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ADA Guidelines

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Shop Safety

No one likes to talk about safety. We’d rather hear about an interesting new product or process,

or a better, faster method, or a way to make more profit. But without a few basic safety

guidelines, profit won’t do you any good. We’ll get to the interesting and profitable part soon

enough; first, we have a few reminders of things you already know.

1. Don’t turn on the machine unless it’s plugged into a surge protector. This is not only

for safety, but for economic reasons as well. An engraving table is an expensive

investment; protect it.

2. Likewise, make sure the machine is on a sturdy table or stand. These machines are

heavy, and vibrate quite a lot when they are running. Make sure it’s not going to fall.

3. Keep a fire extinguisher handy. You never know.

4. Use a chip-collection system on your machine, and wear eye protection. During

engraving, tiny bits of plastic or metal can fly everywhere.

5. If you have long hair, tie it back out of harm’s way, and keep neckties and

shirtsleeves clear of the moving parts of the machine.

6. Don’t touch any part of the area around the spindle while the machine is running. It

can be difficult to tell what’s moving and what’s not.

7. Rubber floor mats around your machines are a good investment. Not only do they

keep the floor from getting slippery with dust, but also if you drop a sign or a cutter,

the mats give them a better chance of survival than a concrete or wood floor.

8. Be careful with hobby/utility knives and with cutters. Remember, a sharp knife is

safer than a dull one, but it still deserves respect.

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Using a Cutting Bed

There are times when you need to cut completely through a piece of material, such as when your

are cutting out openings for sliders or letters for inlay signs. If you were to do this directly on the

table surface, you would damage the tabletop, and probably destroy a cutter. For this reason, we

use a piece of scrap material as a “sacrificial” surface when cutting out these items. The material

you use for a cutting bed should be plastic, at least 1/16” thick, and larger than the material you

are engraving.

1. Attach the cutting bed to the table and make sure it lies flat.

2. If you are cutting out letters, or some other shape which is completely contained

within the engraving stock, apply a piece of low-tack adhesive transfer tape to the

back of the engraving stock.

NoteIf you’re cutting out a slot for a slider, you should apply the transfer tape to the front, since you

will be cutting the material from the back. This will hold the cut-out shapes in place after they

are cut.

3. Attach the engraving stock to the cutting bed using double-sided tape.

4. Be careful when setting the engraving depth. You want to cut completely through the

stock, just barely touch the tape, and not cut into the cutting bed. For 1/32” stock,

start out at 0.033” deep, and for 1/16” stock, start at 0.065”.

5. Remember to slow down the X/Y speed of the engraver if you are cutting through

1/16” material, and be sure to use a chip collector.

6. If you are cutting a shape out of the edge of the material, you do not need to apply the

transfer tape to the back. For these jobs, window sign finger notches, for example, cut

a little (0.002” or so) deeper. In this case, you will be cutting slightly into the cutting

bed.

7. Keep the cutting bed; it can be reused many times.

Table

Cutting bedEngraving stock(with transfer tape on back)

Transfer tape

Cutting bed

Cut down to the tape, but not through it.

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The Material “Sandwich”

To engrave ADA signs, two or more pieces of material are “sandwiched” together, and part of

one layer of the “sandwich” is removed. For example, to make

tactile letters, we need a background piece and a top piece of

contrasting color. We then cut the outline of the letters completely

through the top piece, and remove the excess top material,

exposing the background and leaving the letters. This concept of

removing one “sandwich” layer to reveal the layer underneath is

the basis of almost all the techniques described herein.

By changing the layers of the

“sandwich,” we are able to add

windows, sliders, and other effects to the

signs.

Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive

Obviously, something needs to hold the layers of the “sandwich” together, and for this, we use

pressure-sensitive (commonly referred to as PS) adhesive. PS adhesive has tiny bubbles of

adhesive in it, which burst when pressure is applied. The harder you press, the better it sticks.

