About Us

Carved Unlimited is a family owned laser cutting & engraving business based in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Our family have always enjoyed being creative & the possibility of starting a business where we could live out that creativity, had been a lifelong dream. We became interested in the laser industry when we realized the vast possibilities, & numerous industries to which it could be applied, as well as the demand & gap for such a service in our city. We opened our studio on the 1^st of June 2013.

Services & Products

What Our Clients Say…

“Just have to say that Carved Unlimited is the best when it comes to your customer service, product delivery and that personal touch. Absolutely love working with you guys with my business and personal projects. Definitely highly recommended.” – Sondra Hope

“Thank you.your work is great!!!very happy client!!!” – Lauryn Swans

“I just wanted to commend you and your employees on your exceptional customer service. I am extremely impressed with the efficiency of the way your business is run. I would highly recommend Carved Unlimited. You’ll see me soon.” – Lauren Theodosiou

“Awesome service! Great prices! And amazing quality! Will definitely recommend and use Carved Unlimited again.” – Marc Cooper

“Ek wil net vir jul Baie Dankie sê almal is beïndruk met die kwaliteit en ek sal jul beslis aanbeveel. Waardeer jul hulp en professionele raad.” – Anita Herselman

How Does it work?

Materials are cut by directing the output of the laser, by computer, at the material to be cut. The laser beam then melts, burns, or vaporizes the material away. Laser cutting machines were used for the first time in production in 1965. There are a few different types of lasers, of which we use a CO2 machine.

Materials

We can cut: Paper & Cardboard, certain Fabrics & Leather, Acrylics (Perspex, Rowmark), Polystyrene, Foam, Bamboo, MDF & certain other types of Wood, & Cork. We can also engrave on most of these, as well as on: Glass, Ceramics, Mirror, Granite & Marble.

We can do marking (with a specialized spray) on metals. The spray adds colour on top of the material, which is then fused into the material by the laser. This can be done in a variety of colours & can also be applied to glass & ceramic.

We can cut wood up to a maximum thickness of 16mm & acrylics up to 20mm.

Because the laser process is essentially a burning process, there will be a slightly burnt effect on the edges of most cut materials. This should be seen as a unique characteristic of laser cut items & be incorporated into the final look of the product. Where possible we try to minimize or clean the burning.

Our Machines

We have two SA Argus laser machines. The 1060 has a 60w tube & a bed size of 1000 x 600 mm. The 1290 has a 150w tube & the bed size is 1200 x 900 mm.

The Process

1

The Idea

The first step is to have a very clear idea of the product or item you want to have manufactured. It needs to be thought through very carefully, taking into consideration how the final product will be finished, assembled, & displayed.

2

The Drawing

The next & most important step is putting the parts of your product/item into a vector drawing on computer. This produces a digital cutting file that our machine is able to read. (Opposed to raster images like jpegs & bitmaps that consist of a grid of pixels, VECTOR images are made up by paths, defined by start & end points, with nodes inbetween to form different shapes). Vector images are produced by graphic design programs such as CorelDraw & Adobe Illustrator, etc.

View and Download Our Artwork Requirements Below (click on read more)

If you are not able to supply us with the digital cutting file, we can draw it for you, based on your detailed written explanation & hand drawn images. This will be done at additional fees. Certain raster images, like photos, can be used for engraving only. Good quality pictures (at least 300dpi), with very little background texture, works best.

3

The Quotation

The cost of laser cutting & engraving lies mostly in machine time. The more intricate your design is, the longer it will take to cut/engrave & the more expensive it will be. We work on a rate of R6.00 per minute of machine time. This cost combined with the material cost will determine the price we charge for the item. Once we have the correct & final cutting file, we can determine the amount of material & time needed to produce the item. Based on this we will supply you with a quotation for the job. Setup fees will also be included in the quotation. If any changes are made to the design after a quotation has been given, the cost will be revised & a new quotation issued. If you were not able to supply us with the correct cutting file, we will give you an estimate of the cost for producing the item, & quote you on the design fees for drawing it in the correct format. Payment for design must be made in full before we will proceed with drawing. Once you have approved the final design, we will give you a final quotation for the job.

4

Production

Once the quote is accepted, a 50% deposit will be payable & the job will then be added to the production queue. Our turnaround time is a minimum of 7 working days. When circumstances allows, we will do our best to fit in with your deadline. We will notify you when your items are ready & the balance will be payable on collection.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for any further information or queries.We will do our best to assist wherever we can! We are not afraid to try out new things & test new materials (as long as we know the composition). We like challenges & will try to find solutions to any problems.

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