Flatbed Cutters

In most sign makers’ workshops, you can guarantee that there will be a CAD vinyl cutter sat waiting patiently or chattering away at full capacity. Designed to hold a roll of plotter vinyl, they are the go-to solution for vehicle graphics, sign letters and plot-cut self-adhesive shapes.

But what follows on from these roll-fed machines? What if you need something more substantial to cut both vinyl media and maybe even rigid substrates?

This is where a flatbed vinyl cutter is becoming an increasingly popular and effective investment.

As the name suggests, the flatbed is designed to take a sheet or panel instead of a roll of media. The sheet is placed on top of the bed and a vacuum keeps it stable and in place, ready to be cut.

The cutter’s software selects the trim path and, by utilising the correct tool for the intended end purpose, the machine moves its way around the registration marks working away at the task in hand.

Ok, so far so impressive but what value does a flatbed cutter really offer?

The main benefit of the flatbed cutter is in its unparalleled precision.

The substrate being trimmed never moves - the vacuum holds it securely in place. Only the computer controlled cutting head travels across the sheet, and as the ‘eye’ routes along the cut-path, it’s as accurate with the hundredth board as it was with the first. 

It is also incredibly quick.

If you’re always trimming similarly sized panels out by hand using something like a bench cutter or cutter bar, having a flatbed cutter will greatly increase your throughput. Its ease of use once setup makes any cutting task a much more efficient and effective process.

A flatbed vinyl cutter is a master of many applications.

Available for each one is a wide variety of tools dedicated to time-saving and making production simpler.

These machines can not only cut the vinyl letters for vans and signs but they can also crease and score card, cut perforations, half cut and die cut their way through a varied selection of media types and thicknesses.

Summing up, from prototyping production panels to creating contour cut signage and displays, a flatbed vinyl cutter makes substrate or vinyl production fast, simple, consistent and reliable.

Flatbed cutter units range in size from our Graphtec FCX4000 at 26” x 20” (designed to cut two sheets of A3+ side by side) through to machines at over 2m x 3m so there should be one within your price range.

If you’ve been looking for the next step up from the roll-fed CAD plotter, one of these machines might just be the route to go.