Any time pressure-sensitive adhesive is referred to in these instructions, you will have to apply

enough pressure to adhere the pieces together properly. A great way to do this is to use a rubber

wallpaper roller to press down each successive layer after it has been cut. When “sandwiching”

together two layers to make windows or inlay back plates, roll over the material before cutting it.

Tactile letters & Raster Braille

Inlay sign with Braille

Slider sign with tactile letters & Braille

Cross Sections of Common Sign Types

Tape

Window sign with tactile letters & Braille

Clear layer

1.

2.

3.

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Material Selection, Cutting, and Sizing

The material used for the signs described here is Gravo-Tac. Gravo-Tac is available in 1/8”,

1/16” and 1/32” thicknesses. 1/32” is the standard thickness for tactile letters, and 1/8” and 1/16”

pieces are most often used for the background. The 1/32” material used for tactile letters has a

layer of PS adhesive on the back.

NoteGravo-Tac does have a front and a back. The front side, which is protected by a plastic film, has

a non-glare satin finish. The back has a glossy but unfinished look. Unless otherwise noted, you

always want the front, non-glare side facing up when you are engraving.

Our Modular Frames measure, just a bit, (1/16”) under the stated size. For example, an 8”x 8”

frame actually measures 7 15/16” to the inside edges. This allows for less waste when cutting

material. If you were to cut a sheet of 24”x48” material into true 8” squares, you would lose

quite a lot of material to the saw blade’s kerf (the width of the material displaced by the blade as

it cuts). By cutting just a little smaller, you take this kerf into account, and therefore waste less

material. Typically, we size our sign faces 0.080” undersize, so an 8”x8” is actually 7.92”x7.92”.

This dimension saves enough material that a full 24x48 sheet can be cut into 24, 8x8 sign faces,

with no waste. These faces fit neatly into the recess of the Modular Frame. This dimension also

allows for slight expansion of the face material due to temperature and humidity changes.

NoteWe do recommend sawing the sign faces to size, instead of shear-cutting them, because the saw

leaves a better looking finished edge.

Cutter Selection

Different cutters have different shapes, and each has a purpose. The four types shown below are

the most commonly used for ADA signage. The .010 Profile cutter is most often used for tactile

lettering and pictograms, as well as cutting out windows. The .040 Inlay cutter is used for both

the “inside” and “outside” cuts of an inlaid design. The Raster Braille cutter, which is a

“parallel” cutter, is used for drilling holes for Raster Braille, and can be used whenever else a

straight-sided cut is desired. The .030 Dome Braille cutter is used for the Route-out style Braille.

.010 Profile(blue label)

Raster Braille(red label)

.040 Inlay(green label)

NoteThese drawings are not to scale; they simply serve as a reference to the different cutters’ shapes.

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Routed Braille

You can also make Braille in the older, routed fashion. This method involves removing an

“island” of material, leaving the Braille dots standing above the new surface.

NoteThis can only be done on a solid piece of material, at least 1/16” thick, it is far more time-

consuming than the Raster method, and it doesn’t “read” as well.

1. To set up for routed Braille, you need to set the Z in a slightly different fashion. Because

the cutter will be removing a large amount of material around the Braille dots, the nose

cone cannot be touching the surface of the material. You need to set it to “float” above

the surface slightly.

2. Set the micrometer to 0.030”. Move the spindle over the area where the Braille will be.

Place a piece of paper under the spindle, and lower it until it is not quite touching the

paper (you should feel a slight drag when trying to move the paper under the nose cone).

Press the check mark to set the Z. Loosen the spindle spring until about _” of the spring is

showing.

3. Install the .030 Dome Braille cutter (white label) in the spindle.

4. GravoStyle can create routed Braille tool paths

automatically. In the Braille dialog box, click on

the left picture button instead of the right. The

computer will figure out an “island fill tool path”

for you, which will show up on the screen as a

box with the Braille dots inside it. (For more

information on tool paths, see your software’s instructions or Help guide.)

