Gaelite Signs, Ireland

Switching to a Striebig vertical panel saw fitted with a router and panel grooving accessories has simplified the production of fascia signs made from composite materials at Irish sign makers Gaelite Signs. The Striebig Compact AV 5207 is used to automatically size and route 3mm thick composite panels. Formerly, after being sized the panels were shaped using a hand router.

The Compact’s operator simply switches from using the saw head to the grooving tool after sizing, so that the panels can be shaped. V- and U-shaped grooves are routed on the rear of the panels using special reversible carbide tipped profile cutters, with the aluminium top surface on the front and part of the plastic core remaining untouched.

This allows the panels to be folded by hand, doing away with the need for a folding machine, with the shape of the groove defining the bending radius. The saw is also used to size a variety of other sheet materials, including MDF, expanded PVC and solid aluminium panels, ranging in thickness from 2.5 to 20mm.

The Compact AV 5207 features an automated cut cycle and a digital readout for maximum efficiency. It has a maximum cut size of 4600 x 2070mm and a maximum cutting depth of 60mm.

Big Time Savings with Striebig Compact

As the operator does not have to move the panel once it has been placed on the saw he can concentrate on preparing the next batch of panels to be processed, making the Striebig a big time saver.

The Compact features central support and small parts support over the entire length of the saw, making the cutting of small work pieces much easier. An optional scoring saw is available to prevent laminate panel edges from tearing out, ensuring a neat cut ready to be glued.

Dublin-based Gaelite Signs is one of Ireland’s largest and most successful sign design, installation and manufacturing companies.

Managing director Finbarr Clarkson said: “The Striebig is an extremely versatile saw which has made the production of signs using composite materials far more efficient. We have been able to dispense with hand routing and now have a consistency of cut that was impossible to achieve before.”

The saw, together with an Al-Ko mobile extraction unit, was supplied and installed by T.I. Machinery, the Belfast-based sub-agents for T.M. Machinery Sales Ltd, the UK’s exclusive Striebig distributor.

Striebig vertical panel saws are suitable for cutting practically all sheet materials including wood based panels, MDF, plaster board, plastics and aluminium panels.