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Acrylic laminate signs

Lightweight and durable

Acrylic laminate is a lightweight and weatherproof material which makes it perfect for many signage applications indoor and out. It’s capable of being laser engraved to high resolution so fine detail isn’t a problem. This means it also works very well for smaller applications like name badges and labels where its durable nature again helps it resist the knocks and scrapes of day to day activity.

Choice of appearance

The laminate sheets are created from a piece of lightweight acrylic of one colour, often black or white. The sheet isthen  given a thin coating of of a contrasting colour or special effect finish. When the laser engraves the coating it strips it away to reveal the acrylic material beneath, creating your design. Red-on-white is great for warning signs while white-on-blue makes for smart general signs and so on, there’s a wide range of combinations. You can step up the appearance with special finishes, too like brushed gold, aluminium or even wood effects which all produce exceptionally smart stand-out results.

Ease of use

The light weight of the material means no cumbersome mountings for signs and at the smaller end of things the lack of weight makes acrylic laminate great for promo items like fridge magnets where lightness is important, alowing you to use less bulky magnetic strip on the rear.

Get in touch

To learn more about this brilliant, creative material use our contact form to get in touch or, if you prefer, you can book a call to have a chat about your ideas and requirements for badges, signage and more.

Event branding

Make your events memorable

Nobody puts on an event for it to be forgotten by those who attend it. If there’s a theme associated with the occasion then that’s perfect for branding your event. If your event is at the Space Centre, say, then you could use rockets, planets or stars for your theme. As pictured at the top of the page, when Sip n Swig provided the mobile bar for the Oxford Natural History Museum, we created Dino Toppers for their cocktails including pterodactyls, stegosaurs, diplodoci and T-rexes.

Don’t forget the table

If your event is a seated one then add something to the tables. Table cards or attendee name-cards allow you to reinforce your brand or that of your client. Don’t forget to consider popping a QR code onto the items, too, to extend your presence beyond the event to your online space.

Whether it be goodie bag items, coasters or signage or something else, get in touch and talk to us about your needs for event branding, you’ll be surprised at the range of possibilities.

Making a laser cut rack

Online shopping is squarely to blame for this one

Making ‘flat-pack’ style items is one great application of laser cutting. So when one’s wife looks at fancy tea racks for storing the inordinate quantity of tea you have you know what’s coming next.

“You could make one of these”

And there it is. Who could dare refuse that subtlest of commands. So here we go. A sheet of 3mm MDF is all that’s needed plus the paint of your choice. It’s all in the measurements to make sure that everything lines up so that when it slots together that everything is tight. You can always use glue where needed, even MDF isn’t a perfectly consistent thickness, although it’s close.

Design time

Getting the design and alignment correct isn’t as fiddly as you might think. as long as you have a logical approach. It’s the deciding of how to break it down into flat shapes which takes a little longer. Once that’s done, it’s mostly a question of positioning slots and tabs and making sure you have your kerf set correctly. Kerf is essentially ‘the thickness of your blade’ when cutting things precisely. In this case it’s around 0.15mm, the diameter of the laser spot plus a small margin.

Tea racks assemble!

Once the design is sorted it’s a simple matter of lasercutting it from the MDF and slotting it all together. The gentle persuasion of a rubber mallet helps with any of the tighter slots. A couple of coats of paint and it’s good to go. The design had keyslots in it for mounting onto screw heads but these are actually held up with nano tape. Nano tape is brilliant stuff and grips most surfaces like a fiend while also being removable with no damage in most cases. It’s based on gecko feet, apparently.

Got an idea?

If you have an idea for items you want created then let’s get the ball rolling

Can lasers make 3D things?

It’s not a 3D printer

Most laser machines work in 2D – the laser firing downwards from above. In the case of a plotter style laser the laser beam is moved around on an X and Y axis on rails with mirrors. With galvo lasers the beam is redirected from the head by a pair of X-Y mirrors, ‘galvanometer’ being the name for the mechanism. Some galvos have ‘3D’ heads but that only means that it has a third axis in the head which adjusts the beam focus to allow for varying heights like curved objects.

So how does a laser do 3D then?