5. Make sure you have some scraps of material to practice on, because it can be tricky to set

the machine to cut routed Braille properly.

6. Choose Machining, and then Run. The machine will make a great many cuts, gradually

cutting away everything between the box and the Braille dots.

7. The shape of the finished dots is entirely

dependent on the depth of the cut. If the dots

are flat-topped, you need to cut a little deeper.

If the edges of the box have a slight “crown”

on top, you need to cut a little shallower. The

dots should be almost a perfect hemisphere

sticking out of the material.

Because of the difficulty of this setup, and the time involved in cutting out the Braille, we

strongly recommend you use the Raster method to add Braille to your signs.

Correct

Too Shallow

Too Deep

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Raster Braille

1. 10 Times Faster

2. Clean

3. Depth

4. Clean out holes

5. Placement

22.

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Engraved ADA Signs- A Step By Step

This lesson is designed to walk you through the creation of an ADA-compliant, 8” square,

framed restroom sign.

You will need the following items:

- Your engraving table & computer

- One piece of 1/16” Gravo-Tac, 7.92” square, in a dark color

NoteBefore engraving anything, you need to remove the protective film on all materials.

- One piece of 1/32” Gravo-Tac with adhesive, in a light color (approximately 7”

square; generally, you want a piece that is about _” bigger on all sides than the text or

graphics you are engraving)

- Your .010 Profile cutter (blue label)

- Your Raster Braille cutter (red label)

- Your Raster kit

- A small, pointed tool for weeding

- A stiff nylon brush for cleaning

- An 8 x 8” Modular Frame, in a color that complements the sign colors

1. First, lay out the sign.

- Open your software, and set the material size to 7.920” by 7.920”. Don’t worry about

the margin settings; you will be changing them later anyway.

- Enter “Manual Mode” by clicking on the icon on the toolbar. The margins will

disappear.

- Select the text tool , click on the work area somewhere near the bottom, and

type the word “RESTROOM” in all capital letters. Select the word by double-clicking

on its baseline, and set the size to 5/8” (0.625). Change the font to Arial Bold by

clicking on the pull-down menu on the toolbar, selecting the font you want, and

pressing “Enter.” You could also use Helvetica, Futura, or any other “non-serif” font.

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- Now you need a pictogram. Click on the Select Mode , then the to open the

Symbols Library. Choose Pictograms, and scroll over to find the pictogram with a

“man” and a “woman” symbol, with a bar between them. Double-click on this

pictogram to insert it into your layout.

- Move the pictogram to the top of the

sign using the tool. Click on the

center “handle” and drag the pictogram

into place. If you need to resize it,

click and drag one of the corner

handles. To precisely resize it, press

“F2” while dragging one of the

handles, and enter the size you want. It

should be about 4_ to 5” high.

- ADA regulations require precise

placement of the pictogram and the lettering. A simple, fast way to do this is by

drawing rectangles to help you align the parts of the sign. Click on to draw

rectangles.

a. The distance from the top of the word “RESTROOM” to the top of the

sign needs to be 6”. Draw a rectangle 6” high (it can be any width), move

it to the top of the sign, and move the text so it touches the bottom of the

rectangle.

b. Now draw a rectangle _” high, place it at the top of the sign, and move the

pictogram until it touches the bottom of this rectangle. You can now delete

both rectangles.

- Center the text and the pictogram left to right by clicking on . Select the text,

and click . Then select the pictogram and do the same thing.

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- Your sign layout is now complete except for Braille. To add Braille, click on

again, click somewhere near the bottom of the sign, and type “restroom” again, this

time in all lower case. Click , and then . A box labeled “Grade 2

Braille” will appear. Check to make sure

your spelling is correct, click , and

then “OK.” Your text will be translated into

Braille.

