork or cut-ready files.
Engraving depth and cut speed are tuned per material and per job rather than run on generic presets, which keeps edge quality consistent across a batch.
3D CAD/CAM modelling
Reverse engineering and cut-file preparation for parts with no existing drawings — from a sketch, sample or rough idea.
- Reverse engineering from a physical sample, photo, or rough sketch
- Cut-file and toolpath preparation for parts with no existing CAD
- 35+ years of hands-on fault-finding and fabrication informing every model
- Geometry checked against the machine and material before cutting starts
- 2D fibre-optic profile scanning of templates and parts with complex geometry, exported to DXF for import into CAD for revision or redrawing — especially effective for multi-centre radii parts where the centre points can't be worked out by hand. Simplifies reproduction of bottle-feed equipment and cutting templates, and can also digitise existing drawings.
Process
A lot of jobs arrive as "I need something like this" with no drawing at all — a broken part, an old pattern, or just a description. Measurements are taken, a model built, and the geometry checked against the actual machine and material before a single toolpath is cut.
Where a drawing does exist, it's checked and cleaned up for manufacturability before going anywhere near the router or laser, which avoids surprises mid-run.
3D prototyping & printing
In-house 3D printing of models, jigs and fixtures for fast, low-cost proofing before a full production run.
- Fast turnaround for fit-check models and proof-of-concept parts
- Custom jigs and fixtures to speed up repeat router/laser jobs
- Low-cost iteration before committing to a full sheet or run
Process
Printed in-house rather than outsourced, so a design tweak overnight is back in your hands the next day. Used heavily for checking fit and geometry before a CNC or laser job goes ahead — far cheaper to find a problem in a printed proof than in a finished sheet.
Wood, plywood & MDF
Precision routing for custom furniture, signage and decorative panels.
- Custom furniture components and joinery details
- Signage, fretwork and decorative panels
- Consistent, repeatable cuts across a full production batch
Typical jobs
Furniture batches, signage panels, decorative screens, and one-off pieces where a hand-cut finish isn't practical at the volume or tolerance required.
Non-ferrous metals
Milling and engraving for aluminium, brass and copper — parts, molds and signs.
- Aluminium, brass and copper milling and engraving
- Parts, mold components and signage
- Tool selection and feed rates matched per alloy
Typical jobs
Engraved nameplates and signage, mold and tooling components, and small-batch parts where ferrous-rated equipment isn't needed.
Plastics & acrylics
Cutting and polishing acrylic and polycarbonate for displays, guards and more.
- Acrylic and polycarbonate cutting
- Flame and machine polishing for display-grade edges
- Guards, displays and point-of-sale fixtures
Typical jobs
Retail displays, machine guarding, protective screens, and point-of-sale fixtures where a clear, polished edge matters as much as the cut itself.
Foam & tooling board
High-speed machining of foam for molds, prototypes and sculptural work.
- High-speed machining tuned for foam and tooling board
- Mold and pattern work
- Sculptural and display pieces at full-sheet scale
Typical jobs
Mold patterns, display sculpture, and lightweight prototype work where speed and material cost matter more than a metal-cutting finish.
A look at jobs out of the workshop
A small selection of recent work — more added as jobs come through. Ask for examples closer to your own job if you don't see something similar here.
Marine decking panel
Large-format routing · full sheet
Acrylic shopfront signage
Laser cut & engraved
Custom furniture components
Wood & plywood routing
Reverse-engineered part
CAD/CAM · no existing drawing
Mold pattern, tooling board
High-speed foam machining
Aluminium engraved signage
Non-ferrous metal milling
Have a job in mind?
Send a sketch, a sample, or just a description — happy to talk through what's possible and quote from there.