From Team Hand-Cutting to a Single CFX, Panel Sign Production Fully Completed on One Machine with Quality and Speed Impossible by Manual Work

TWOPIECE (Toyonaka-shi, Osaka), a sign and signage manufacturing company founded in 2001. The company handles the production and installation of aluminum composite panels, carved letters, SUS cut letters, channel letters, custom fabrication, pictorial signs, and more. In June 2025, they introduced the large-format cutting plotter "CFX-2513". We asked the company's production manager about the effects since its introduction.

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For many years, cutting signs and signage with the CG-160FXII Plus

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We are a specialized manufacturer of signs and signage. We produce illuminated tenant signs, aluminum composite panel cut letters, channel letters, and printed or cut vinyl sheets for exhibitions. Our clients include construction companies, retail stores, theme parks, shopping malls, and more. We handle not only production but also design and installation.

Printing is handled by solvent printers "JV300" and "JV330," while cutting uses the roll-type cutting plotter "CG-160FXII Plus" and the "CFX-2513" introduced this past June. The equipment is primarily manufactured by Mimaki.

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At times, staff shortages and tight deadlines led to panic

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We've been using CG Plus for about 10 years now. Compared to when we first introduced it, the number of orders and the variety of products we produce have increased, leading to more situations where a single machine can't handle the workload. As a small company, tight deadlines often leave us short-staffed, causing panic on the production floor. That's why we decided to look into a high-performance cutting plotter that could take over tasks from our staff, leading us to choose the CFX.

Looking for a High-Performance Plotter while keeping initial costs down

We chose the CFX-2513 for its outstanding cost performance. For our company, which wanted a high-performance plotter while keeping initial costs as low as possible, the CFX was the ideal machine. We considered high-end models from other manufacturers, but the CFX offered the best balance of performance and price.

My familiarity with Mimaki printers and plotters was also a major factor. I've always trusted the quality of their machines, and I felt confident that their support would remain as reliable as ever.

A plotter that's a joy to operate

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Leave 100% of the cutting to CFX and move ahead with other tasks in parallel

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Work speed has also increased dramatically. Compared to manual cutting, processing time has been cut roughly in half. Manual cutting often required numerous post-cut adjustments and rework, but now we can confidently leave quality and timing to CFX, giving us more breathing room on the job site.

Since we can start other tasks while CFX handles the cutting, efficiency has improved significantly. We can also dedicate more time to preparation tasks like material setup and data verification.

Panel cutting once handled by the entire team can now be completed by one person

Our company regularly handles jobs cutting aluminum composite panels into lantern shapes. Since this was difficult with CG Plus, we outsourced it. However, when we recently tried producing it with CFX, we were able to cut it out without any issues. This has significantly expanded our in-house production capabilities, leading to major reductions in outsourcing costs and effort.

It also proved invaluable for a project requiring over a dozen life-size character panels. Previously, all employees would manually cut these by hand. Now, by fitting them onto the CFX table, a single operator can process them all at once. This reduction in labor costs lowers our production expenses, allowing us to pass these savings on to our customers.

Service engineers carefully respond to each question

When it comes to support, Mimaki is consistently reliable. Shortly after introducing the CFX, we were still getting used to some aspects of its operation. However, our long-time maintenance representative came by and patiently answered each of our questions, offering advice like, "In this case, it's best to do it this way." Even for operational methods or improvement points we couldn't ask about on the spot, they later compiled them and sent them to us via email, which was incredibly reassuring.

Since then, cutting errors have decreased significantly. With this new knowledge, we've become capable of troubleshooting and refining things ourselves.

Easy to output Illustrator files as they are

Our printing section has a female operator, and for urgent jobs, we sometimes have her assist with cutting. Since she can operate it without touching the cutter blade, we feel comfortable entrusting her with the task. She described the CFX as "an easy-to-use machine." She said that because it shares the same menu screen as the JV330 printer, she can intuitively understand where each command is located.

It comes with the same "FineCut" software as the CG Plus, which is also convenient. Being able to output data in Illustrator file format is handy. Since most client-submitted data is in Illustrator format, this is a big help.

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Ready to take on in-house processing of materials previously outsourced

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We also manufacture exhibition fixtures in-house, though we outsource large bases and complex-shaped parts. Since the CFX can cut MDF wood, it should also handle plywood and reboard. If it can cut these materials, we could bring all previously outsourced components in-house at once, enabling integrated manufacturing. It's an exciting machine that opens up new possibilities.

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