Trade Made
Signage & CNC Specialists
SERVICES | FINISHING AND ASSEMBLY
Finishing and assembly
Here at Trade Made we can provide a full range of finishing from spraying to powder coating from edging to lamination whatever type of finish you may require on your job we can accommodate you with the highest degree of care and quality.
Our Range of Panelling
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Wet spray painting
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Hand painting
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Powder coating
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Wood staining
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Lamination
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Vinyl wrapping
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Edging
Spray painting
Spray painting is probably the best all round finish you can apply to your products as it’s so versatile and can be applied to pretty much anything, with spray painting you have nearly unlimited colours and finish type. To achieve a great paint job we need to use multiply layers of primer, finish colour plus a top coat or two of clear lacquer to give it that all important protection so in general 4-5 coats depending on its application.
The main problem with spray painting is it can be quite a long process as each coat needs time to dry and then it needs sanded down before the next coat is applied so it can labour extensive especially in parts that are hard to sand down but if you give it the time and do it right nothing beats a quality paint job something that should last a life time.
Please Note
If you want your job spray painted we normally use a Ral Code for the paint colour but we can colour match most colours so just send some sort of colour reference and we will best match to that
Hand Painting
Hand painting something we all know about the art of applying colours to objects via brushes and rollers. With hand painting we typically use this for colour filling our signs and engravings as we find hand painting large surfaces does not create a very professional finish as it has brush strokes and roller marks in it we much prefer to spray paint large areas, however over the last few years there seems to be a move or trend to hand painted finishes for a more rustic look and charm as we have had some of our customer requesting a hand painted finish on their parts. With hand painting the process is normally a bit quicker and therefore cheaper than spray paint as we don’t use as many layers and we don’t sand down each layer so cost are reduce with this method.
Powder Coating
Powder coating normally applies to metal parts we produce like signs and displays not really suited for wooden parts. Powder coating is where you coat the part in a fine powder which is applied by a type of spray gun, this powder sticks to the part via electrostatically and then is cured under heat or with ultraviolet light. The powder then turns to a thermoset polymer basically a thin hard plastic that covers the part this finish can be tougher than conventional paint if the powder coat is done right.
Please note:
Make sure you use the right people for your powder coating needs, if your parts are not prepared right the powder coat can flake off after time so the right preparation of the part before powder coating is absolutely essential this normally requires bathing the parts in several stages to prepare the metal for the powder coat this is something a lot of providers don’t do right so choose wisely
Wood staining
Wood staining has been around since the start of time and something if done right can transform a boring piece of wood into something truly beautiful a prime example of this would be the game of thrones doors we did. Staining comes in many colours ranging from dark to light you can also oil and wax wood too these also come in a range of colours essential all you are doing is drying or highlighting the wood colour. Staining is a pretty simply process and normally requires one or two coats applied via brushes roller or spray gun just depending on the part and it final application staining can help preserve the wood and enhance it natural colours. This technique can really make a difference to any wooded part or project.
Lamination
With our lamination service we can cover large sheet areas with a range of surfaces from melamine to formica from metal to plastic we have the equipment and experience to laminate pretty much anything, with our large format hot press we can even laminate full colour custom printed graphics of your design so the possibilities are endless when it comes to lamination we are limited only by imagination.
Vinyl wrapping
Vinyl wrapping is something that is normally used for cars but it is starting to be used for some component work it’s not the best option for smaller sized components as it very hard to apply to CNC parts with tight comers and inside radiuses but vinyl is great for large flat or gentle curves as you can change the colour of that part pretty quickly and cheaply as it just only one piece of sticky plastic film and the part is done no need for prep work and sanding. Another good thing about the vinyl is the range of colours and effects you can get some of which is not possible by painting alone also don’t forget about custom printed graphics as well so depending on you part or application of your project vinyl wrapping may be a viably option for you.
Ending
Edging or banding is not something we do a lot of but we can apply this via hotmelt strip or t bar section, if you require this done just let us know and we should be able to sort this out for you , edging is normally applied to wood parts like shelves, doors, table tops etc anything where the exposed edge is seen normally woods like mdf chipboard etc would be edge to hide the wood fibres the good thing about edge is it comes in a large range of colours but the best thing is you don’t have to paint the edge of the wood something that can take a lot of time to do, with edging you just stick it on and trim back and the edge is done.
Assembly
Here at Trade Made we have a highly skilled team of craftsmen with countless years of experience in multiply industries ranging for signage to engineering with such a skill base we can offer you full assembly service for your parts or projects, this can range from simply sticking parts together to full structure assembly and final finishing whatever the case we can provide it all a one stop shop from concept to completion .
Some of the assembly we can provide you
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Welding
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Fabrication
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Gluing
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Screw fixing
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Framework
Welding
We weld mainly aluminium and steel for signs, frameworks or anything else that needs a strong permeant fixture we typically use mig and stick welders as they are quick and provide a very strong weld, all welds are check and treated to stop rusting especially in steel with a highly skilled team of fitters and welders plus a large metal workshop there is no task to small or project to big.
Fabrication
Our fabrication applies to anything that needs built up like a sign box or an acrylic display anything that needs things joined together will fall into the fabrication bracket, here at trade made we have over 20 years in building and fabricating all sort of things and with our crew of fitters and fabricators we can handle any project you may need done.
Gluing
Whether it be specialist gluing like acrylic work or basic gluing like contract adhesive we have the experience and knowhow of what glues to use and what way to use them, there are many specialists glues for certain jobs and certain applications so correct knowledge of their application and properties is a must luckily with over 20 years of gluing we have seen and used almost every type of glue so we know how to stick things together.
Screw fixing
Screw fixture is what it says simply using screws to hold things together, here at Trade Made we love screw fixtures its very hard to beat a good sound mechanical fixture into the component or part this provides the best and strongest method of assembly plus its cheap and pretty easy to do if set up right, screw fixtures basically are applied at the design stage of your job or component when designing your project or parts that need assembly we must think ahead of ourselves to work out and plan how the job will be assembled once machined this is where we add screw holes in your parts, this screw holes are then precisely drilled be the cnc router so they are pin point accurate this allows for easy screw fixture in the assembly process making your parts or project simple to assemble.
Framework
As with our steel and aluminium frames we do a lot of wood framing as well very similar to metal except the joining techniques are different a lot of screws and wood glue are typically employed here, we machine a lot of half lap joints for extra strength and dimensional accuracy but sometimes a good soiled but joint is just as effective and as strong it all depends on the job requirements and its application.
NEED A QUOTE?
Final assembly is not the finish line the finish line for us is getting your parts or project to you or to site wherever you need them in a safe and secure manner, this means they leave our workshop in prime condition and the they arrive with you in prime condition nothing else matters, this normally means a custom shipping container or a custom made packaging box we make a lot of custom packaging to ensure your product gets to you in prime condition along with good packaging you need a good courier who will take good care of your valuable cargo luckily we have 3 main couriers that ship around the uk some quicker than others depending on the goods final location as well as uk we can ship anywhere in the world with in a week depending on size and weight, Transporting is not a problem regardless of size or location we send goods all over the world so rest assured if we say it will be there on time it will be we have never missed a set deadline yet.