NoteYou can edit Braille at any time by simply double-clicking on it. This will re-open the

“Grade 2 Braille” box, and you can edit the text.

- Braille needs to be 3/8” away from anything else on the sign. Draw a rectangle 3/8”

high, move it under the text, and move the Braille until it touches the bottom of the

rectangle. Delete the rectangle, and use to center the Braille.

- Save your layout. It should look like this:

2. Next, attach the 1/16” base piece of material

to the engraving table in the correct spot.

Usually it will be at the upper left-hand corner

of the table, as you are facing the front of the

machine. Attach it with the table’s clamps, or

with thin double-sided tape.

3. Remove the backing from the 1/32” piece of

material, and place it over the base piece,

centered left-to-right, and about _” down from the top. Smooth it down with your hand to

adhere it to the base piece.

4. Turn your spindle micrometer to 0.035”. (Starting from your zero point, turn it up

one turn plus 10 hash marks.) This depth will cut through the 1/32” material and the

adhesive, and just barely touch the 1/16” base material.

5. Adjust the spring on the spindle to allow for about 1/8” of up-and-down movement when

you press upward on the spindle.

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6. Using the arrow keys or joystick on the machine controller, move the spindle

somewhere over the top material. Press “Z”, and use the arrows to lower the spindle until

the nosecone touches the material and the spring compresses slightly. Don’t “bear down”

with the spindle; light pressure is enough. Press the check mark to save this setting.

7. Install the .010 Profile cutter in the spindle and look, to make sure it’s sticking out of the

nosecone slightly.

8. At the computer, select the pictogram and the word “RESTROOM.” Select Machining.

The Machining box will appear. Set the engraving speed by clicking on . Set

the speed to maximum for both X/Y and Z by clicking on the “speedometers” until the

needles are to the right. You can click “Preview” to see what you’re going to engrave, as

well as double-checking the placement of the material on the table. If everything looks

good, close the preview window and click “Run.” The machine will now cut out the

pictogram and the word “RESTROOM” in the top material.

9. Once the machine stops, look at the cut lines. Can you see the base material in the bottom

of the lines? If not, you need to cut deeper. Don’t remove the sign; just turn the spindle

micrometer about 0.002” deeper (two more marks up) and press “GO” again.

10. Once you are satisfied that you have cut deep enough, remove the sign from the machine,

and carefully peel up one corner of the top material. Pull away this excess material

carefully, making sure the letters and pictograms don’t come with it. If they do, you

didn’t cut deep enough.

NoteWhen you are making many signs, it is important to remove the excess material and weed each

sign right away. The PS adhesive gets stronger with time as well as with pressure, and cleanup

becomes more difficult the longer you wait.

11. You should now

have a piece of

material with a

men/women

pictogram and the

word

“RESTROOM”

on it. You will

notice that the

centers of the “R’s” and the “O’s” still have excess material in them. Removing this

excess material is referred to as “weeding” the sign. To weed the sign, you will need a

small, pointed object, preferably metal. Avoid using a hobby or utility knife blade,

because it’s easy to break off the point, or damage the surface. Carefully pry the middles

of the letters out without touching the surface of the back plate. It takes practice, but it’s

not difficult.

Pry downward carefullyto remove centers of letters.Try not to touch the surfaceof the sign.

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12. Now you should clean off the loose chips clinging to the sign. To do this, use a nylon

brush and scrub the surface. Don’t overdo it, or you will scratch the sign. Blow the chips

away with compressed air after you’ve loosened them with the brush.

13. Examine the edges of the letters and pictograms. If there is any excess adhesive around

the edges, it can be removed with a wooden toothpick. This will remove the glue, but not

damage the surface. If there is a lot of excess glue, try cutting 0.001”-0.002” deeper on

the next sign, and the cut should be cleaner.

14. Now it is time to add Braille. Put the sign back on the table where it was, remove your

Profile cutter, and turn your micrometer back to the zero point.

