Bespoke CNC Machined Cutting Mats
Custom Cutting Mats Engineered to Fit Your Machine, Process and Application
Rhino Cutting Mats can do far more than simply manufacture cutting mats to standard sizes.
A bespoke cutting mat is a Rhino cutting surface manufactured to your dimensions and then CNC machined with the holes, apertures, cut-outs, slots, radius corners or external profile your equipment requires. We machine cutting surfaces up to 4m x 2m in-house at our Brackley facility, across the self-healing cutting mat materials we manufacture ourselves.
With our own large-format CNC machining capability, we can manufacture and machine cutting mats specifically around your equipment and application, incorporating holes, apertures, cut-outs, radius corners, slots, complex profiles and bespoke shapes directly into the finished mat.
Whether you need a cutting mat to fit an unusual machine bed, a precisely drilled vacuum pattern, locating holes or a completely bespoke profile, we can work with your drawings, dimensions or machine requirements to develop a solution.
We don’t just cut mats to size. We can machine them to work with your equipment.
CONTACT US – to Enquire about bespoke cutting mats
Custom CNC Machining for Cutting Mats
Our in-house CNC capability allows us to machine many of our cutting mat materials after manufacture, giving customers considerably more flexibility than a standard rectangular sheet or roll.
Typical CNC machining options include:
- Precision drilled holes
- Vacuum bed hole patterns
- Radius corners
- Circular and shaped apertures
- Internal cut-outs
- Slots and channels
- Locating and registration holes
- Complex external profiles
- Bespoke geometric shapes
- Repetitive hole or cut-out patterns
- Mats profiled to fit specific machinery
- Custom features manufactured from CAD drawings
If your application requires something unusual, speak to us. In many cases, we can engineer the cutting mat around the machine rather than asking you to adapt the machine around the mat.
Where the requirement is a printed or branded worktop rather than a cutting surface, see our custom workbench surfaces.
Large-Format CNC Cutting Capability
Rhino has access to two large-format Tekcel CNC machines within our manufacturing operation:
- 3m x 2m CNC machining bed
- 4m x 2m CNC machining bed
This gives us the ability to CNC machine particularly large cutting surfaces and components in-house.
Our CNC machining capability is already used extensively within the wider Rhino manufacturing operation and can also be applied to our cutting mat products, i.e. it is the same capability behind our bespoke industrial workbenches.
Keeping this capability in-house gives us greater control over accuracy, repeatability and the finished product, particularly on specialist or one-off projects.
CNC Machined Cutting Mats for Vacuum Beds
A Solution for Vacuum Hold-Down Cutting Machines
Many automated cutting machines use a vacuum bed to hold fabric, paper, films, composites and other materials securely in position while cutting.
This can create a challenge when a high-performance cutting mat is non-porous.
A conventional non-porous mat placed over the vacuum table can restrict the airflow and prevent the vacuum hold-down system from operating effectively.
Rhino can solve this by CNC drilling a customised grid of small holes through the cutting mat, allowing vacuum pressure to pass through the mat and reach the material being cut.
The hole size, spacing and pattern can be designed around the customer’s existing vacuum bed.
This makes it possible to combine the performance and durability of a Rhino cutting surface with machinery that relies on vacuum hold-down.
Application Example: CNC Cutting Mat for an Aircraft Seating Manufacturer
A manufacturer of aircraft seating required a new cutting surface for a CNC machine used to cut fabric for aircraft seats.
The company tested samples of Rhino Ultraseal, and the material performed extremely well as a cutting surface.
There was, however, one significant challenge.
The CNC cutting machine used a vacuum bed to hold the fabric securely during cutting. Because Ultraseal is non-porous, a standard sheet placed over the machine bed would restrict the vacuum and prevent the hold-down system from operating correctly.
Rather than ruling out Ultraseal, Rhino developed a bespoke solution.
CNC Drilled Vacuum Hole Pattern
We proposed CNC drilling hundreds of precision 3mm holes through the Ultraseal mat in a grid corresponding with the vacuum system beneath the machine.
This allows the vacuum to operate through the cutting mat while retaining the cutting performance that had made Ultraseal attractive in the first place.
It is a good example of how Rhino’s manufacturing capability can turn a standard cutting mat material into a purpose-engineered machine component.
Cutting Mats Manufactured Around Your Equipment
Not every cutting table or industrial process uses a simple rectangular cutting surface.
Machines may include:
- Raised components
- Clamps
- Registration points
- Vacuum zones
- Sensors
- Fixings
- Access areas
- Mechanical stops
- Machine-specific bed shapes
Rather than requiring the customer to cut or modify the mat themselves, Rhino can manufacture many of these features before the mat leaves our factory.
Provide us with a CAD drawing, technical drawing, template or dimensional specification, and we can assess the most appropriate manufacturing method.
