Fine Cut Blog

for Queen and Country and for the most famous Spy in the world - James Bond!

Well not exactly - but almost. Fine Cut have recently completed a new CNC engraving project for a prestigious movie camera manufacturer to aid in the exacting requirements of the new James Bond movie being filmed at the moment.

Our CNC engraving team created a new calibration scale for the complicated overhead camera - with precision engraving of paramount importance and accuracy a prerequisite, our engraving services were perfect for the task. Marking the tripod legs both sides provided plenty of challenges, but utilising the G5 rotary engraving bed and a predefined programme our experienced engravers marked the product to perfection.

For any precision engraving requirements you may have give us a call on 01903 751666.

The main aim of the organisation is to divert waste destined for the landfill and recycle and re-use this resource by providing community and educational groups with a cheap, safe and reliable source of art and craft materials.

This time we donated extensive amounts of thermal printing and hot foil printing ribbons, which due to current stock levels would be susceptible to ageing and degeneration and thought it best that these valuable resources were used by community and educational institutes for a good purpose.

The huge rotational mould pattern measures a massive 3.2 meters long which was only possible due to our 5 Axis CNC machine capabilities - something most engineering firms would not be able to manufacture. The design was programmed by our skilled CAD/CAM studio and spent what seemed like an eternity machining on the 5 Axis.

With a desire to achieve only the finest finish, Fine Cut decided to utilise a new foundry to cast the final tool. The results are amazing, and the casting achieved the quality Fine Cut expect - which we had hoped for after selecting the foundry knowing that they had recently cast the glittering Bafta awards statues.

Here we see Peter Tyler (sporting a moustache second from right), Managing Director to this day, alongside colleagues and Mr David Trippier - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Industry, opening the new premises on the Churchill Industrial Estate, which has since been renamed Lancing Business Park.

Although Fine Cut may have moved to larger premises, we continue to operate from Lancing Business Park today. Also our services and product range has developed enlarged and developed along with our progress. When the picture was taken, the company was known as Fine Cut Precision which focused on precision engraving and hand engraving with a sister company - Fine Cut Screen focussing on the manufacture of screen printed labels and overlays.

Today, we operate a fully integrated business model which allows us to offer our customers a huge range of diverse products ranging from laser engraving, digital labels, hot foil printing and many more services including the ones which founded Fine Cut back in the 1980's.

As a standard we work to all recognised colour matching systems - including Pantone, BS and RAL, and have a skilled workforce with the capabilities to mix or select the required ink or ribbon. Although we are limited in some label printing processes with the spectrum of colour, for instance with hot foil printing we must select a colour ribbon although we are confident we can choose a colour that between us represents your company colour perfectly. With all our screen printed labels we mix the colour to order - matching any recognised colour system to perfection. As with our digital labels we have the capabilities and expertise both in prepress and on the press to manipulate any colour so it represents the colour you require.

For further information or to discuss any label or marking project you may have, just get in contact.

After designing your label on the computer you then select what substrate you wish to print on, be it Polyester, Vinyl, Paper or whatever you desire as well as the colour ribbon (this is effectively the ink of the print and comes in a roll format). Both the roll of substrate and roll ribbon passes through the printer, where the print head which presses the two together with the pattern/design of the label being replicated by hundreds of tiny pins that have descended according to the design. Each pin effectively represents one pixel from the computer design, therefore the higher the printer resolution (e.g. 300 dpi) the better quality the print.

Thermally printed labels are generally die cut on Newfoil machines prior to printing, and therefore come off of the printer ready for despatch to the customer. Thermal printing is both practical, cost efficient and particularly durable - so please get in contact to discuss any or your label requirements.