Aeronaut cutters are the tools the big lofts use… because they can't take chances. Aeronaut automated cutters are the industry-standard tools for making fabric and string-laid sails all around the world. 

Aeronaut Automation began life almost 20 years ago as Aeronaut Sails. After we bought our own plotter we realised the possibilities and the limitations. To get our plotter to work properly, we had to start writing our own software to import all the various file formats we needed to plot.  

Within months, this software was being sold to other sailmakers and Aeronaut Sails began to evolve into Aeronaut Automation. 

 

 

 

The first cutter we ever built was ordered by a sailmaker, and from the first batch of machines manufactured, 60% were bought by sailmakers. 

The fact that we have been plotter owners and operators means the focus of Aeronaut is quite different to the focus of most other plotter manufacturers. We designed and built the plotter we would like to own, and developed the software to allow our cutters to work with the widest possible range of jobs, materials and file formats.

Aeronaut automated cutters are now being used by sailmakers from Barbados to Moscow and we have cutters in all the large franchise lofts as well as owner operated lofts. Aeronaut cutters are used on everything from one design dinghys to superyachts. 

 

 

 

Aeronaut built the first 5 metre wide machines for the D4 membrane process over 8 years ago. These evolved into massive carbon fibre gantry plotters over 10 metres wide and 45 metres long.  

Aeronaut now is the undisputed leader in the field of string or yarn laid sails, supplying machinery and software to fabricators all over the world. 

Dimension-Polyant (D4), Quantum Membranes Spain, Malaysia and South Africa, Evolution Membrane, Doyle Sails NZ, Renegade Sails, China Sail Factory and a gang of others all rely on Aeronaut yarn layers in narrow or wide span format. In fact, the vast majority are running the wide-span carbon gantry machines since these are considerably more productive than narrow span machines. 

Aeronaut software engineers work with Sail design software developers such as BSG SailPack, SMAR Azure, Fabric and Sails Science to make sure your investment in sail design software works with industry standard nesting software and cutters.

 

 

 

BSG Developments SailPack: http://www.bsgdev.com/

Sails Science: http://www.sailscience.com 

Fabric: http://www.cerealog.fr/

The cutter most commonly supplied to sailmakers is the Elektron Mono LC. This plotter-cutter is the successor to the benchmark Maxis LC. The Elektron Mono LC is a rotary blade cutter and pen plotter, which is now supplied with quick-change cam lock tooling. This means you can fit a drag blade, creaser or any one of the rotary blade toolholders in just a few seconds with perfect blade angle and height registration.

 

You can also fit the optional sign blade cutter for logos and insignias. The standard 28mm rotary blade can be locked so the rotary blade functions as a shallow angle drag blade which appears to work well when certain cutting difficult sail cloths. The Elektron Mono LC can be supplied as a complete turnkey solution with vacuum table etc. or as a machine only ready to mount onto an existing table. The Elektron Mono LC can be driven by most commonly available sail software including Aeronaut’s Tangent software. 

If you need edge sealed fabric for cruising sails, or you need rapid and reliable cutting on any form of sailcloth whether you run a cutting service or a sail loft, one of Aeronaut's range of laser cutters is perfect for the job. Aeronaut laser cutters range from affordable air-cooled 30 watt lasers to the industrial strength 200 watt water cooled Elektron Laser ZX.

 

 

Aeronaut’s latest tool for sail making is the Elektron Laser Z. This is a low-cost laser cutter intended for production cutting of lighter fabrics including dinghy weight Dacrons and spinnaker Nylon. If you are cutting a reasonable percentage of light fabrics with a blade or a conventional laser cutter, then the Elektron Laser Z is well worth a look.

 

It is capable of cutting most spinnaker Nylons at close to 1 metre per second and heavier fabrics at commercially acceptable speeds. But the cost of the Elektron Laser Z is only a fraction of the cost of a conventional laser for sail cloth cutting. In terms of production, it is probably cheaper to buy both an Elektron Mono LC and an Elektron Laser Z including vacuum tables than one conventional laser cutter, and get twice the output. 

 

 

If your requirements are for a more powerful laser for better production speeds on a wider range of fabrics, then the Elektron Laser ZX fits the bill. This cutter is available in a range of powers up to 200 watts and can be fitted with an optional blade cutting head giving lofts unmatched flexibility.

 

See the Laser Cutters category on this site to see details of the Elektron Mono LC and Elektron Laser Z automated cutters.