15. To add Raster Braille, you need to first drill holes, and then install the Raster Beads. Dial

your micrometer to a depth of 0.043” (from your zero point, one full turn plus 18 marks)

and install the red-labeled Raster Braille cutter.

16. Select the Braille, double-click on it to check the spelling, and then choose Machining.

NoteThe depth is automatically set at 0.040”. This is so you don’t have to reset the Z between cutting

the letters and drilling the Braille holes. Check to make sure the right tool is in the spindle, and

click Run.

17. Once the holes have been drilled, remove the sign from the machine and blow out the

holes with compressed air. Follow the instructions in your Raster kit to insert Raster

Beads into the holes.

18. Choose a frame for your sign. Select a Modular frame in a color that matches or

complements the color scheme. Lay the sign in the frame to check the fit.

19. Install snap locks in the frame in the appropriate holes. For this sign, you should only

need four, one in each corner. 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 out of the frame and

press the snap locks firmly against the back of the sign by hand. Then snap the sign back

into the frame, and your first engraved ADA sign is complete.

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Window Signs

You can make a window sign by changing the contents of the material “sandwich.” Instead of a

solid piece of 1/16” Gravo-Tac, you will need a piece of 1/32” clear, with no adhesive, and a

piece of 1/32” in the background color of your choice, with adhesive. You will also need a piece

of 1/32”, the same color as the background, without adhesive, to serve as a back plate.

1. Remove the protective covering from the front of the clear piece (the side with the word

“Gravo-Tac” on it). Adhere the piece with adhesive to this face. If the clear piece has a

grain, orient the pieces so the grain will be horizontal on the finished sign.

HintFirst laminate the two pieces together, and then cut to the final size, so the edges will be even. If

you are doing many signs, you can use a laminating roller and put two full sheets together.

2. Lay out the window on the computer. Windows are usually

rectangular, though they can be any shape. Make sure the

window is centered left-to-right on the material, so the borders

will be even. Try to keep the window’s dimensions to a whole

or half number of inches, because it will be easier for the end

user to cut paper inserts for it.

3. Cut the window using the same procedure used for tactile

lettering. Weed the window right away, but do it carefully. Clear Gravo-Tac can turn

white if it is bent at too sharp of an angle.

4. You can now add Raster Braille and/or tactile lettering to the space above or below the

window.

5. Now, you need to make a back plate for the sign. Cut your piece of 1/32” colored

material without adhesive to the same overall size as the sign face. On the computer,

draw a rectangle on the right side of the material for a finger grab to allow the paper

insert to be removed. Make the finger grab about 3/8” wide and _” shorter than the

window on both ends. Center it vertically on the window. Use a cutting bed when cutting

out the finger grab notch.

6. Using a Raster Braille cutter, cut out the finger grab, cutting at a depth

of about 0.035”. You want a clean cut, but you don’t want to go too deep

into the cutting bed. The exact depth isn’t critical, as long as you cut all

the way through the back plate. (By using a Braille cutter, which is a

“parallel” cutter, you get a straight-sided notch. You can also use the .010 Profile cutter,

but the notch will have a bevel to it.)

7. Remove the protective covering from the back of the clear piece, and add strips of 1/32”

thick foam double-sided tape to the back. Place a strip about 1/8” directly above and

below the window, and a strip at the very top and bottom of the sign.

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NoteIf you added Braille to the sign, and used clear Raster Beads, be careful not to apply tape to the

area behind the Braille. The white tape will show through the clear Raster Beads and make them

look white.

8. Remove the liners from the tape strips, and attach the face to the back plate, making sure

it’s square, and the back plate is face up and facing the right direction.

