CNC Studio — Raleigh, NC
CNC routing for the jobs
the big shops won’t touch.
Accurate parts cut from hardwood, plywood, acrylic, foam, and composite sheet. Around the Triangle, CNC time bills at $250 an hour — when shops will quote small work at all. Most only run cabinets. We take the small jobs nobody else wants.
- ±0.1 mm
- typical tolerance
- 2–5 days
- after toolpath approval
- Qty 1
- no minimum quantity
- 7+
- sheet materials in stock
Pricing
Honest math. No mystery quotes.
Have a cut-ready file? You pay for machine time, nothing else. Want an outcome instead of an hourly clock? Our fixed packages cover it — same studio, same craftsman.
- Machine time
- $95/hr
- Project minimum
- $150
- Most small jobs land
- $150–$400
Prototype Sprint
$299Fixed price, fixed scope: a functional prototype in your hands in 72 hours — machined, 3D printed, and finished, with two iterations included.
Explore the Sprint →Pilot Production Run
from $49910–100 units cut, finished, and QC’d to a repeatable spec sheet — the bridge between a prototype and real manufacturing.
See full pricing →Every job starts with a free quote and digital proof — a human replies within one business day. Rush service +50%.
Capabilities
Materials we route
Not sure what your part should be cut from? Tell us what it has to do — load, weather, finish — and we’ll recommend the material.
| Material | What we do with it | Common uses |
|---|---|---|
| Hardwoods (walnut, maple, oak) | Profile cuts, pockets, carving | Furniture parts, signage blanks, plaques |
| Plywood & baltic birch | Profile cuts, dadoes, drilling | Panels, templates, fixtures, prototypes |
| MDF | Profile cuts, pockets, V-carving | Paint-grade sign blanks, patterns, jigs |
| Acrylic | Profile cuts, pockets, polished edges | Faceplates, displays, machine guards |
| Foam | Profile cuts, pocketing | Case inserts, packaging, mockups |
| ACM & composite sheet | Profile cuts, routed folds | Exterior signage, panels, enclosures |
| Thin aluminum | Profile cuts, drilling | Faceplates, brackets, equipment panels |
The work
What people cut with us
Panels and enclosures
Equipment faceplates, ACM enclosure parts, and acrylic guards — drilled and pocketed, ready to mount.
Signage blanks
Routed letters and shaped blanks in MDF, plywood, or ACM, ready for paint, vinyl, or UV print.
Fixtures, jigs, and templates
Shop fixtures, assembly jigs, and router templates for Triangle makers, labs, and production teams.
Furniture and product parts
Hardwood and baltic birch components, cut repeatably — one prototype or a short production run.
Full stack
Route, print, and engrave — one shop, one handoff
Most routed parts aren’t finished when they come off the machine. They need graphics, color, or a permanent mark — and most vendors make you ship parts to a second shop for that. Here, the router, the UV printer, and the lasers sit under one roof. No freight between vendors, no second markup, no week lost in transit.
CNC + UV printing
We route the blank, then UV-print full-color graphics directly onto it — wood, acrylic, or ACM. One file handoff, one quote, one pickup.
UV printing →CNC + laser engraving
Routed parts come back to the laser for serial numbers, logos, and fine detail the router bit can’t reach. Same shop, same week.
Laser cutting & engraving →
CNC routing FAQs
How much does CNC routing cost in Raleigh?
Machine time bills at $95 per hour with a $150 project minimum — most small jobs land between $150 and $400. Around the Triangle, CNC time runs $250 an hour when shops will quote small work at all. Prefer a fixed price? The Prototype Sprint is $299 flat and a Pilot Production Run starts at $499. Send your file and we’ll return an exact written quote within one business day.
What file formats do you accept for CNC routing?
DXF, SVG, AI, and PDF work best for flat parts; STEP works for parts with pockets and 3D features. Only have a sketch with dimensions? We’ll draw the cut file for you — that’s part of the job.
Can you cut just one part?
Yes. Most CNC shops won’t spin up for a single panel or template — we built our pricing around exactly that job. One part is fine: the $150 project minimum covers setup, toolpaths, and machine time, and we save the toolpaths so reorders match the first run.
What tolerances can a CNC router hold?
Our routed parts typically hold ±0.1–0.2 mm, which covers panels, fixtures, templates, and most functional parts. If your part needs tighter than that, we’ll tell you up front and point you to the right machining process.
Should I use CNC routing or laser cutting?
Laser excels at thin sheet and fine detail; routing handles thicker boards, pockets, dadoes, and materials a laser can’t safely cut — like ACM and foam. Both machines are in the same shop, so send the file and we’ll run it on whichever is right for the part.
How fast is turnaround for CNC cutting?
Most routing jobs ship or are ready for Raleigh pickup in 2–5 business days after toolpath approval. Need it faster? The Prototype Sprint ($299) turns a functional part in 72 hours, and rush service on standard jobs is available at +50%. We ship tracked nationwide.
Get your CNC routing quote today
Send a DXF, SVG, AI, or PDF — or a sketch with dimensions and we’ll draw it. Real pricing from a real person within one business day.