Thank you, your praises are very appreciated. :)

+Joe Cool Thank you for taking the time to comment, very appreciated.

Thank You :)

I highly recommend using only CAST Acrylic (not Extruded Acrylic). Pollycarbonate will not give good results and has problems melting around and sticking to the cutter especially with small cutters. The only way you can machine Pollycarbonate is to use a water mist to stop melting. I have made up to 4 colour designs along with inlays.

hamrx8 pls post your design.

This was done many years ago and I no longer have the original files. However there is much more information on my website www.ghqp.com.au look in PROJECTS the scroll down to Duel Colour Illuminated Logo.

Adam Richmond I just had this idea one day. This was one of the first I made a few years ago and since then have made a lot of refinements to get the excellent results I do today. Thanks for your comment.

+Mike van Wieringen Thank you Mike. I have improved the design and machining technique since this video was done. Also as of this last week I have made a 3 color prototype that looks great. Will post something soon.

+hamrx8 Looking forward to that ;) Question : I noticed you have built your CNC router yourself. I'm not technically skilled whatsoever, so I wouldn't dare try to build one myself lol. But I have to say the thought has crossed my mind to buy one and maybe start my own little business (have been without a job for a few years now ). Would you think that my lack of technical skills would be an obstacle in starting up a business in this line of work ?

+Jeanne Hermine Yes it would, the same way light travels along a fibre optic cable as it bends and curves. The principals are exactly the same, the light does attenuate the longer the distance it travels and the amount of attenuation is based on the specific properties of the material. Sorry if I went into a bit more explanation than you were probably after. Thats just me being me.

No other connections, the strips are already wired. You cut them where shown in lots of 3 LED's per section. So when you set the size of your project make it so it matches a length of LED's in lots of 3. Nominally each block of 3 LED's is 50mm wide so your design can be multiples of 50mm + a bit extra say 2 to 5 mm just to be sure the strip will first into the base recess. But it all depends on your design.

Thanks :)

These days I use a 0.5mm ball nose cutter set to step 50%/pass. I engrave the first pass at 45 deg and a second pass at 135 deg. This creates a diamond shape that produces a good even spread of light over the engraved surface. If it is a bigger aria where the is minimal fine detail I might use a 1mm Ball cutter. Usually I set the depth to be 0.3mm. The thickness of the surface of acrylic can vary so even though technically only 0.1mm is all that is required if you set the Z 0.0 axis at the surface say at the centre of the piece it could likely not engrave at all at some other points. Usually I find 0.3 sometimes 0.5 depth might be required. Also as the cutter is 0.5mm with a 50% step/cut 0.25 to 0.3mm produces a good diamond shape. It has taken me some years to come up with this technique and it works well. Also looks good gives character to the logo that plain engraving and especially laser engraving can not provide. 3 to 6mm thick acrylic all produces much the same results. I hope this helps.

This job was done a while ago and I am continually experimenting and improving. These days I us either 0.5mm or 1.0mm ball nose cutters with a step of from 75 to 95%. Step means the amount the cutter moves from its previous pass, this is set within the tool configuration. Also with some jobs I might do one pass at 0 deg and the second at 90 deg. Other jobs it might be 45 deg and 135 deg. All of these settings just depend on the logo design and the amount of fine detail I want to achieve. I have no fixed rule I just go with my feeling of what might work best at the time based on experience, I have had a lot of failures along the way. Have a look at my later work the Hive Logo also on this channel. Hope this helps :)

With my original design like the one shown in the video I did use different thicknesses but these days I use 6mm for both front and back. It makes no difference and means I only need to keep one thickness in stock. For a single colour a blank back piece is not required at all.

I use two different coloured strips. Please see my other more recent videos that should provide a more detailed explanation. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/kJymepthqZyUpH0.html Once watching this please let me know if you need any further clarification. Cheers Graham

Yes each colour is an individual panel, they are not laminated or glued together. They are just secured against each other via the base. I use 6mm and 8mm thickness this is determined by the width of the LED strips. If you watch the following later video this will explain a lot more. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/kJymepthqZyUpH0.html

I have just finished a prototype using 3 panels and it looks great. For 2 Panels the minimum thickness acrylic I use is 6mm/panel. The minimum thickness is mostly limited by the width of the LED strip types used. The narrowest single colour is 8mm wide 5328 LED's then for 5050 and 5630 LED's the strip width is 10mm. So I have found that for 2 panels (6mm) I can use 1x8mm and 1x10mm or 2x10mm strips if you slightly overlap them. However for the 3 panel prototype I I had to use 8mm thick acrylic panels and the same would be for more than 3 panels. So if what you propose 7 to 8 panels, technically it would work but you would have to keep in mind that the total thickness would be 70 to 80mm. Looking at that thickness at any angle other than straight on there would be significant colour overlapping and it could look quite strange depending on the engraved design. The most I would do is 3 panel colours. I hope this helps with your design ideas. Graham

