Aeronaut Automated Cutting Systems Overview

Aeronaut manufactures not only blade cutters but also powered blade, laser and ultrasonic cutters. This means we're more likely to give you the right advice about your work than if we only made one type of automated cutter. If you are unsure of which cutter is best for your work, read this page, have a look at the industries section on this site and/or contact Aeronaut for advice.

Most roll textiles are cut with a blade, usually a rotary or "pizza" blade. For many industries, a single rotary blade is enough to cut almost everything. The problem with rotary blades is that because of the geometry of the blade, they can't cut very detailed shapes. For those, you either need the smallest rotary blade (19mm) or a drag knife. For small circles, a punch is best.

Most sheet materials like foam, flexible plastic and cardboard are cut with a tangentially steered knife, either static drag blade or a reciprocating or oscillating blade.

Aeronaut makes cutters which carry all these tool types as well as more specialised machines like laser and ultrasonic cutters.

Blade Cutters

Rotary or pizza wheel blades are probably the most widely used tool for cutting technical textiles, leather and composites. Aeronaut can offer almost any style of cutter from entry level self-installed machines to the longest and widest cutters in the world, all fitted with versatile and future-proof quick change tooling.

Multi-tool Cutters

Multi-tool cutters carry more than one tool type on the head including different size rotary blades, creasing tools, drill punches etc. and automatically switch between tools so more complicated jobs can be cut in less time.

Ultrasonic cutters

Aeronaut pioneered the automated cutting of textiles with ultrasonic tools and they're widely used where cutting and edge sealing is required in industries from roller blinds and shades to medical applications like sleep apnoea masks or aerospace applications such as satellite MLI blankets.

Laser cutters

Aeronaut's flatbed laser cutters are excellent where synthetic fabrics need cutting and all-round edge sealing such as parachutes, paragliders, yacht sails, furniture and outdoor fabrics. Since there's no contact between the laser and the material being cut, speed and accuracy is excellent.

Self-install cutters

There are a few self-install cutters on the market and by any standard, Aeronaut still make the best. Stiffer, more rigid, more powerful, more accurate but still around the same price. The mighty Ikon cutter sets the standard for low-cost cutting machines intended to fit onto a DIY vacuum table.

Special cutters

If you don't need a vacuum, then mounting a cutter on the floor may be a good option. Aeronaut's widest machines, at 12 metres wide, are almost always floor mounted. Cutters for carpet are usually floor mounted so the carpet can be rolled out, cut and rolled up again ready to delivery on site.

Quick-change tooling

For close to 30 years all Aeronaut cutters have had quick-change tooling, either Cam-lock or bayonet mount meaning you can swap a tool in 15 seconds and change blades safely and easily off the machine.

Essential accessories

The idea of automation is to get the machine to do everything; cutting, creasing, marking etc. and automating the whole process from fabric pullout to vacuum control is part of the picture.

Single steered tools

Cutters like the Elektron Mono, Elektron B1 and Ikon have only one steered tool axis.

The main benefit is lower cost. If you most of your work can be done with one cutting tool, then a single tool axis is fine.

With Cam-lock quick change tooling, you are not limited to just one tool on a single steered axis cutter. A manual tool change takes less than 15 seconds, so if tool changes are occasional, then a single tool cutter can be cost effective.

Tool axes intended for drill punching and creasing can optionally be configured to apply double pressure.

All Aeronaut cutters are fitted with a marker holder which can take anything from a ball point or fine marker to a paint pen. The pen plate can also carry an inkjet print head, another marker or a Cyclops machine vision camera which makes the single tool machines almost as versatile as a multi-tool cutter but at a lesser cost.

Multiple steered tools

With a multi-tool head like the Elektron Quattro or Elektron B2 you have the most versatile type of cutter. Each steered axis can be fitted with a different type of tool so all parts of a job can be cut with the optimum tool or when cutting abrasive materials, more than one cutting tool can be carried, increasing the time between blade changes.

Uniquely, with the Cam-lock tool system, each axis can function as a drill punch so a 4 tool head can carry three different punch sizes and a cutting tool.

Tool axes intended mainly for drill punches and creasing can optionally be configured to apply double pressure.

Tool changes are done automatically in software and take less than a second. This, over hundreds of tool changes a day, increases productivity over a single steered tool machine.

Because a multi-tool cutting head is slightly wider, the pen plate can carry more equipment including an inkjet print head, another marker or a Cyclops machine vision camera.

Software, Nesting and Technology

Nesting & Control

Aeronaut's Tangent software is the key to reducing fabric waste and Tangent's powerful and user friendly cutter control is essential to increase production.

