Thin, low cost, exterior, substrate.

We have a customer that we cut a ton of parts for that are all for interior/light exterior use. They are asking for options on a 1/4"+/- material for some parts that would be good for exterior applications. All these parts get painted but not to a level that would ever protect the substrate or even something like an exterior ply. Ive gotten pricing on 1/4" PVC sheet. 1/4" exterior MDF, FRP panel (.090" smooth but has some of the fiber strand texture), and 1/4" MDO.

Just figured I'd toss it out hoping there is something Im missing. These parts are all cut on the CNC and of course need to be in the impossible realm, thin, relatively smooth, weather resistant, and as cheap as possible. We are buying 1/4" MDF in units and will never come close to that price but as close as possible would help. Ive never bought any exterior MDF so have no idea what the 1/4" material would run as an upcharge. Our supplier only stocks it in another location so we would likely have to bring in an entire unit.

Thanks..

Corian is an excellent material, you can purchase 1/4" thick Corian which according to Dupont will last 50 years in an exterior service. It may be at the top of your list price wise but the best is generally more expensive.

6 MM Komacel- rigid, smooth gloss finish, paintable, weather proof with or without finish. Nothing else on your list comes close for longevity and thickness with our without finish. Be aware there are interior and exterior types of PVC.

I feel the edges don’t matter, I would use Alumalite. It has a high density corrugated plastic core, thin aluminum outsides. Lasts forever but 6mm 4x8 sheets run $175. Nothing that will hold up in weather comes cheap.

Based on your post, Exterior grade PVC would be at the top of my list with ACM (DiBond) just behind and Acrylic after.

Call up the local sign supply warehouses and get accounts. Often one or two will offer free delivery. We have 3 sign supply shops that all deliver for free or a small fee. It is super convenient.

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Originally Posted by Ross Moshinsky

Based on your post, Exterior grade PVC would be at the top of my list with ACM (DiBond) just behind and Acrylic after.

Call up the local sign supply warehouses and get accounts. Often one or two will offer free delivery. We have 3 sign supply shops that all deliver for free or a small fee. It is super convenient.

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Thanks for all the input guys. Researching the options mentioned and will see what I can come up with. Unfortunately this is a super low cost application so we will see what we can find in the low end of the range. I discussed it with the customer in depth when they asked and we both pretty much agreed that the per unit cost wasnt going to hit the number they needed to be near/at.

Unfortunately we have no sign supply shops for hundreds of miles but will look into it again.

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Originally Posted by Mark Bolton

Thanks for all the input guys. Researching the options mentioned and will see what I can come up with. Unfortunately this is a super low cost application so we will see what we can find in the low end of the range. I discussed it with the customer in depth when they asked and we both pretty much agreed that the per unit cost wasnt going to hit the number they needed to be near/at.

Unfortunately we have no sign supply shops for hundreds of miles but will look into it again.

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If price is the only factor, 1/8" ACM is going to be hard to beat. It's relatively cheap, very durable, and cuts well on the CNC at a reasonable speed. It also can come in different colors or can be painted via traditional methods.

There are sign shops in West Virginia. They have to get their material somehow. 4x8 sheets of ACM is one of the most common materials in the sign industry at this point. I'd be shocked if there wasn't a cost effective way to get it to you.

If you want an idea on wholesale pricing, PM me and I'll give you the 4x8 pricing. I don't like to share wholesale pricing on public forums.