If you mean by laminated, glued together, they are not. The base holds them in place. With some designs I may place a 0.15mm strip within the base to separate the layers. This is not always needed. This video was made a few years ago. My other later videos on this subject may reveal more to you on my technique. Also my website may prove helpful. www.ghqp.com.au

There is actually something like that on Gearbest.com just type in '3d led light base'

Currently I use a 0.5mm ball end mill depth set to 0.25mm or 0.3mm step 60%/pass. Some acrylic can have a very consistent surface flatness so 0.25mm is ok but if the surface is not so good you may need to increase the depth accordingly. Honestly it is not unusual for me to do a job 2-3 times to get it perfect as I am very pedantic when it comes to perfection. Cast acrylic can often have blemishes that only show when lit so you can never know until you test it. My preference is paper protected acrylic as it has proven to be the best for edge lit projects.

For most of my projects these days I use a 0.5mm ball nose 2F cutter depth of cut 0.20 to 0.25mm step-over 95% first check the thickness of the acrylic around the edge and set the cutter Z=0 at the thinnest part as acrylic cast sheet is never perfectly flat. If the variation is too great you may have to adjust the depth and step-over accordingly. Its a bit of trial and error sometimes. Hope this helps.

I use a ball end mill and set the CAM to step 85% per pass. These days mostly I use a 0.5 Ball End Mill 0.5mm deep and step 85%. The first pass is at 45 deg and a second pass at 135 deg. The first pass is 2 at 0.25mm deep/pass 0.5 total depth, the second is a single pass at 0.05mm depth. This creates a diamond pattern that works and look really good.

Thanks, that is informative, and your diamond pattern idea sounds awesome!

I managed to get decent results, if you're interested: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/oZd7obmrsbiwoJ8.html . It's not perfect, but I'm just glad I got the CAM to run on the ancient machine I used! I had to run it in two programs since the thing only does like 1500 instructions :D Can you tell me how you did the black lettering and related construction on the Elevate Fitness sign? Your work is very nice, thanks for sharing it, and for the responses :)

Hi and so sorry for not replying earlier. The black lettering is done using inlays. That is the panel of acrylic behind the front panel is pocketed and Black 2mm acrylic letters are cut to fit into the pockets. The program I use Vectric Aspire has CAM tool path functions to do these type of inlays. I have used this technique many times on other projects. Not only black but colours also.

When I use an RGB strip and one fixed colour strip I modify the RGB controller to power both of them. I use 3 diodes soldered to each of the R & G & B outputs to combine into a single power output for the single colour strip. I do this mostly so that if I press the off button on the remote both the RGB and the single colour strips go out. I don't have a business making these signs for other people than friends and family but sometimes do for others or a business. If I believe the resulting logo or design will look excellent and there is no rush to do it. What I charge varies a lot depending on the client requirements and the size. I do charge a premium price and I don't apologize for that. It can vary from between $300 to $1000 as a general bench mark. If you want more specific details please go to my website and use the Contact Me form. Regards Graham

I use a 0.5mm Ball Nose End Mill. These days I do one pass at 45deg Step 95% 0.5mm deep. Then a second pass at 135deg Step 95% 0.5mm deep. This creates a diamond cross hatch pattern that has excellent light refraction but also looks really good.

@@hamrx8 I'm going to try that out thanks. Looks great BTW/ all your signs do.

+peshgeorgiev Thanks :)

Thanks. This is the most recent one: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/gqmiiLinsLOul6c.html

Yes I have. If you go to my video "Making ELLED Logo Base" at 00:20:10 in I briefly show an example of a 4 panel logo. Link is Below: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/kJymepthqZyUpH0.html

+Van Herridge I use a Double Sided woven carpet tape obtained from my local hardware store. I think I show this on one of my other videos. It is labeled Duck Indoor/Outdoor Carpet Tape. For more details and images look at my website, the URL is overlayed on the above video. Under Projects goto "Workholding Acrylic"

Thank you. I am concerned about adhesive residue being left on the acrylic.

+Van Herridge Two things. I order acrylic that has paper protection and second I leave the paper layer on the underside that the Double Sided carpet tape is placed on. I remove the top layer only once I have secured the acrylic sheet to the router bed and am ready to start machining. If you set the cutting depth accurately you will have no problem with adhesive residue. But id there is any it is easily removed with a microfiber cloth and what we in Australia call "Shelite" also known as White Spirits or Lighter Fluid. It will not harm the acrylic at all.

Thank you :)

I now have a 4W Blue Laser fitted to my router and have successfully made one of these in glass.

Yes I do and over time have learn't how to handle the acrylic with great care while cleaning and assembling. Sometimes I have to remake the logo if the mark is to much that really annoys me. I am a perfectionist. Recently I fitted a 5W laser to my CNC and can now engrave glass. Looks fabulous. Hope to post a video soon.