Slider Signs

Adding a “slider” to a sign is a great way to make an “Open/Closed” or “Ring Bell/ Come Back

Later” type of sign, and it’s simple to make. We use the bevel of the cutter to our advantage to

make interlocking pieces that move freely. You’ll need the following materials and tools:

-One piece of 1/16” Gravo-Tac for the face, sized for your frame

-One scrap piece of the same material (big enough to make the sliding piece)

-One piece of 1/16” Gravoply or 2-Plex for the back piece (Match the “cap” color of this

piece to your face piece, and the “core” color to the color you’re using for tactile

lettering.)

-A scrap piece for a cutting bed

-Your .010 Profile cutter

-A wider cutter to engrave the back plate lettering (between 0.020 and 0.060 depending

on the letter size and font you use)

-Raster kit & cutter, if you plan to add Braille

1. To design a slider, you need to do a little math.

The slider piece (the part that

actually moves) has to be slightly

larger than the opening. The

reason for this is that the tip of the

cutter follows the dimensions on

the screen, but at the surface of the

material, the dimensions will be

different, because of the angle of

the cutter. If you cut a piece out of

material, the piece you cut will be

smaller at the surface than at the

base. If you cut a hole in a piece of material, the hole will be larger at the surface than

at the base. So, to make a slider, we cut the hole for the slider from the backside of

the material, and cut the slider from the front side of another piece of material,

slightly “larger” than the hole. If it’s sized right, the surfaces of the two pieces of

material will match up perfectly, and the bevel of the face will capture the bevel of

the slider, but allow it to move freely. Since we’re using 1/16” material, the amount

Size of the cut for the opening

Size of the cut for the slider must be bigger than the cut for the opening, to match up the faces.

Slightly less than the widthof the bottom of the opening

Face

Slider

Cross section-

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of “oversize” needed for the slider is about 0.070”. For example, to make a 1” high

slider on an 8” wide sign (which, remember, is actually 7.92” wide), the hole would

be 1” by 6.92” (to retain a _” margin), and the slider would be 1.070” by 3.4”

(Always make the slider slightly less than half the length of the slot.)

2. Once you have everything laid out, put your cutting bed material on the table, and

place the face piece on it, face down. Cut out the slot using your .010 Profile cutter,

set about 0.065” deep. (Remember: Whenever you are cutting all the way through

1/16” or thicker material, slow down the X/Y speed of your engraver. The exact

speed will vary by machine, but give the cutter time to do its job; it’s removing a lot

of material.)

3. Remove the face from the table, and discard the piece you cut out.

4. Place the matching scrap piece on the cutting bed face up, and cut out the slider using

the same cutter and depth.

5. Test-fit the slider in the slot. It should fit with just a “tick” of free-play, and move

smoothly back and forth. Because material can vary in thickness, you might have to

adjust the size of the slider slightly to make it fit correctly. If you do, make small

changes, a little at a time, and keep everything else the same. Once you’re happy with

the fit, discard all the pieces that did not fit to avoid confusion.

6. To make the back plate, cut the Gravoply or 2-Plex piece to the same size as the face.

At the computer, enter the text you want, and center it on either half of the slot. Draw

guidelines to help you align the text properly. There may be text on one or both sides.

Engrave the text on the back plate with an appropriate cutter (you might have to

experiment a little to get the look you want. For the 1”X7” slot described above, 3/8”

high letters, in a “one line” font, engraved with a 0.040” cutter would look good.)

7. If you plan to add tactile lettering or Braille to the face, do it now. Remember to leave

enough space between the Braille and the slider.

8. To assemble the sign, use very thin, strong double-sided tape. Place a strip directly

above and below the slot, but be very careful not to get too close to the edges of the

slot. You don’t want any adhesive

interfering with the operation of the

slider. Place more strips of tape as

needed to hold the rest of the sign

together. Place the slider on the back

plate, and attach the face to the back

plate, trapping the slider in between.

Make sure everything is square along

the edges, and press the pieces together. Once the sign is assembled, check the slider

for fit and smooth operation.