Precision Holes, Apertures and Cut-Outs
Our CNC equipment allows features to be positioned accurately and repeated consistently across the cutting surface.
This can include anything from a handful of locating holes to hundreds of holes in a defined grid pattern.
Applications may include:
Vacuum Hole Patterns
Precisely positioned holes designed to correspond with a CNC or automated cutting machine’s vacuum bed.
Locating & Registration Holes
Holes or features used to position the mat accurately on a machine or work surface.
Machine Component Cut-Outs
Apertures allowing a mat to fit around clamps, fixings, sensors or other machine components.
Slots & Access Openings
Machined openings for specific production or equipment requirements.
Bespoke Profiles
Complete cutting mats CNC profiled to suit the dimensions and geometry of a particular machine.
From Drawing to Finished Cutting Mat
Producing a bespoke CNC machined cutting mat can be straightforward.
1. Tell Us About the Application
Send us details of the machine, cutting process and what you need the mat to achieve.
2. Supply Dimensions or Drawings
Where available, send us a CAD file, technical drawing or dimensional sketch showing the required shape and features.
3. We Review the Specification
Our team will assess the material, dimensions and CNC machining requirements and discuss any areas that may need refinement.
4. We Manufacture and CNC Machine the Mat
The cutting mat is produced and then machined to the agreed specification.
5. Your Mat Arrives Ready for Installation
Instead of modifying the cutting mat on site, you receive a finished component manufactured around your application. The should not be glued, or fixed down, check out our cutting mats installation guide for more guidance.
Why Choose Rhino for a Bespoke Cutting Mat?
In-House Manufacturing Expertise
We manufacture cutting mat materials and understand how they behave in industrial cutting applications. Rhino has been established as a cutting mat brand since 2005.
Large-Format CNC Capability
With CNC machining capacity up to 4m x 2m, we can undertake specialist machining that would be difficult to achieve manually.
Bespoke Rather Than Standard
Your mat can be designed around the machine rather than restricted to an off-the-shelf shape. For a standard shape in a non-standard size, our mat configurator will price a cut-to-size mat in seconds.
Precision and Repeatability
CNC machining allows holes, apertures and profiles to be positioned consistently and accurately.
Problem-Solving Approach
Where a standard cutting mat does not quite work for an application, we can often adapt the product to overcome the problem.
One Supplier
Manufacture and specialist CNC machining can be handled through Rhino rather than requiring separate cutting mat and machining suppliers.
Bespoke Cutting Mats for OEMs and Machine Manufacturers
Our CNC machining capability also creates opportunities for OEMs, machinery manufacturers and integrators that require a cutting surface as part of their equipment.
We can discuss:
- Prototype cutting mats
- One-off specialist projects
- Replacement machine bed surfaces
- OEM cutting surfaces
- Repeat production
- Machine-specific mat designs
- Custom drilled vacuum surfaces
- Bespoke profiles and configurations
If a Rhino cutting mat is being incorporated into equipment that you manufacture, we can discuss producing the mat to your required specification.
Need a Cutting Mat Made Specifically for Your Machine?
If a standard cutting mat isn’t quite right for your equipment, talk to Rhino.
From a few locating holes to hundreds of CNC-drilled vacuum holes, complex apertures or a completely bespoke external profile, we can explore how to manufacture a cutting surface around your requirements.
Send us your drawing, dimensions, photographs or machine details, and our team will assess the application.
Bespoke cutting mats. CNC machined around your equipment.
CONTACT US to REQUEST A BESPOKE CUTTING MAT QUOTATION
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you drill holes in a cutting mat for a vacuum table?
Yes. Where the cutting mat material and application are suitable, we can CNC drill a pattern of holes through the mat to allow airflow from the vacuum bed beneath it. The hole pattern can be designed around the configuration of your machine.
Can you CNC cut cutting mats to a custom shape?
Yes. We can produce radius corners, apertures, cut-outs, holes, slots and more complex external profiles using our large-format CNC equipment, working from your CAD file, technical drawing or dimensioned sketch.
What is the largest size you can CNC machine?
Our largest Tekcel CNC machine has a bed measuring approximately 4m x 2m, alongside a second 3m x 2m CNC machine. The maximum finished component size will depend on the particular material and machining operation required.
Can you work from CAD drawings?
Yes. If you have a CAD or technical drawing of the required mat, hole locations or machine bed, send it to us with your enquiry.
Can you make one-off bespoke cutting mats?
Yes. We can assess one-off specialist requirements as well as repeat and OEM applications.
Can Ultraseal be used on a vacuum cutting table?
Ultraseal itself is non-porous, but for suitable applications we can CNC drill the material with a vacuum hole pattern designed around the cutting machine. Contact us with details of your vacuum table and we can assess the application.