Im lucky enough to have a laser also, its awesome what it can do just occasionally if i join two pieces to get duel colours i get little scratches. I was wondering if thats normal if you dont take care and if so what you did to avoid them

+Ryedo40 First of all make sure the material is actually Acrylic (Plexiglass) and NOT Polly Carbonate. Polly Carbonate can look similar but has a much lower melting temperature and will cause the cutter to clog, jam and break. Acrylic should not do this and I have never had it clog the cutter or melt. I mostly use a range of cutters from 0.5mm to 4.0mm 2 and 3 flute, 4 flute cutters are not good for Acrylic. My spinal speed is from 12,000 to 24,000RPM and feed rate is from 300 to 1200mm/min depending on the cutter. As time is not important to me I usually don's cut any more than 1.5mm/pass It has taken me years of trial and error to figure all this out. I hope this helps.

+hamrx8 Thanks for the quick reply mate. Being new to CNC it's all kind of fun but scary; so your advice is really appreciated. It's definitely acrylic(cast), but I left the plastic film on while cutting. Maybe that was melting and coming off hot. Unfortunately, until my new bits arrive, I've only got 6mm 4 flute end mills to cut with. I was cutting at 1.8mm per pass so I'll lower that and maybe increase the feed a little. See how things go. I also have to cut some HDPE for the base. I understand that melts easier, so if you have any good advice for cutting that, I'd be grateful. Cheers

For low melting plastics I use a single flute cutter at low speed spinal and fast feed. Also a spray of water to cool the job may be needed. I very rarely machine materials like HDPE. Honestly if you are getting your cutters from eBay out of China they are not good quality and I have given up using them. I only use cutters made by GARR tools.

+hamrx8 Cheers for that. At the moment I'm using the China cutters - at least until I get a little more confident using the machine (I don't want to be breaking expensive bits straight away.) If you could recommend a relatively "safe" speed & feed rate for me to start from using a 4mm or 6mm single flute, please do. I'll also take note of GARR tools and see if I can source some in the UK. And thanks again for the help. Cheers.

+hamrx8 Hi hamrx8, just want to say thank you for your initial advice a couple of month ago. I've since bought myself some better quality cutters. Nothing too expensive (they're from a company called Shop-Apt), but they are superb. The bits cut through acrylic like butter with no melting or clogging. I've also moved away from HDPE for the bases. Too much hard work to get a good finish. I'm now using ACM - although I'm sure I'll move to pure aluminium sheets later. The end results look great. Cheap to :) Thanks again.

+pra Yag I purchase my Acrylic from a local supplier only about 15 minutes drive from my house in Melbourne Australia, they do not sell on line. However I believe you can purchase it on eBay. Acrylic is is a type of plastic, in some countries it is known as Plexiglass.

thanks....... i ll check it out...

The machine is called a CNC Router and I built it myself so this exact machine is not available to purchase. However there are machines just like it available on eBay and from other CNC Router suppliers. I beleive there is a Kit for purchase but I don't know the details. Do a search on eBay for "CNC Router".

+Miguel Rendon Hi Miguel I will try to make a video soon or at least last post some details on my website of how I wire the LED strips and Controller.

He machined the base out of aluminum, then black anodized it. After anodizing, he milled his logo and info into the base.

+Timo Pellikka Best of luck with your own and thank you for your comment. :)

I actually made and sent two 2 layer signs to a customer in the US for US800 each, that was about two years ago. He was desperate to have me do them as he couldn't find anyone locally that was capable. So there are people prepared to pay a premium for these. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b9qgit162NnLgGQ.html

Its a CNC Router. I made it myself over 10 years ago. Details are on my website: www.ghqp.com.au

Thanks, have made improvements in the engraving technique since this one but the principal remains the same.

walid benchneb I used Anodizing using a setup I put together myself. It took me a few years to perfect as it is quite difficult and involves the use of vey corrosive chemicals like Sulphuric acid. However these days I CNC my bases completely out of Black Acrylic that I then polish. I very rarely anodise anything. I hope this helps.

+Miguel Rendon Hi. I dont speak Spanish but think you are asking, what is the thickness of the Acrylic, I used to use 4mm but these days it is 6mm The engraving depth currently is around 0.3mm using a 0.5mm ball nose end mill. For larger designs with less detail I use a 1.0mm ball nose mill and increase the depth to around 0.5mm. I hope I have answers your questions. Graham

+Miguel Rendon hi graham thank you very much for your answer, if exactly those were my questions I don·t have cnc, but if a gravograph IM3, to make prints. of all the videos I've seen yours is the one that has helped me and everything to give two colors at the same time, I learned a lot with them, videos easy to learn. again thank you very much and I subscribe to your channel Happy day from Spain

Yes many things are possible. The LED lighting strips and controllers are available in all sorts of formats that can be programmed. It just a matter of finding the type of LED strip that suits what you want to achieve. I have some other videos on this channel that will show other design I have done.