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Inlay Letters

You can also create inlaid raised letters and graphics, which are a little more vandal-proof and

have a slightly different finished appearance than the normal applied method. This method is

more time-consuming, but if it is done correctly, the finished results are worth the effort. You

will need your 0.040 inlay cutter (green label) and the materials indicated below.

1. To inlay letters on a sign face, first you need to create a sandwich of two pieces of Gravo-

Tac for the back plate. Use two pieces of 1/32” of the same color, laminate them together,

and cut to size.

2. For the letters, you’ll need a piece of 1/16” Gravo-Tac in a contrasting color. Apply low-

tack transfer tape to the back of this material to hold the letters in place after they’re cut

out. Since you’ll be cutting completely through this material, you will need to use a

cutting bed on the table when cutting the letters.

3. To make inlay letters successfully, you need to understand the concept of a “tool path.”

You need to cut out the letter itself, and the hole it fits into, so that the edge of the letter

exactly matches the edge of the hole. To do this, you need to cut around the OUTSIDE

edge of the letter, and around the INSIDE edge of the hole. Take the capital letter “R”,

for example. To cut the hole for the letter, you would cut along the green line:

which would make the hole’s dimensions match the edge of the red letter. To

cut out the letter itself, you have to cut around the outside: to make the

letter’s dimensions match the edge of the hole. Since the center of the cutter will follow

the green lines, this cut line’s distance from the edge is always half the width of the

cutter, which in the case of our green-labeled 0.040” inlay cutters is 0.020”.

4. To create the tool path to cut along these lines, you need to be familiar with your

software’s machining operation. In your software, select the text or graphics, then hold

down the Control key and click on the icon. A dialog box will appear. In this box,

choose Selection, Closed Contours, and Send. You are now in the Machining Module.

a. To create the INSIDE cut for the

back plate, choose Tool Path, then

Cutting 2D. In the box that says

“Tool Name,” scroll down until

you find the .040 Inlay cutter. In

“Total Depth,” enter 0.035”. In

“Additional Offset,” enter 0.003”.

Click “Internal”, then OK. A

yellow line will appear around the inside of the design. This is the tool path.

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b. Attach the back plate material to the engraving table. Set the micrometer depth to

0.035”, set the Z, and install the .040 Inlay cutter. (You want to cut through the

top layer of material, weed out the letter, and leave a recess in the face of the sign.

Think of it as the “negative” of cutting the tactile letters.) Click Machining, then

Run. Once the machine is done, weed out the letters from the sign face and make

sure the cutout areas are clean. Be careful not to remove the centers of “O’s,”

“R’s,” and similar letters! Set this piece aside for a moment.

c. To cut out the letters, click “Delete” to clear the internal tool path, and choose

Cutting 2D again. Uncheck the “Internal” box, reset the “Total Depth” to 0.065”,

and click OK. You will now see a tool path around the outside of the design.

d. Attach a cutting bed to the table, and place the 1/16” material, with the transfer

tape on the back, in place. You want to cut through the material, but not through

the tape. The transfer tape will hold the letters in place after they are cut. Set the

depth at 0.065”, reset the Z, and click Machining, then Run. Once the machine is

done, peel the transfer tape off the back of the material, and remove the letters.

5. Test the fit of the letters in their recesses. They should drop in place easily with no free

play. If you are not satisfied with the fit, cut the letters out again, and make adjustments

in the “Additional Offset” box to slightly alter the size of the letters.

6. Attach the letters using Gravo-Bond adhesive. Use the adhesive sparingly; a little goes a

long way, and it can ruin the surface of the Gravo-Tac. A small syringe may be helpful

to dispense very small amounts of adhesive. If you press down on the letters and adhesive

oozes out around them, you used too much. Set the sign aside to dry before adding Braille

to it.

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Advanced Procedures

The processes described in the previous sections are the fundamentals of engraving ADA-

compliant signage. This section will show you that much more is possible. Materials and

techniques can be combined and modified to produce dramatic results.

