Custom coasters can be out of any material made into any shape with inserts and other options are all made in-house here at CNCROi.com.
Although the options for custom coaster production are infinite, today we’ll take a look at just two of the endless options and see how interchangeable they are. The first will be a custom cut Pine coaster cut out of 3/4 inch with a half-inch pocket inside that a custom anodized aluminium insert was put into it and the second, the same design but using Corian.
The nice thing about pine is that it’s available just about anywhere, the material is easy to work with, cuts fast and laser engraving into it produces a nice contrasting color. If you don’t have the budget to go all-out, custom pine coasters with laser engraving is certainly the easiest and most affordable option we can offer.
Our industrial CNC router does quick work of the pine board, knots and all. Each of these custom coasters are the same but as our production techniques ARE realtime, we can make endless versions of these on-the-fly.
This means you aren’t “stuck” doing just a production run of round coasters, they can all be different shapes and sizes and the same goes for inserts that go into them.
Our router essentially sands these custom coasters during production itself and the strings of wood wool you see on the below picture are quickly sanded off the top surface.
Looking at the inside, you can see the path our industrial bit took to produce the inner pocket that measures half an inch in-depth. Again, the depth is totally customizable to your needs, so if you wanted a flush insert or a very deep multi-layered depth profile, it’s no problem.
Although these are straight cut at 90 degrees, they can also be carved out with different profiles, so if you wanted a rounded edge or 60 degree one on the inside and bullnose on the outside, yes, totally possible.
These custom coasters are almost ready for prime time after a little sanding. Paint and sealing options are also optional as are felt pads custom cut to spec on the underside. Every aspect of these custom coasters is CUSTOM.
Now it’s time to work on the insert, in this case, we’ll go with anodized aluminium as it will protect the inside pocket of these pine coasters and give them a more modern feel.
The custom coasters were cut out using our CNC router in this case then we use our industrial wide-format Austrian CNC laser’s fiber tube to color change the anodized black into silver.
This insert alone doubles production costs and time, if you wanted a cheaper option for inserts, acrylic is a wonderful choice and available in an endless variety of transparencies and colors.
If you wanted something more high-end and unique, going with a 304 stainless steel insert that’s annealed black would be at the opposite end of the spectrum. Of course, that insert can also be done in Corian, laminate and lots of other materials including exotic woods!
Before cleaning, you can see the vaporized anodized dust around the shape, we have as much DPI available as you wish, so everything is nice and sharp.
What’s especially nice about anodized aluminium is that it doesn’t fade, crack or come off, all our processes are PERMANENT.
Next-up, we’ll cut the same coaster, including a square one for fun, out of Corian. The advantage of Corian over wood is longevity and it’s available in over a hundred and twenty-five colors to match any application including endless paint filling choices as well!
The custom Corian coasters takes a lot longer than pine to cut out, the raw material is also a lot more expensive so consider this a more premium choice right off the bat.
Pockets are done first to maintain accuracy during production followed by cutting it out of the base material. The process is essentially the same as the pine. To keep things simple, the same design was used for both materials.
All these Corian chips are sucked-up by our 3 hp dust collection system, wicked overkill for this application but it does double duty on our custom downdraft table among many other tools here at the CNCROi.com shop.
We have absolute control over these custom Corian coasters throughout production, so if, for instance, you wanted a production run to have different depths of the inner pockets for whatever reason, that’s not a problem.
These can also be mass-produced, for these pictures, we are using scrap material to showcase capability but generally we optimize production to be as efficient as possible using full sheets of materials for both the laser and router parts of it.
These custom Corian coasters will also be kept by clients, so yes, they do cost more but they will outlast future generations and be passed-on. Instead of giving away cheap trinkets, give something unique for your most loyal of customers instead! They will greatly appreciate it!
After the pockets are done, the profiles are cut. Again, like the pine, the profile edge of these custom Corian coasters can be anyway you wish, from smooth transitional ramps to hard angled cuts.
As our production systems are automated, it means we can make a lot of custom accessories to match these custom Corian coasters from custom cutting boards to key chains and name badges. The options are endless!
We are also able to make custom coasters out of metals, so if you wanted an aluminum machined custom coaster with a Corian, stainless steel or anything else insert, we can do that too!
The tabs you see are sanded off (for Corian), they are there to make sure nothing moves while the bit is cutting out these custom coasters.
Even with these tiny tabs, you can see how strong this Corian really is, it takes some effort to release them from their waste material binds!
The nice thing about Corian, like wood, is that it can be recycled as it’s essentially compressed acrylic, which is a plastic.
These custom Corian coasters are now ready to be put to good use.
To give you an example, watch the video at the top of this blog post, the options below are only the beginning of what CNCROi.com offers your business. Contact us today!
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