Autonesting

Fast and efficient autonesting can pay for a cutting system in months if your fabric is expensive - and isn't waste fabric the most expensive fabric in your business?

Rapid Patterning

Aeronaut has developed rapid patterning software and CAD plugins to reduce the design to cut time down to a few minutes on complex patterns.

Autotracing Patterns

Aeronaut's revolutionary SiliconEye machine vision software can accurately trace and digitise a table full of patterns in seconds.

Aligning Patterns

With Aeronaut's full-table or gantry mounted machine vision systems, aligning cut profiles to patterned fabric or digitally printed material is simple.

Inkjet Printing

Inkjet printing is the fastest way to do pattern numbers, markings and reference text on almost any fabric.

Increase Productivity

Reduce Waste

Reduce Mistakes

15 years of great service... what is there to complain about?

AM

Window furnishings.
Actually, your cutter can cut everything. We also use it for hard materials (Cordura, thick foams and polyethylene, etc.) rigs, bags and so on. For this just increase the pressure.

A.K

Sporting Goods
Advantages of the Aeronaut cutter are: 1. Accuracy and neatness of details is much more better. 2. Possibility to cut various materials and multilayers for some fabrics (with good airporosity). 3. More reliable work 24 hours per day 7 days a week.

P.H.

Recreational Products NSW
Aeronaut software is by far the best in the industry and was the swaying factor in our decision to buy an Aeronaut cutter.

M.C.

Window Furnishings.
All our Tensioned Fabric Structures are cut on the plotter we have never had accuracy issues. 18 years this year, more square meters than I’d care to think about and still going strong.

N.M.

Tension structures & shade sails
At that price? We can aﬀord to buy two... (And they bought six.)

B.F.

Window furnishings
Buying a cutter from Aeronaut Automation has been one of the best decisions we have made in the last 10 years.

S.L.

Shade structures
Buying an Aeronaut cutter has improved accuracy and reduced waste. Production time has been greatly improved.

B.M.

Fabric structures
I am impressed by our Aeronaut machine. It is absurd to make comparisons between Aeronaut and XxxXxxx product. If Aeronaut is a cutter then XxxXxxx is a toy.

A. K.

Paragliders
I called five of your customers. You can't buy goodwill like that. You can expect our order this morning.

A.C.

Blind maker
I don't know what we would do without it. I could not imagine going back to working in the old way.

M.B.

Sailmaking
I just cut some medium weight kevlar sails, I'm still impressed by the speed and accuracy the Aeronaut cutter runs. Very nice when I have to work on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

J.H.

Denmark
I just want to say, this week we have going hard, 20 hours a day for 5 straight days and the Aeronaut machine hasn't missed a beat. Just wanted to congratulate you on a fine piece of machinery.

T.H.

Short run packaging
I knew within five minutes of seeing an Aeronaut cutter that I was going to buy it.

B.F.

Soft furnishings.
I must admit the more I use your machine more I am in love with it. It's a wonderful machine.

B.V.

India
I saw one of the new Aeronaut tables last week at XXXX Sails, a very smart set up. I can honestly say I don't know of anyone who has anything but praise for Aeronaut's installations here in the UK.

A.S

Cloth Supplier. UK.
I'm impressed by Aeronaut's practical approach instead of the marketing approaches of Xxxxxx, Xxxxxx, Xxxx Xxxxxx etc.

T.G.

Manufacturing Consultant UK
If you are looking for an endorsement for Aeronaut, mine would be 110% Yes!

T.R.

Blind Maker USA.
If you were thinking of getting an Aeronaut cutting system, just do it!!… You won’t regret it!!!

S.L.

Shade structures
In comparison with our old xxxxxx machine, cutting speed have increased (around 20-40%).

M.W.

Sailmaker
In my experience the Aeronaut is very good. It is simple and robust, and is able to be maintained with a limited skill set.

B.H.

Sailmaker
It is incredible what our Aeronaut cutter has allowed us to achieve in production and technical add-on to our business.

T.R.

Blind Maker USA.
It was the Aeronaut software which was the clincher. The software was the best we saw anywhere.

M.W.

Automotive Upholstery
It's reduced a day's cutting for four people down to 1.5 hours for just one.

C.K.

Truck Tarps
Many thanks and well done on a fantastic product.

R. H.

Blind Maker
Next time, I won't buy just one Aeronaut cutter, I'll buy two or three!

F.C.

Window shades
Our Aeronaut cutter has fully fulfilled my expectation to the letter. I can’t fault the machine.

C.M.

Window shades. USA.
Our Aeronaut cutter has tripled our business. It has made our company a lot more successful and life is easier.

C.T.

