Fantastically Rich, Beautifully Strange: Workspace Renovations with Synergy

workspace renovations

Workspace Renovations with Synergy Sign and Graphics

Every once in a while, a skilled sign maker finds his workspace in need of some sprucing up. For top-tier craftsmen who make their living churning out beautiful, skillfully executed creations, it’s only natural that they’d want their creative space to reflect the art that they’re capable of. Today, we’re going to take a look at some upgrades that Synergy Sign and Graphics performed on their own creative space.

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The renovations all concern a metal door leading into one of the main work areas at Synergy. With the help of a little PBLT-18 and TSF-45, the Synergy crew turned it into a fun part of their laid-back, artsy aesthetic. The first step was to rout out a portion of Precision Board slightly smaller than the surface area of the door itself. The idea was for the PBLT to function as a facade on the front of the door, so it could have some rustic wood stylings without the actual wood!

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The Synergy crew used their CNC router to produce the general shape of the door, along with the faux-metal reinforcing slats and Jules Verne-esque porthole, but the wood grain was predominantly hand carved. Many artists and sign makers who work with Precision Board find that one of the best methods for getting an authentic wood grain effect is to carve it by hand. Slow? Of course. But definitely worth the time and effort with how life-like the wood effect is. For a capable artist, Precision Board offers a lot of freedom to get exactly the result you’re looking for.

workspace renovations

Once the door was routed, carved, and primed, it was on to the small signs, to be mounted on either side of the swinging door. The Synergy opted for a corrugated metal effect and contrasting color palettes, with one of the signs painted emerald green and the other fiery red and orange.

workspace renovations

The door is still a work in progress but it’s looking great so far. Tune in for the next edition of Workspace Renovations, when we find out what finishing touches Synergy decides to bestow on this little project.

Take a minute to check out the Synergy Sign and Graphics website. Click through their projects gallery, read the blog, or even request a personalized, hand-made creation of your own.

Custom Soft Tooling Blocks: Saving You Time, Money, & Material

Custom Soft Tooling Blocks

Custom Precision Board Tooling Blocks: The Ultimate Soft Tooling Solution

“Some of the layup tools we made at Skunk Works were absolutely massive, which meant CNC time was a major factor when determining
project deadlines. Coastal’s custom bonded blocks saved us hours on the CNC and ensured we stayed on time and on budget- they are the true gold standard in tooling efficiency.”

– Jon Sharp, former Lockheed Martin composites engineer and air racing legend, on why his team at Lockheed’s Advanced Development Programs (Skunk Works) chose Precision Board custom-bonded blocks for large soft tooling jobs.

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Industrial tooling can be a delicate and difficult process. Keeping an important project on schedule and below budget requires assigning precise calculations to notoriously unpredictable variables. Designing the tool, acquiring substrate, developing routing paths, and machining the tool are all essential tasks that need to be performed sequentially, and all this before a single production part can be fabricated. It is the unknown factors in each step of production that end up setting a project back. If the substrate arrives late, if too much time is spent routing the tooling block, if there is a last-second design change in the part, if too much material is wasted by the tooling path; any of these events can turn a well-designed production run into a logistical nightmare. Thankfully, there is one sure-fire way to keep your project on schedule and under budget from conception to completion: Custom Precision Board tooling blocks from Coastal Enterprises.

Custom Soft Tooling Blocks

In addition to manufacturing the largest and thickest sheets in the tooling industry, Coastal Enterprises will custom-bond sheets of our Precision Board in any configuration you require. With only a rough drawing of your finished part, we will fabricate a custom block that will significantly reduce waste, bonding time, and machining time. By creating a block that closely matches the specifications of your end design, we allow you to only machine away the excess material and leave the majority of the block intact.

Custom Soft Tooling Blocks

Take a look at the step tool above. Just think of how long it would take to rout a solid block of substrate down to this shape! So much precious time is wasted on the CNC router, time that could be spent fabricating finished parts. Not to mention the wasted material. Buying an entire block and machining down to spec means you are paying more for material that you intend to dispose of! Simply put, there is no good reason to hamstring your project by sticking with an obsolete production model. Why not have Coastal do the busy work for you? We will deliver a custom-made tooling block to your door, ready to be machined immediately upon arrival. And with our super quick turn around time, you’re already closer to the production stage than ever before.

Coastal Enterprises does industrial soft tooling the smart way, and it’s high time you gave it a try. Get a quote on your custom bonded block today, and modernize your composite fabrication with Precision Board! Click here to request a free sample, and see for yourself why the material makes all the difference!

