How to cut aluminium composite material with a Keencut Steeltrak
- QuickByDesign
Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) is a staple in the signage, framing and creative industries due to its durability and versatility. If you’re in a business that regularly works with ACM, you know how crucial it is to cut and finish this material with precision and care.
ACM’s unique composition – two aluminium sheets bonded to a non-aluminium core – presents a challenge: it requires a cutting solution as rugged and reliable as the material itself. This is where the Keencut Steeltrak comes in – a cutter designed specifically for materials like ACM, ensuring your business can handle projects with confidence and efficiency.
In this guide, we’ll delve deeper into how you can harness your Keencut Steeltrak’s full potential in your ACM cutting tasks, ensuring precision, efficiency and safety in every project you undertake.
How well does the Steeltrak handle ACM?
The Steeltrak is not just another cutting tool; it’s a specialised solution for the unique challenges ACM poses. Its robust build and precision engineering make it ideal for businesses looking to deliver high-quality work.
What sets the Steeltrak apart is its remarkable efficiency. Imagine cutting and finishing ACM in just one pass. That’s precisely what the Steeltrak offers. It speeds up your workflow and ensures the material is ready to use right after cutting, saving you valuable time in the production process.
Your safety and that of your team are paramount. The Keencut Steeltrak addresses this by ensuring that once the ACM is cut, it’s immediately safe to handle. There are no sharp edges, no burrs – just a clean, smooth finish. This attention to safety means you can focus more on creativity and less on handling hazards.
Setting up the Keencut Steeltrak for ACM
Setting up your Keencut Steeltrak correctly is crucial for cutting ACM with precision and safety. Here’s a step-by-step guide to ensure you’re ready to go:
- Remove the current head: Start by removing the existing cutting head from your Steeltrak.
- Install the twin wheel head: This head is designed to cut aluminium and steel composites. Make sure it’s securely attached.
- Check the alignment: Ensure the twin wheel head is correctly aligned with the guide rails for smooth operation.
- Secure the material: The clamping system on the Steeltrak provides a firm grip on your material, preventing it from shifting during cutting.
- Locate the sightline strip: This strip runs along the length of the Steeltrak and is crucial for alignment.
- Align your material: Use the sightline strip as a guide to position your ACM accurately. This ensures your cuts are straight and precise.
- Protect the surface: The clamp’s pressure-sensitive nature means it holds the ACM securely without damaging the surface, maintaining your material’s quality.
The cutting process explained
Cutting ACM with the Keencut Steeltrak is a process that combines precision with ease. Open the clamp and slide your ACM into the Steeltrak. Ensure it’s flat against the base.
Use the sightline strip to align your cutting marks accurately. Close the clamp to secure the ACM in place. Engage the cutting head with a steady, controlled motion to push the cutter along the material.
The Steeltrak’s design and sharp blades mean you get a precise, clean cut in just one pass. There’s no need for secondary finishing, saving you time and effort. The cutting process leaves the edges of ACM smooth and safe to handle.
Once cut, the panel is ready for use. Whether for sign-making, framing, or another application, the panel can go straight into production.
Using the Keencut Steeltrak, you can transform ACM into the exact size and shape you need, with a quality finish that reflects the professionalism of your work. It’s a tool makes the cutting process simpler and safer and enhances your final product’s overall quality.
Versatility in cutting and post-processing
One of the standout features of the Keencut Steeltrak is its versatility, especially when working with ACM. Whether you need to cut panels before or after they’re printed, the Steeltrak handles it all.
The Steeltrak’s precision ensures there’s no post-cutting curvature. It means your panels remain perfectly flat, essential for high-quality printing.
For businesses using flatbed printers, the flatness of the material is crucial. The Steeltrak ensures your ACM panels meet these stringent requirements. By delivering consistently flat panels, the Steeltrak helps avoid printing errors and material wastage, ensuring your final product is of the highest quality.
Enhancing productivity and reducing waste
In today’s fast-paced business environment, efficiency and waste reduction are vital to staying competitive. The Keencut Steeltrak is designed with this in mind. The Steeltrak comes equipped with production stops. These allow you to set specific measurements for repeated cuts.
This feature is handy when you need multiple panels of the same size. It speeds up the process and ensures each cut is as precise as the last.
The Steeltrak’s design focuses on user comfort. Its ergonomic approach means you can use the cutter repeatedly without strain. Such a design is crucial if your business involves long hours of cutting. It helps maintain productivity without compromising the operator’s well-being.
By delivering precise cuts every time, the Steeltrak significantly reduces material waste. This not only saves on costs but is also environmentally friendly. Its efficiency means you can complete projects faster, allowing your business to take on more work and increase profitability.
The Keencut Steeltrak is more than just a cutting tool; it’s an integral part of your workflow. It helps maintain high production standards, reduces waste and keeps your business moving at the pace required in today’s competitive market.
With the Steeltrak, you can be confident your cutting work is top-quality and contributes to your business’s overall productivity and sustainability.
Additional capabilities and build quality
The Keencut Steeltrak isn’t just about cutting straight lines. Its design and build quality open a world of possibilities for your business, making it an invaluable asset in your workshop.
One of the most impressive features of the Steeltrak is its versatility, which is made possible by the option to fit a V-groover tool. This tool transforms your cutter into a machine capable of creating intricate sign trays, adding another dimension to your product offerings.
The ability to create sign trays directly in your workshop allows you to offer customised solutions to your clients, increasing the value and range of services you provide.
The Steeltrak operates quietly, making it ideal for workshops where noise levels are a concern. This feature ensures a more pleasant working environment and reduces noise pollution.
Its dust-free operation is crucial for maintaining a clean work area. This makes for a safer environment and reduces the time spent cleaning up after cutting.
Its static-free operation means it’s safe to use near printing machines. There’s no risk of static interference damaging your print jobs, a common concern in workshops with multiple machines operating at close quarters. This can be a significant space-saver in smaller workshops.
Its compatibility with the printing process streamlines workflow, allowing a seamless transition from cutting to printing. This integration is invaluable in ensuring that projects are completed efficiently and to a high standard.
The Keencut Steeltrak’s additional capabilities and superior build quality make it much more than a cutting tool. It’s a comprehensive solution that enhances the cutting process and your business’s overall productivity and creativity.
Whether you’re already using one or considering an investment, the Steeltrak is a testament to the innovation and quality that can drive your business forward in the competitive creative industry. Get in touch today to see how we can help you invest in – and make the most of – a Keencut Steeltrak cutter.