Laser Engraving

You can also use a laser engraver to create ADA signage. Signs made with a laser will have a

different look because of the inherent properties of a laser engraving system. The laser beam is

always perpendicular to the sign face, so the letters or graphics will always have a “straight-

sided” look. It is not

possible to create a bevel with

the laser, so you cannot use a

laser to make a slider sign.

Windows are possible, as long as

you realize that the window’s edges will be a straight cut.

To engrave ADA sings with a laser, use the “vector” mode of engraving (in which the laser beam

follows the lines of a contour instead of filling it in). Power and speed settings will vary with

different equipment, but be careful to set the power low enough to only cut through the top layer

of material.

Alternative Materials

Gravo-Tac and other plastics are not the only choice for ADA signage. You can use aluminum,

brass, and other metals, certain types of wood products, Masonite, or almost anything else, as

long as the material has a matte, non-reflective surface. Anodized or brushed aluminum works;

polished aluminum does not. Aluminum sign faces with Gravo-Tac letters can create beautiful

signs, especially when the letters are cut with a laser. Combine this sign with an Aluminum

Modular Frame, and you have something even more interesting.

Raster Braille is easy to add to metal sign faces, and brass, stainless steel, and chrome Rasters are

available to match or complement the sign colors. Paint the sign face after adding the Braille, and

the Rasters almost disappear, but are still 100% compliant.

Combining Techniques

We’ve shown how to make a sign with a slider, a sign with a window, and a sign with inlay

letters, but what if your customer wants a window sign with a slider, or an inlay sign with a

window, or all three?

Rotary Engraving Laser Engraving

Cross Section-

19

It is possible to combine techniques easily with a little planning. Window signs with inlay letters

are a natural combination, because you are already dealing with a two-layer “sandwich” for

either technique. Simply cut the inlay recesses through the colored face, down to the clear layer,

and install the letters. Need a slider, too? Cut the slot for the slider through the top material

before attaching it to the clear piece. Use the clear window layer as the backer for the slider,

paint the area behind it, and engrave the type

from the back. Add a back plate for the

window, add Raster Braille to the surface, and

you have a window/inlay/slider sign.

Beyond The Frame

There is no rule that says that every sign must be rectangular. There is also no rule that says that

parts of a sign can’t extend past the frame. There is no rule that says a sign needs a frame at all.

There are, in fact, no rules whatsoever outside of the ANSI ADA regulations.

Half-round Modular Frames are available; two of them can be

connected to form a circular 8” diameter frame. You could also

add one half-round to the top of a square frame to change its shape.

You can add a piece to the sign that overlaps the edges of the

frame. This can be especially effective to call attention to

important information, or to add an accent that matches with the

building’s architecture.

If you decide to start experimenting with shapes, remember that the same rule applies to these

shapes as to logos and other designs: simpler is better. Basic geometric shapes can be used to

great effect, and they are easy to make. Keeping things simple also keeps the sign from looking

too “busy.” A simple outline of a familiar shape, such as the artist’s palette shown above, adds to

the informational usefulness of the sign, rather than detracting from it.

Multi-piece (modular) Signs

One of the advantages of the Modular Frames is the ability to make signs in more than one piece.

This allows for changeable inserts, nameplates, for example, to be replaced piecemeal, rather

than replacing the entire sign.

When assembling modular signs, be

sure to use enough snap locks to

support both pieces of the sign. In

the example shown here, two snap

locks will hold the narrow top piece

securely, but four should be used for

the bottom piece.

GraphicsDepatrment

#aad

Clear layer

Inlay

Window Slider

20

Clear Faces

Using transparent material for sign faces can create some

interesting effects. By using four-color screen-printing or large-

format printing, you can add a picture to the sign by reverse-

printing on the back of the clear material, and adding tactile letters

and Raster Braille to the face. Again, keep it simple, and be careful

to allow enough contrast between the background of the picture

and the color of the tactile letters.