Sign Engraving for ADA Signs: Step-By-Step

This tutorial is designed to walk you through the creation of an engraved tactile 8 inch (203 mm) square framed restroom sign.

Before you begin your sign engraving project, make sure you have read the instruction manual for your engraving machine and are familiar with the software. Please keep in mind that the following instructions apply to most of Gravograph engraving machines, but may vary slightly depending on which model you use for your project. Please contact us if you have specific questions about completing an ADA sign with your machine.

Materials:
A. 1 piece of 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) color Gravo-Tac™ w/no adhesive, 7.92 inches square (201 x 201 mm).

B. 1 piece of 1/32 inch (0.8 mm) contrasting color Gravo-Tac™ w/adhesive, 7 inches square (178 x 178 mm). This piece should be 1/2 inch (13 mm) larger on all sides than the text and graphics to be engraved.

C. Profile Cutter (blue label)

D. Raster™ Braille Cutter (red label)

E. Rasters™

F. One 8 x 8 inch (203 x 203 mm) modular frame

Sign Engraving: Cutting Raised Letters and Graphics

1. Attach the 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) base piece of material to the engraving table in the correct position (usually the upper left-hand corner of the table) with table clamps or thin double-sided tape.

NOTE: Before engraving, remove the protective film on all materials.

2. Remove the backing from the 1/32 inch (0.8 mm) material and place it on top of the base piece, centered left to right and about 1/4 inch (6 mm) down from the top. Smooth it down with your hand to adhere it to the base piece.

3. Turn the spindle micrometer to 0.035 as follows: starting from your zero point, turn the micrometer up one full turn plus 10 "tick" marks. This depth will cut through the 1/32 inch (0.8 mm) material, the adhesive, and just barely touch the 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) base material.

NOTE: Material may vary in thickness and you will need to adjust the cutter accordingly.

4. Adjust the spring on the spindle to allow for about 1/8 inch (3 mm) of up-and-down movement when pressing upward on the spindle.

5. Set the "origin" and the initial "Z" height. Each Gravograph sign engraving machine is a little different, so refer to your engraving machine manual for instructions.

6. Install the Profile Cutter into the spindle.

7. At the computer, select the pictogram and the word "RESTROOM". The machine will now cut these items out of the top material.

NOTE: The spring tension is important because it allows pressure to be placed on the raised letter material so that the cut letters will adhere to the back plate material.

8. When the machine stops, look at the cut lines. Can you see the base material in the bottom of the cut lines? If not, you need to cut deeper. Don't move the sign just turn the spindle micrometer about 0.002 deeper (two ticks up) and re-cut the pictogram and text.

9. Once you are satisfied that you have cut deep enough, remove the sign from the machine. Carefully peel up one corner of the excess top material and pull away the excess, making sure that the letters and pictograms don't come with it. If they do, you didn't cut deep enough. Removing this excess material is referred to as "weeding" the sign.

10. You should now have a sign face with a men/women pictogram and the word "RESTROOM" on it. You will notice that the centers of the "R"s and "O"s still have excess material in them. Use a weeding tool to carefully pry the centers out of these letters without touching the base material. This takes practice, but it is not difficult.

11. Clean off the loose chips clinging to the sign face. Use a nylon brush and scrub the surface lightly to loosen the chips. Be careful not to scratch the sign face. Blow the chips away with compressed air.

12. Examine the edges of the letters and pictograms for any excess adhesive and remove with a wooden toothpick. If there is a lot of excess adhesive, try cutting 0.001-0.002 deeper (turn the spindle micrometer 1-2 ticks up) on the next sign, and there should be less cleanup required.

13. Remember to "press on" the finished letters. This will break the microscopic chemical bubbles in the pressure sensitive Gravo-Tac™ adhesive and bond it with the Gravo-Tac™ back plate material. Use a rubber wallpaper roller, or nip roller, and roll over the letters using medium pressure. Remember, the adhesive is "pressure sensitive", which means you MUST APPLY PRESSURE for the adhesive to adhere properly.

For each sign engraving project: it is important to remove the excess material and weed each sign right away. The pressure-sensitive adhesive gets stronger with time as well as with pressure. Cleanup becomes more difficult the longer you wait

14. Now it's time to add the Braille. Place the sign back on the table in the same position it was in. Remove the Profile Cutter and turn the micrometer back to the zero point.

15. To add Raster™ Braille, you will first need to drill holes and then install the Rasters™. Dial the micrometer to a depth of 0.043 (from your zero point this is one full turn plus 18 ticks up). Install the Raster™ Braille Cutter.

16. Follow your engraving software's instructions to translate the Braille and drill the holes.

17. Once the holes are drilled, remove the sign from the machine and blow out the holes with compressed air. Follow the instructions in your Raster™ kit to insert Rasters™ into the holes.

18. Select a modular frame in a color that matches or complements the color scheme of your sign. Lay the sign face in the frame to check the fit.

19. Install snap locks in the frame. For this sign, a snap lock in each corner should be sufficient. Peel off the paper backing on the snap locks, align the sign face to the top edge of the frame, and press it in place. Pop the sign face out of the frame and press the snap locks firmly against the back of the sign by hand. Then snap the sign face back into the frame.

Your engraved ADA-compliant sign engraving project is now complete!

Gravograph New Hermes Machines Used Most Often for Making Small, Large, and ADA signs

Rotary Solutions:
IM4
M40
M40G
IS400
IS400Volume
IS700
IS6000 / 7000 / 8000

Vinyl Solutions:
Vinyl Plotter

Laser Solutions:
LS100
LS700
LS800
LS900

Braille Solutions:
Raster™

Materials Used Most Often in Making Signs

Plastics:
Gravofoil
Gravoglas™ 1
Gravoglas™ 2 Plex
Gravoply™ 1
Gravoply™ 1 Design
Gravoply™ 2
Gravoply™ Ultra
Gravo-Tac™
Metallex™
Vinyl

Metals:
AlumaMARK™
Gravobrass Exterior

Accessories Used for Creating Signage

Aluminum Modular Frames
Engraver Nose Cones & Spindles
Engravers' Supplies
Engraving Cutters
Industrial Signage
Jigs and Holding Devices
Sign Fasteners
Modular Frames
Tapes and Adhesives
Slatz Sign Systems

Contact Us

To find out more about Gravograph and our products for making ADA signs, please contact us.