The I-Cut is an extraordinary robotic tool. Like a CNC router, it is a tool to cut shapes out of substrates. However, the I-Cut is designed specifically for the sign industry, and marries the precision of highly refined cutting tools to the digital workflow.
Shapes are defined as Adobe Illustrator paths, and are cut precisely to whatever route the path specifies. Multiple tools are used in the I-Cut head; knives for the first cut through the paper, and then router bits to carve plastic and foam boards. A built-in video camera triangulates the placement of the graphics to be cut out of the board, and an integral vacuum cleaner removes all debris as cutting occurs. A vacuum table holds the substrate firmly in place while it is being cut.
The I-Cut allows all of our cuts to be precise; edges are always square and perfect, whether the finished board is a circle, a rectangle, or a dimensional letter. We can literally cut any shape that you can define. The maximum thickness that can be I-Cut is 1 inch.
Equipment
MGE I-Cut XL-24 (http://www.mge-us.com/kongsbergsystems.php)
Maximum board size
63 inches x 120 inches
Substrates
Paper, vinyl, cardboard, Gatorfoam, Foamcor, DiBond, Sintra, etc.