Think of flatpack furniture, that famous Swedish company say. Your bookcase doesn’t come as a great big 6×6-foot box, it came in a 6-foot by 1-foot box and you had to assemble it. It’s the same with lasered items – you create the components then assemble them. Take our Hellraiser box, for example, that’s made from one sheet of 3mm ply or MDF and a sheet of 0.8mm ply like this: 

As you can see, this assembles into a cube. The surface design is laser cut as six panels from 0.8mm ply to make panels for the faces:

Some paint and glue – you get the idea – and voilà!

Slot it together

Another approach is to slot items together. If you’ve ever made one of those little glider toys you’ll be familiar with this. When made correctly they need no glue and slot together snugly to create the finished item. Here’s a ‘Flatapult’, so called because it’s laser cut from a flat sheet of ply with tabs to hold the parts in place. The tabs mean the parts can be pressed out of the sheet for assembly into a functioning catapult. Ideal for flinging ping-pong balls across the room (or maltesers, if you want).

Or fold it together

One hugely common method is the dieline, used all over the world for boxes. If you’re the one in your house who does the recycling you may well be familiar with this. When flattening a cardboard box you’ll notice how it’s often all one piece, cleverly designed to fold together to make the box. The pattern for this folding box shape is called a dieline and there’s many different types. We use various dielines to create our own boxes. Our GlowTags for example, for which we cut the paper/card and, with the laser at lower power, score the lines for easy folding. The dieline design holds itself together and only a tiny piece of double-sided tape in one corner is needed to stop it unfolding itself. Here’s how the dieline looks along with a finished box (we cut our own packaging inserts too!).

Inspired?

Hopefully you’ve found this interesting, possibly even fascinating. If it has inspired you with some ideas for creations from theatrical props to malteser-flingers then feel free to run your ideas past us

Two-colour illuminated signs

Neon? Not quite

We’re all familiar with the neon signs like ‘Open/Closed’ or ’24hr Taxis’ and similar. They’ve been around for years and readily available. If you want one with a different message though, a custom neon sign, as opposed to an LED neon-style, is expensive and fewer people are making them now that the LED types are easier to create.

If you want any graphics or logos in the sign, though, then the LED ones can’t do that either. You just can’t reproduce the detail required with an LED ropelight. That’s where our two-colour illuminated acrylic really comes in to help you stand out.

With two different-coloured LED strips, from a choice of eight colours, our two-channel lighting unit, designed in-house, lets you have a pair of layers, one of each colour. Each layer has 300dpi print-resolution so details, graphics and logos are no problem. The end result is very similar to neon signage but with all the sharpness and detail of a printed one.

Being powered by a USB connector also means that the signs are easily portable if you need them on the go and can be powered from a phone charger brick, too, if needed

The Laser advantage

Variety of materials

Due to the nature of how the laser works, the one machine can process a wide variety of materials. Unlike printers which are often limited in what each machine can produce. You usually need a different printer for exterior signs compared to printing invitations or for doing mugs, T-shirts and so on. The laser can easily process wood, MDF, glass, slate, acrylic and more, whether that comes in sheet form or as a ready-made item like a water bottle.

Speed

Another upside of this is that it all ends up in the same piece of software to send the design to the laser. This means that once you have a brand design or logo for one item you have it for all types of items without having to re-import it again. This makes subsequent design work much faster and that means far quicker turnaround times on projects. Often the only thing that changes is the laser setting from, say, acrylic to wood which takes seconds to do.

Agility

Due to our small business size we don’t suffer from any business models that mean we have to enforce minimum order quanties. So you’re just as welcome to order half a dozen branded slate coasters are you are three hundred. Obviously there’s some cost-effectiveness to be had in the larger quantity, however. Whatever your requirement, lasered items means rapid turnaround and a wide choice of material formats all from the same design.

Slate coasters

Slate coasters, a classy way to get your message across

Getting your brand in front of people isn’t always a straightforward task but sometimes there are some methods that can be easier than others if they suit your purpose.

Coasters, if you’re in hospitality, particularly, are a piece of space just waiting for your branding. Typically 10cm square, they’re literally on the table in front of your customers so why not use them?

