Tag Archives: CNC routing and plasma cutting

PEC makes waves with new donor wall at Cambridge SportsPlex

Thursday, 21 June 2018 14:55

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The donor wall at the Cambridge SportsPlex honors all those who contributed time and money to the project.

It took 140 donors to make it happen, but thanks to their dedication, the town of Fairfield, Iowa, has a new gym and pool facility that is improving its citizens’ quality of life and attracting new people to the community.

Originally built 45 years ago, Fairfield’s recreational facilities were due for an upgrade. In 2011, planning began for the multi-million-dollar Cambridge SportsPlex, and it opened in 2016. The 36,000 square-foot-space includes an indoor three-lane track, three full-size basketball courts, fitness area, exercise floor, storage, batting cages, restrooms, and showers.

After the grand opening, the SportsPlex task force committee wanted to recognize the generous donors who contributed to the project. A member of the task force, Kent Whitney, had previously worked with the PEC team and was pleased with the end result of the project. On behalf of the committee, he approached Pella Engraving Company about creating a donor recognition wall.

“I stopped in one day and showed them our ideas. They immediately took to it and got excited about the project. I knew right then we had the company we needed with the capability and passion to create our donor wall,” said Kent.

Kent already had a design in mind, and PEC was able to bring the idea to life using a three-part approach:

Wave-inspired, curving background plates were cut on PEC’s state-of-the-art plasma cutter from 1/8″ aluminum. After color-matching the client’s artwork, these plates were painted in three shades of blue.
1/8″ zinc plates with a pebbled texture were cut on a band saw and painted light gray to showcase the donor list. Donor names were etched into the zinc and tipped in black.
PEC turned to Sadler Sign and Design of Pella for the smallest lettering on the sign. The scale of the letters was too small to be handled by a plasma cutter or CNC machine. Vinyl was the perfect solution. The PEC team pre-coated the vinyl with the task force committee’s chosen shade of gray, and the individual letters were cut by Sadler Sign and Design. This lettering technique was repeated for the sign’s headline to create a cohesive and eye-catching final design.

The donor wall was installed in the Cambridge SportsPlex lobby. It perfectly fills space on a bare wall and improves traffic flow through the building. The task force committee was very pleased with the final project.

“Pella Engraving Company made what could have been a very challenging project enjoyable and stress-free,” said Kent. “The team’s professionalism and friendly and flexible demeanor made us feel like our project was the most important one on their plate.”

PEC team sticks the landing with new sign for Winterset Gymnastics

Tuesday, 13 March 2018 10:14

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Winterset Gymnastics sign lettering installed

Top, the Photoshopped mock-up provided to Pella Engraving by Winterset Gymnastics. Bottom, an unaltered photo of the finished sign.

The athletes and coaches at Winterset Gymnastics are flying high thanks to the new company sign created by Pella Engraving Company.

The gym, which offers tumbling and trampoline classes to kids ages 2 to 18, was in need of a sign after they relocated in August 2016. “The building we moved into is much larger than our old space and just turned 100 years old,” explained Matt Floden, who co-owns Winterset Gymnastics with his wife, Holli. “We did a lot of renovation. While we were able to get the majority of the work finished before Christmas and start classes in the new studio in January 2017, we waited on the sign until a mason could come and repair some of the bricks and mortar on the exterior. That masonry work was completed this year, so we were ready to move forward.”

Matt and Holli knew the façade of their building featured a border and two diamond accents in white brick. However, historical photos of the building revealed there was a third diamond accent covered by old signage. Excited by the discovery, they removed the old sign and started brainstorming ways to design their sign around the three diamonds. Matt, an architect by trade, used Photoshop to digitally build a mock-up of the sign they envisioned.

Plasma Cut brown letters for outdoor sign in PEC shop

The brown color was selected from the Matthews Paint System.

Matt and Holli knew right where to turn to make their vision a reality. Holli is the sister-in-law of Pella Engraving Company Co-Owner Cory Vande Kieft.

“We got the mock-up, then chose a color from our Matthews Paint System that closely matched the color of the sign in Matt’s example,” said Cory. “This paint is specifically formulated for signage and performs really well in outdoors settings.”

Next, Co-Owner Jarid Purvis used the PEC plasma cutter to cut the 20-inch-high letters out of 1/8-inch-thick aluminum. He set the type to match the font from the mock-up. Once the letters were cut, he sanded them to remove imperfections and drilled holes for the stainless-steel screws that would secure the letters to the building.

The 20-inch-high letters were cut by the PEC plasma cutter to match the example.

“We painted the letters and the screws with the brown color we chose to match Matt’s example,” said Cory. “After that, we put on a clear coat to give the letters an added layer of protection from the weather. This coat also contains a UV inhibitor to help prevent fading.”

On a clear February morning—less than a week after Matt sent the Photoshopped mock-up to Pella Engraving—he installed the finished sign on the building with help from Toby Tyler, the dad of a Winterset Gymnastics athlete who was also very involved in the remodel of the new studio.

“If you’re looking for a sign I would definitely recommend working with Pella Engraving Company,” said Matt. “They were fast and easy to work with. The end product perfectly matches the vision we had.”

Gymnasts holding letters for new outdoor sign

Athletes from Winterset Gymnastics pose with the letters for the new sign.

