Founded in 1981, Blaze Signs has provided high-quality signage and shop fitting solutions to clients for over 40 years. Employing over 200 skilled staff across their two UK sites in Kent and the Midlands, Blaze offers a consultative approach to sign-making, working with clients to find the optimal solution for their requirements while maximising brand impact.
Since their foundation, Blaze has become the go-to provider in the UK retail space for signs, shop fitting and branding solutions. The team have worked with a wide range of famous clients, including serving as the signage partners for the London 2012 Olympics and working with Waitrose on a complete refit of their flagship King’s Road store in London.
Social and environmental sustainability are at the heart of Blaze’s work. The company implemented many measures in its sustainability drive, including using recycled packaging and supplying material offcuts to schools, businesses and charities that can use them. The addition of their laser cutter helps to reduce waste material with accurate processing and reduced processing steps.
Maximising Brand Impact
Across their production sites, Blaze has access to numerous production tools, including large format digital printers, CNC routers, industrial paint drying ovens and laser cutters. Blaze employs highly experienced and skilled staff who work across all aspects of signage production, from planning and design to manufacturing and installation.
The Blaze team pride themselves on meticulous attention to detail for client project work. With acrylics and plastics forming a large part of their production work, the team needed to find a solution that would allow their finished lettering and stencils to have polished edges efficiently. Using their CNC router required additional flame polishing for a clear edge, while their existing laser cutters did not achieve the required quality on the edges.
Searching for an alternative solution, the senior leadership team discovered Trotec’s SP3000. They attended the Viscom exhibition, receiving acrylic samples made on a Trotec system that greatly impressed them. Following further discussions, Blaze invested in a 200-watt SP2000.
The go-to signage manufacturer in the UK
Offering unmatched versatility and reliability, the SP3000 has revolutionised Blaze’s production. The laser is capable of effortlessly processing the 3 – 10 mm acrylics commonly requested by customers, alongside thicker materials as required, creating glass clear edges with no post-processing. This saves valuable production time and also provides a higher quality finish for products. The 3 x 2-meter working area gives Blaze the flexibility to produce large and small jobs with ease and without idle time for set up.
Blaze has been able to offer a broader range of services and applications to clients than previously possible since the SP3000 was introduced. The expanded production capabilities allow the team to not only cut acrylics and plastics, but also to engrave these materials alongside wood and metals, something not possible with their previous production equipment.
The accuracy of the SP3000 is a highlight for the Blaze team. While conventional technologies cannot create tight radii or intricate cuts, the SP3000 is capable of fully realising even the finest contour for clients with detailed logos. This helps Blaze’s drive for sustainability, with the laser minimising wasted material and maximising sheet usage.
Looking to the future, the Blaze team see the SP3000 as an integral part of their future as a sustainabile business, allowing the business to grow in an environmentally-friendly and sustainable way.
Chris Taylor, Marketing and Brand Manager, said “With the purchase of the SP3000 laser cutter, the versatility and reliability give us confidence that we have made the best investment. We can cut different materials at a variety of thicknesses which is ideal for our requirements, as we can provide customers with the best-in-class physical branding solutions”.
Along with our other technologies, the SP3000 is a key part of our marketing presentations, showcasing our production capabilities and offering clients a complete service in-house.”
European Sign Federation