Introducing newly updated Precision Board Plus

Staying relevant in the modern composites industry requires a delicate balancing act of honest trial and error. In order to grow and mature, a manufacturer must identify the areas in which a product or process can be improved. This requires transparency and self-awareness; the will to acknowledge one’s own shortcomings and confront them in the open. We here at Coastal Enterprises believe that that no progress can be made without serious self-reflection, and we constantly strive to reinvent, to refine, and to reevaluate ourselves in the midst of changing times and shifting standards. With this in mind, we are proud to introduce a newly updated process for Precision Board Plus, a testament to our continuing commitment to adaptable excellence.

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The processing changes we have made to Precision Board are based around our own careful study of industry trends and requirements, in order to more closely suit the needs of our customers. The new Precision Board features a tighter cell structure, providing a smoother surface finish and increased strength profile. No matter what the application, from low-weight signage and display construction to autoclave-cured tooling, stronger is always better. Whether it’s an exterior sign that needs to survive a harsh winter or a vacuum form/layup tool subjected to extreme temperatures, Precision Board has the durability you need for your specific project.

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Another important benefit of our stronger, tighter, redesigned cell wall structure is the sharper edge machining we’ve achieved with Precision Board. It’s now much easier to dial in CNC speeds and feeds to control the router bit, to determine the amount of chips and dust produced while machining. Check out the short video above showing Precision Board being machined, producing mostly chips and little to no dust. Speeds and feeds were selected from the Onsrud router bit guide for machining Precision Board. Check out machining settings for all Precision Board densities to optimize your chip load. 

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All fifteen standard densities of our new Precision Board have a higher durometer, as well as increased compression and tensile strength across the board. We have standard densities ranging from 4pcf to 75pcf in both our PBLT (200°) and PBHT (300°) materials, with sheet sizes from 20”x60” to 5’x10’ and thicknesses from ¼” to 24”. With such a wide variety of densities, sheet sizes, and temperature tolerances, Precision Board can easily be adapted to most projects. But please, don’t take our word for it. Get your free sample today, and see for yourself how our new Precision Board can work for you!

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Did you know: Coastal Enterprises constructs custom Precision Board mandrels to order? With the updated production process for our material, the quality and adaptability of our mandrels are top notch. Check out our recent blog post to find out how to streamline your filament winding process.

Drilling for an Eye-bolt

Drilling holes in Precision Board has many similarities to wood. However, there are some differences that should be noted. This blog will feature step one of two for hanging a sign using an eye-bolt. Here is a step-by-step picture and video guide to show you how to drill a proper hole in Precision Board to hang from an eye-bolt.

  1. Measure the eye-bolt.

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  1. Mark the spade drill bit for the length of your eye-bolt, PLUS ¼ of an inch.

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  1. Mark the drill bit for a stopping point reference.

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  1. Measure and mark equidistant cross hatches for accurate drilling points.

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  1. Drill into the Precision Board ensuring your drill is straight and accurate down to the mark on your drill bit.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wh8ECrUt4M

  1. Clear away chips and enjoy your finished product!

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Stay tuned next week to find out how to insert the eye-bolt using our two-part epoxy.

To learn more about Precision Board’s strength, check out the testing completed by West System epoxy.

Texturing Made Easy: TSF-45

Creating a wood texture finish, cross-hatching for an extra dynamic dimension, or achieving the perfect stucco effect can be made easy with TSF-45. This tough yet flexible coating has been made specifically to create a variety of texture finishes on Precision Board, but can also be used on wood, concrete, steel, glass, and even galvanized metal.

The great thing about TSF-45 is that it adheres directly to Precision Board with no priming. This process speeds up production time – which saves over all time and money. Here is a step-by-step guide on the basics of using TSF-45 on Precision Board Plus.

  1. Open your can of TSF-45 and notice the viscosity of the product. It has a thick consistency and, once applied, will hold its shape and not slump.

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texture like frosting

  1. Be sure to apply an ample amount of TSF-45 onto your Precision Board surface. Apply enough for a wetout of the areas you will be covering and to ensure you have enough to create your desired texture.

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  1. Once you’ve achieved a full wetout and have enough TSF-45 to create your texture, begin to mold, stipple, brush, comb, etc. the product.

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  1. Once you have your texture designed, leave to dry over night. Use a shop fan blowing across the surface to help speed upt he drying time and to make sure the entire product is cured. You’ll know the product is dry when the thickest part that was applied is no longer soft.

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shortbrush finish

Please call us if you have any questions. We work with our products a lot and our technical department will gladly assist you. To request a sample pint of TSF-45, click here!

Request a sample size and we'll send you a pint!

Request a sample size and we’ll send you a pint!

For more information, check out our youtube videos, tips and features, and our Product Data Sheet.

**Be sure to stay tubed for the next blog on finishing the TSF-45 on Precision Board.