Slate is a great medium for lasering as it easily takes high resolution images and text without the small scorch ‘halo’ other materials like wood get around the laser dot’s edge. This of course makes it ideal for sharp, captivating designs that help make your branding or message stand out.

And then there’s the general ‘classy’ vibe of slate, it’s extremely hard to make slate look anything less than smart, you have to actively work at it. Meaning of course that its very presence brings that certain je ne sais quoi to the table (or bar or reception area). We’ve even had clients ‘complain’ that customers pinch their coasters which we take as a compliment!

A slate coaster also makes a great commemorative item or branded client gift – your branded coaster on your client’s desk means it’s seen every time they lift their cuppa up.

The laser changes the physical surface of the slate meaning that the results are permanent and weatherproof (house signs being a perfect case in point) making them durable and long-lasting.

Hybrid Signage

What is Hybrid Signage?

Hybrid signage is simple enough – it’s signage made from more than one material or technique, bringing together different looks and feels to maximise their combined impact when viewed.

Here we’ve picked the hybrid sign we created for Boutique Marquees. They are suppliers of high-end Sperry Tents and as all their wooden components, including their bar, are made from oak they wanted their sign to relfect this, too.

As the sign was to be hung we ended up recommending a real oak veneered MDF panel. Originally the idea was to put the sign on the front of the bar which due to the inevitable drink spillages that would occur meant that MDF wasn’t suitable. The price of a real chunk of oak, though was prohibitively expensive and of course it would likely warp over time, too. Once the decision to hang the sign came around, though, then MDF was fine and the veneer looks extremely smart as you can see.

The panel was then engraved with the sperry tent lettering and the QR code while the logo and company name were laser cut from high gloss black acrylic being mounted on the panel creating a slick relief effect in addition to the smart appearance of the black acrylic.

Creating a contrast of traditional wood appearance with the ultra-modern black acrylic is something the hybrid signage technique excels at and they complement each other wonderfully rather than clashing.

Book a call now to discuss your requirements or just get in touch if you prefer to begin exploring what unique items can be created for you.

Stand out from the crowd

The endless race

The never-ending race to stand out from your competitors sometimes starts to look like a race to the bottom with some organisations picking some seemingly bizarre ways to try to differentiate themselves in the eyes of their potential customers. Happily you don’t have to go to quite those lengths and it can be easier than you think to be a little different.

So lasers, then

Laser cutting and engraving makes for a cost-effective and attention-grabbing way to convey your brand or message. The amount of different materials you can use is large – typically we’ll process wood, MDF, acrylic, slate and glass but there’s also cork, leather and even fabrics plus more besides. This means that if you’re looking for an alternative to printed media or considering branded items like merch, awards or gifts then the chances are that lasered items can help them stand out that little bit more.

Items, you say

Yes, indeed and many possibilities there are, too. From things as small as trolley tokens which make for a great branded freebie in a goodie bag or to pop in with an order, to much larger creations like wall signage, logos, lettering and the like. Just signage alone has so many possible variations and combinations and even illumination options.

Some of our many creations include drinks bottles, coasters, a ‘flatapult’ – a self-assembly catapult toy which pushes out from a wooden panel, our GlowTags, bamboo dinosaur drink-toppers and exterior illuminated signage.

No minimum order quantity

So many businesses demand an MOQ due to their production methods and processes. Not so with us, you’re just as welcome to order one branded trolley token as you are 1,000 although it won’t be a very cost-effective one if you do just want one! Likewise you’re not going to want fifty signs all the same if you only want one or two.

Rapid turnaround

As well as having the flexibility to design items individually and with no MOQ we’re also able to create them quickly for you, too. Typically you’ll have your items within a week from design signoff, two days of which is the standard 48-hour tracked delivery. We know that sometimes our customers have come to us because they’ve been let down elsewhere but still have their own deadlines to meet and our ability to design and deliver rapidly has gained us many loyal repeat clients.

Tell us what you need

Whatever your needs there’s a good chance that lasered items can fit your bill. Let’s have a chat about what you want so we can explore your ideas and make some great suggestions for you.