Canvas
Our Aeronaut cutter is a great bit of kit. I would recommend it to anyone.

P.W.

Sailmaking
Our Aeronaut cutter is the best thing we have ever bought.

S.M.

Truck Curtains Victoria.
Our Aeronaut cutter oﬀers great advantages on smaller orders as well as the large ones due to fast and precise cutting of materials we use to create the final products.

P.M.

Shade structures
Our Aeronaut cutter paid for itself in six months.

C.K.

Canvas
Our Aeronaut cutter paid for itself three times over inside the first two years.

JG

Truck Curtains
Our Aeronaut has done a phenomenal job... otherwise we would not be buying another.

JK

Window furnishings.
Our cutter has cut hundreds of thousands of pieces and we've never had a breakdown.

AK

Window furnishings.
Our cutter is an Aeronaut out of Australia and it has been my best purchase ever.

T.R.

Blind Maker USA.
The Aeronaut cutter does more work than two and a half people, and it doesn't make mistakes. Based on that and the price, I can pay for it inside two years.

M.B

Blindmaker
Our decision to invest in your product was like flying to moon for us but it has made a massive diﬀerence to our company.

B.D.

Composites NZ
The Aeronaut cutter has completely transformed our manufacturing process. The cut pieces just fall together under the welder.

S.T.

Tension membranes NZ.
The Aeronaut cutter is the best, most simple solution to the problem of wide format cutters that I have seen.

P.A

A CNC machine manufacturer
The best thing about our cutter... is that it has reduced stress in the factory. If we get a big order we know the machine will handle it, fast, and no mistakes.

P.W.

PVC fabrication
The eﬀort was well worth it as the new machine has revolutionised the way we do things here, and has been for the past few years.

D.P.

Paragliders
The Elektron Quattro is ideally suited to high volumes as it's very accurate in minimising fabric waste.

P.M.

Shade structures
The good thing about our Aeronaut machine is that it is so easy to operate that we have four workers who can use it.

N.S.

Carbon and Glass Fibre pre-preg
The quality of the machinery speaks for itself… it is more accurate than any other cutting table.

S.C.

Window Shades"
The reason we bought an Aeronaut cutter is that it looked simple and reliable, and I knew we could do any maintenance on it ourselves.

D.M.

Corrugated Packaging.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Aeronaut cutter is the best way to go when it comes to supplying pool blankets.

S.B.

Swimming pool covers
We are excited about the prospects and the future. Aeronaut's table is true work-horse and is out performing any other table on the market.

A.M.

Packaging.
We are happy with the product and your team is responsive and your are providing a good support. For these reasons I would like to ask you if you would be interested in working with us on a much larger scale project.

T.R.

Composites
We are only as successful as our suppliers and supporters allow us to be, and we view Aeronaut as an integral part of our success.

M.W.

Window Furnishings
We are very happy with our new cutter, you made a very good job. Thanks. When you have clients, who are interest for the Aeronaut cutter, its no problem so send the guys to us. We can show them, no problem

S.S.

Sailmaker
We can unpick a product, lay it flat on the table and trace it with SiliconEye so what might have taken days to design, draw and make up, might be finished in just hours.

P.M.

Shade structures
We cut 2,000 to 3,500 metres each week with 30% less waste than our competitors.

J.L.

Carpet Cutting
We have achieved an 80% reduction in the labour to mark and cut. It takes 2 minutes to mark and cut everything. Previously, that would have taken over 10 minutes.

W.K.

Hurricane screens
We have just cut 36 bags with our new laser at nearly 2 bags per minute. That's a saving of over three days a year on this product alone compared with the old method.

A.R.

PVC
We love our Aeronaut cutter! It's the best machine we've got.

G.H.

Window Furnishings
We love this machine... it just goes and goes.

AK

Window furnishings.
We've had our Aeronaut cutter two years now and it's going like a train. If anyone wants to know, they can call me.

B.S

Sailmaking.
Why wouldn't I promote Aeronaut at every opportunity? Our cutter has been the best technical investment we ever made!

B.D.

Inflatables NZ
With an Aeronaut cutter, production is up 30% on our most optimistic estimates. and that is after using two types of competitive machine.

R.B.

Corrugated Packaging
With the Aeronaut cutter performing three times faster than hand cutting, the company had to put on two extra full-time machinists, as well as one casual, to keep up.

C.K.

Canvas & PVC
Aussie Bills has been using the Aeronaut for about 9 years. We have found the drive system to be very reliable with low maintenance required."

A

Blinds, awnings

Contact Aeronaut

Get the facts from the factory direct. If you want advice on automated cutting, an offer on a complete cutting system or to arrange a demonstration, just ask!

Give me the facts!