Rodne Gold
02-08-2009, 2:10 AM
Due to being a long way from major US , euro and Chinese suppliers as well as having unfavourable exchange rates ..over the years we have developed some of our own local products and ways to save costs...Now with times beibng tough as they are..lets come up with a thread that accentuates DIY or at least shows us ways to cut costs..
Lets not get into a cheapest supplier type thing tho.
Here is a start
1) Make your own engraving laminates
We used to use a lot of rowmark and other capped laminates , but are finding making our own is so much cheaper -- we use both ABS and thin coloured acrylic as the substrate and either flood coat or spray on automotive type ducos. Both seem more durable and as easy to engrave as commercial lams , and in fact some of the surfaces are actually far better weatherable and chemical resistant.
2) Instead of making jigs to hold items out of perspex or whatever , we scan the item and just print the scan on paper. We just place the paper in the laser and place to object on it and use "engrave from centre" feature of our laser to run the engraving. Saves time in terms of tracing the scan and laser time in terms of cutting a jig.
3) Gilders pastes work far better and are far cheaper than using rub n buff for any colour or metalic flling , often works better than paints and doesnt contain any solvents that can affect pex
4) Laser alignment can shave up to 25% off cutting and engraving times , well worth the effort of learning how to do it yourself.
5) Often lasering multiple items on a 1 off basis is a lot quicker than making up matrix type jigs , is also a lot safer if anything goes wrong
6) Paper based vinyl sign application tape is one of the cheapest and most effective masking materials
7) formicas are dirt cheap , come in a zillion colours and finishes , are durable and paint fillable and easily cuttable , use them to clad cheap substrates for that high end look for next to no money.
8) Sign vinyl applied to the rear of clear perspex is a quicker and cheaper way of "reverse" spraying or painting , also comes in a zillion colours , you can use the cheapest for this application.
9) Buy cheap marble bases from trophy supply companies as the base for your own cut perspex awards .. gives the illusion of "worth" .
10) the best and cheapest "pin" type badge fitting is the one where its all moulded in one and doesnt have a safety clip , buy the one with adhesive backing.. thos fancy ones with hinges and safety clips always give hassles , this is the one to buy
http://www.tokerbros.co.za/PLASTIC_SELF_ADHESIVE.jpg
not his one
http://www.tokerbros.co.za/BACK_21AS37.31.jpg
11) Those of you that do doming , the 2 part small cartridge guns have excessive cost per item that make it real expensive.
Any epoxy place will have a 2 part water clear urethane or epoxy and using paper cups and lollipop sticks , you can iox and apply at like 1/30th of the price. Do it in a dry moisture free place.
12) You can buy polyester based inkjet self adhesive vinyl and print it on the cheapest deskjet printer , load it into the laser and use the laser to die cut it .. a great market for small runs of shaped stickers , can be used on awards etc. Also can be domed. Polyester is laser friendly.
13) PETG cuts well on a laser , can be bent manually without white stress marks , can be used to make all sorts of things or stands , it even withstands mulitple bends along a score line , so can be used for lif flaps or anything that is going to be opened and closed
14) Be creative when it comes to awards , you can make your own far cheaper than buying the commercially available stuff , apart from that , you stand apart from the crowd.
15) I can't think of any more off the top of my head - i'm sure others will contribute.
Lets not get into a cheapest supplier type thing tho.
Here is a start
1) Make your own engraving laminates
We used to use a lot of rowmark and other capped laminates , but are finding making our own is so much cheaper -- we use both ABS and thin coloured acrylic as the substrate and either flood coat or spray on automotive type ducos. Both seem more durable and as easy to engrave as commercial lams , and in fact some of the surfaces are actually far better weatherable and chemical resistant.
2) Instead of making jigs to hold items out of perspex or whatever , we scan the item and just print the scan on paper. We just place the paper in the laser and place to object on it and use "engrave from centre" feature of our laser to run the engraving. Saves time in terms of tracing the scan and laser time in terms of cutting a jig.
3) Gilders pastes work far better and are far cheaper than using rub n buff for any colour or metalic flling , often works better than paints and doesnt contain any solvents that can affect pex
4) Laser alignment can shave up to 25% off cutting and engraving times , well worth the effort of learning how to do it yourself.
5) Often lasering multiple items on a 1 off basis is a lot quicker than making up matrix type jigs , is also a lot safer if anything goes wrong
6) Paper based vinyl sign application tape is one of the cheapest and most effective masking materials
7) formicas are dirt cheap , come in a zillion colours and finishes , are durable and paint fillable and easily cuttable , use them to clad cheap substrates for that high end look for next to no money.
8) Sign vinyl applied to the rear of clear perspex is a quicker and cheaper way of "reverse" spraying or painting , also comes in a zillion colours , you can use the cheapest for this application.
9) Buy cheap marble bases from trophy supply companies as the base for your own cut perspex awards .. gives the illusion of "worth" .
10) the best and cheapest "pin" type badge fitting is the one where its all moulded in one and doesnt have a safety clip , buy the one with adhesive backing.. thos fancy ones with hinges and safety clips always give hassles , this is the one to buy
http://www.tokerbros.co.za/PLASTIC_SELF_ADHESIVE.jpg
not his one
http://www.tokerbros.co.za/BACK_21AS37.31.jpg
11) Those of you that do doming , the 2 part small cartridge guns have excessive cost per item that make it real expensive.
Any epoxy place will have a 2 part water clear urethane or epoxy and using paper cups and lollipop sticks , you can iox and apply at like 1/30th of the price. Do it in a dry moisture free place.
12) You can buy polyester based inkjet self adhesive vinyl and print it on the cheapest deskjet printer , load it into the laser and use the laser to die cut it .. a great market for small runs of shaped stickers , can be used on awards etc. Also can be domed. Polyester is laser friendly.
13) PETG cuts well on a laser , can be bent manually without white stress marks , can be used to make all sorts of things or stands , it even withstands mulitple bends along a score line , so can be used for lif flaps or anything that is going to be opened and closed
14) Be creative when it comes to awards , you can make your own far cheaper than buying the commercially available stuff , apart from that , you stand apart from the crowd.
15) I can't think of any more off the top of my head - i'm sure others will contribute.