Already have your material — an acrylic sheet, a Dibond panel, plywood from the timber yard or a special board not stocked anywhere locally? You don't need to sell it or hunt for a workshop that will sell you the same sheet back at a mark-up. At CNCMaster we accept jobs using customer-supplied materials and charge only for the work — cutting, milling, engraving. Ask for a CNC service quote.
Why Do Customers Bring Their Own Material?
There are several good reasons:
- Already-purchased material — a sheet bought at a trade supplier, on promotion, or as part of an earlier order you have left over
- Specific grade or brand — technical requirements or certification (e.g. certified marine plywood, acrylic of a specific brand for optical applications)
- Off-cuts and remnants from previous projects — smaller sheets that are too good to throw away
- Non-standard materials — composite panels, engineering plastics, imported materials we do not stock as standard
- Cost optimisation — buying material direct from a distributor and contracting only the machining
What Materials Do We Accept from Customers?
We accept all typical CNC-machining materials:
Plastics
- Acrylic (PMMA) — cast and extruded, clear, coloured, mirror, fluorescent
- Polycarbonate (PC) — solid sheet and multiwall
- PVC — foamed (forex, celtec) and solid
- PETG, ABS, HDPE, PP — engineering plastics
- Composites — Dibond, Alucobond and other ACM panels
Wood and wood-based materials
- Plywood — poplar, birch, marine, laminated
- MDF and HDF — standard and lacquered
- OSB — at appropriate thicknesses
- Solid timber — when dimensionally stable
Other materials
- Technical rubber and EVA foam — gaskets, protective elements
- Cardboard and corrugated board — prototypes, templates, packaging
- Composite materials — resin-filled laminates
Not sure whether your material is suitable? Send us a sample or a photo. We will assess whether it can be CNC-milled and what the limitations are.
How Does a Customer-Material Job Work?
Step 1 — Send the file and describe the material
We need:
- DXF, SVG or PDF file with the cut contours (dimensions at 1:1 scale)
- Sheet dimensions you will supply (length × width × thickness)
- Material type and if applicable the brand or grade
- Quantity — number of parts or sheets
Based on this we will prepare a labour quote within 24 hours.
Step 2 — Delivering the material
You can:
- Bring it in person to our workshop in Szczecin — ul. Litewska 12A
- Ship by courier to our address (after confirming the order and quote)
Important when shipping:
- Wrap sheets in corrugated cardboard — bubble wrap does not protect corners
- Write your name/company and order number on each panel with a marker
- Include a brief specification with material type and thickness
Step 3 — Production and collection
After receiving the material we confirm the lead time. Standard: 3–7 working days; for simple jobs often 1–2 days. Finished parts can be collected in person or shipped back by courier.
What We Quote — How Is Labour Priced?
The price for CNC machining from customer-supplied material depends on:
- Machine time — how long the cutting / engraving takes (cut length, engraved area)
- Number of setups — each sheet requires its own fixturing on the CNC table
- Geometry complexity — simple rectangles are not the same as complex contours with internal cut-outs
- Quantity — unit price decreases for series production
Not included in the price: material, two-way shipping.
What We Guarantee vs Customer Responsibility
We guarantee:
- Dimensional tolerance of ±0.1 mm on machined edges
- Correct parameters selected for the material
- Minimum material waste through optimised nesting
- Careful clamping without surface damage
- Return of all off-cuts and remnants if desired
Customer's responsibility:
- Quality and condition of the supplied material (cracks, warping, contamination)
- Correct material identification — incorrectly stated grade can result in wrong machining parameters
- Adequate packaging when shipping
- Risk associated with non-standard materials whose mechanical properties are unknown
For materials we have not previously machined, we may request a test sample, or treat the first sheet as a trial run (cutting one test part first).
Frequently Asked Questions about Customer-Material Jobs
Can I bring just part of a sheet?
Yes — we cut from full sheets (e.g. 3050×1520 mm) as well as smaller formats and off-cuts. Minimum sheet size is approximately 200×200 mm.
What happens to the off-cuts after cutting?
All waste and the sheet skeleton are returned to the customer together with the cut parts. If you do not want them, let us know when placing the order — we dispose of them free of charge.
Can I send several different materials in one parcel?
Yes, but each sheet must be clearly labelled with material type and thickness. Mixed unlabelled materials may delay the job.
Do you machine non-standard thicknesses?
The CNC table accepts materials up to 60 mm thick. Most plastics are processed up to 30 mm.
What if the material turns out to be unsuitable after delivery?
We will notify you before starting. We can propose a material from our stock or return the sheet.
Have material and a project ready to go? Send the file and request a quote — CNC workshop in Szczecin, 3–7 working-day lead time, delivery throughout Poland and the EU. Also check what CNC services we offer and materials available in our stock offer.