PEC brings modern style to Central College recognition wall

Tuesday, 07 November 2017 13:40

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Pella Engraving manufactured 58 plaques for the updated Central College Hall of Honor—55 recreations of the original plaques and 3 all-new plaques.

Four years ago, Central College embarked on the Forever Dutch initiative—an ongoing multi-million dollar renovation project that is transforming the A.N. Kuyper Athletics Complex into a modern and welcoming home for student-athletes, coaches, and Central fans. The latest upgrade to the complex is the expansion and renovation of the southern and western wings of P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium.

The expansion was completed last spring, but it was officially unveiled to fans, donors, and alumni at the Athletics Hall of Honor induction ceremony on September 23 during Central’s 2017 homecoming celebrations. Open for exploring on the gym’s second floor were areas like the newly updated wrestling room. Downstairs, in the Pacha Family Lobby, guests were greeted by something special courtesy of Pella Engraving Company—a brand-new Hall of Honor recognition wall.

The Hall of Honor was instituted in 2002. It recognizes standout student-athletes, coaches, and administrators who have become exceptional leaders outside the Central College athletics family. “Inductees to the Hall of Honor represent the best of what Central is all about,” said Athletics Director Eric Van Kley.

Fifteen years ago, the original Hall of Honor included 55 magnesium plaques with wood backings; Pella Engraving had been manufacturing a new plaque each time an inductee was chosen. As the work on Kuyper Gymnasium progressed, the Forever Dutch team decided to replace the original plaques with new ones that fit the sleek, modern feel of the renovated building. “We went back to Pella Engraving because we knew they could provide plaques with the style and excellence that characterize the new building,” said Eric.

The new plaques feature a photo of the honoree, their graduation date, and biographical information printed on silver aluminum plates.

In total, Pella Engraving manufactured 58 plaques for the updated Hall of Honor—55 recreations of the original plaques and 3 all-new plaques. Plaques will be added each year as new individuals are inducted into the Hall of Honor. The PEC team took the lead in creating the new plaque style. Each plaque includes a photo of the honoree, their graduation date, and a short description of their accomplishments, all surrounded by a field of Central red. The photo, text, and color background were printed on silver aluminum plates with Pella Engraving’s UV flatbed printer. The aluminum plates were then adhered to a black acrylic backer. Finally, clear acrylic shields that provide both style and protection from nicks and scratches were secured to the front of each plaque with aluminum standoff caps.

The display is headlined with plasma-cut aluminum lettering. Two sets of letters—one silver and one black—were created using PEC’s state-of-the-art plasma cutter. The black letters were installed first, followed by the silver letters, which were placed at a slight offset to create a drop-shadow effect.

The new recognition wall received a very positive reception at the Athletics Hall of Honor ceremony. “I’ve heard a lot of people say that the new Hall of Honor looks very classy,” said Eric. “It adds excitement to the lobby, and the quality of the display is something we are really proud of. The Pella Engraving team is tremendous.”

Take a campus tour with the help of Pella Engraving

Tuesday, 22 December 2015 14:10

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Stadium donor nameplates

Soccer donors sign

Douwstra Auditorium sign

Dedication plaques

Heritage Plaza cutout sign

Central College features many PEC plaques and signs

When most people visit a college campus, they don’t realize how much they rely on the many signs and plaques that guide them and keep them informed. Central College in Pella, Iowa, has turned to Pella Engraving Company many times for high-quality signs and plaques. Below are just some of these projects:

Soccer and baseball stadium donor nameplates
These Metalphoto^® donor nameplates were installed with rivets by Pella Engraving Company. In addition to the plates in the soccer stadium pictured here, PEC also did plates for Central’s baseball stadium—over a hundred for each stadium. The Metalphoto process embeds the dye permanently into the pores of the aluminum, helping the plates endure longer in an outdoor stadium environment.

Central Dutch soccer donors sign
To thank their donors, Central asked PEC to create this customizable zinc sign. The foundation of the sign is one 23” x 35” piece of zinc—the visible silver portions are the natural color of the metal, while the rest is painted. As more donors contribute, PEC will engrave nameplates that can be mounted on top of the remaining silver rectangles. The pillars to display the sign were specially made by Pella Engraving.

Douwstra Auditorium sign
At 6” tall, the letters in this sign create a striking impression. The ¼” thick acrylic letters were cut out on PEC’s laser engraver, then painted. Because Central wanted the paint to match the color of the lighting fixture mounted on wall above, Pella Engraving reached out to the lighting company to obtain a sample. For this job, PEC mounted the letters to the wall with adhesive. If a customer wants to mount cutout letters themselves, PEC can create a printed paper template for $15 to show where the studs should go, ensuring the proper spacing between letters.

Bronze memorial plaque
This memorial plaque for Dr. Maxine Huffman was created with bronze casting, so the raised areas have a natural, classic bronze coloring. The plaque size is 16” x 24”.

Heritage Plaza dedication plaques
Because these plaques were to be mounted on concrete, PEC created specially made square stakes welded onto metal plates. Holes could then be drilled into the plates and concrete for screws. The plaques are bronze castings.

Heritage Plaza cutout sign
This sign created for the Heritage Plaza is more complicated than it first seems—to create a shadow effect, PEC cut out two sets of aluminum letters on the plasma cutter. The top set was left silver, while the bottom set was painted black. The letters were mounted with drilled and tapped studs.

You can view more photos of Pella Engraving plaques and signs at Central College on our Facebook page.