Patent Publication Number: US-10769970-B2

Title: Sign manufacturing system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of priority of Ser. No. 15/977,421 filed on May 11, 2018. The contents of this application is incorporated by reference herein as if set forth in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of sign manufacturing, and more particularly to methods and systems for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant sign manufacturing systems. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Manufacturing of ADA compliant sign according to conventional method requires use of complex systems and methods, that necessitate extensive training and are associated with a time-consuming manufacturing process. 
     As such, considering the foregoing, it may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for novel and improved devices and methods for ADA compliant sign manufacturing. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The foregoing needs are met, to a great extent, by the present invention, wherein in aspects of this invention, enhancements are provided to the existing model of ADA compliant sign manufacturing. 
     In an aspect, a sign manufacturing system can include: 
     a) a printing base; 
     b) a printing panel, which can be removably positioned on a top surface of the printing base, wherein the printing panel can include:
         a top layer;   a pressure sensitive adhesive, which is positioned on a bottom surface of the top layer;   a transparent bottom layer;   such that the top layer is loosely positioned on a top of the bottom layer, such that the pressure sensitive adhesive is positioned between the top layer and the bottom layer, such that the top layer is loosely connected to the bottom layer;       

     c) a bridge component, including:
         a right flange, which is slidably connected to a right side of the printing base, such that the right flange protrudes upward from the printing base;   a left flange, which is slidably connected to a left side of the printing base, such that the left flange protrudes upward from the printing base;   a bridge connector, including a sliding cavity, such that the bridge connector is connected between the right and left flanges;   such that the bridge component is configured to slide along a longitudinal direction relative to the printing base;       

     d) a sliding assembly, including:
         an assembly body, which is slidably connected to the bridge connector, such that the sliding assembly is configured to slide along a lateral direction relative to the printing base;   a cutting/ejection assembly, including:
           a cutting laser, which is connected to the assembly body, such that a cutting laser beam emitted from the cutting laser is configured to point downward and impact the printing panel; and   a liquid ejection unit, which is connected to the assembly body, such that an ejection point of the liquid ejection unit is configured to point downward, such that the liquid ejection unit is configured to inject liquid drops of a printing fluid on the printing panel;   
           a curing laser, which is slidably connected to the bridge connector, such that the curing laser is configured to slide along the lateral direction of the printing base;       

     e) a control unit, which is configured to control the sliding motions of the bridge component in the longitudinal direction and of the assembly body in the lateral direction; 
     wherein the cutting laser emits a cutting laser beam with a predetermined cutting frequency, such that the cutting laser beam interacts with and is absorbed by the top layer, such that the cutting laser beam does not interact with the transparent bottom layer, whereby the cutting laser beam passes through the transparent bottom layer with no effect on the transparent bottom layer; 
     such that the cutting laser beam cuts through the top layer, such that the control unit is configured to control the sliding motion of the sliding assembly in the longitudinal and lateral directions, to cut characters out of the top layer; such that the characters can be exposed by removing remaining parts of the top layer; 
     such that the control unit can be configured to control the sliding motion of the sliding assembly, such that the liquid ejection unit can deposit spherical domes/dots of the printing fluid on an exposed surface of the transparent bottom layer, such that the spherical domes form a braille text; 
     such that a curing laser beam emitted from the curing laser can be pointed at the spherical domes in order to cure and harden the spherical domes. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, certain embodiments of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof herein may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional embodiments of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a sign manufacturing system, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of an enclosed sign manufacturing system, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2B  is a perspective view of an enclosed sign manufacturing system, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3A  is a left-bottom perspective view of a cutting/ejection assembly, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3B  is a right-top perspective view of a cutting/ejection assembly, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3C  is a side cross-sectional view of a sign manufacturing system, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4A  is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of a printing panel prior to assembly, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4B  is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of a printing panel, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4C  is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of a printing panel prior to assembly, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4D  is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of a printing panel, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4E  is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of a printing panel in an opened configuration, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective of a printing panel during manufacturing, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective of a manufactured printing panel, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram illustrating a sign manufacturing system, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic diagram illustrating a control unit, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Before describing the invention in detail, it should be observed that the present invention resides primarily in a novel and non-obvious combination of elements and process steps. So as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will readily be apparent to those skilled in the art, certain conventional elements and steps have been presented with lesser detail, while the drawings and specification describe in greater detail other elements and steps pertinent to understanding the invention. 
     The following embodiments are not intended to define limits as to the structure or method of the invention, but only to provide exemplary constructions. The embodiments are permissive rather than mandatory and illustrative rather than exhaustive. 
     In the following, we describe the structure of an embodiment of a sign manufacturing system  100  with reference to  FIG. 1 , in such manner that like reference numerals refer to like components throughout; a convention that we shall employ for the remainder of this specification. 
     In an embodiment, a sign manufacturing system  100  can include: 
     a) a printing base  110 ; 
     b) a printing panel  120 , which can be removably positioned on a top surface of the printing base  110 , wherein the printing panel (as shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B ) includes:
         i. a top layer  122 ;   ii. a pressure sensitive adhesive  424 , which is positioned on a bottom surface of the top layer  122 ;   iii. a transparent bottom layer  426 ;   such that the top layer  122  is loosely positioned on a top of the transparent bottom layer  426 , such that the pressure sensitive adhesive  424  is positioned between the top layer  122  and the bottom layer  426 , such that the top layer  122  is loosely connected to the bottom layer  426 ;       

     c) a bridge component  130 , which can be slidably connected to the printing base  110 , the bridge component  130  including:
         i. a right flange  132 , which is slidably connected to a right side of the printing base  110 , such that the right flange  132  protrudes upward from the printing base  110 ;   ii. a left flange  134 , which is slidably connected to a left side of the printing base  110 , such that the left flange  134  protrudes upward from the printing base  110 ;   iii. a bridge connector  136 , including a sliding cavity  137 , such that the bridge connector  136  is connected between the right and left flanges  132   134 ;   such that the bridge component  130  (and thereby the bridge connector  136 ) can be configured to slide  116  along a longitudinal direction  116  relative to the printing base  110 ;       

     d) a sliding assembly  140 , which can include:
         i. an assembly body  142 , which is slidably connected to the bridge connector  136 , such that the sliding assembly  140  is configured to slide along a lateral direction  118  relative to the printing base  110  (corresponding to a longitudinal direction  138  of the bridge connector  136 );   ii. A cutting/ejection assembly  143 , which can also be referred to as a cutting and ejection assembly  143 , including:
           a cutting laser  144 , which is connected to the assembly body  142 , such that a cutting laser beam  345  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) emitted from the cutting laser  144  is configured to point downward and impact (i.e. hit) the printing panel  120  that is positioned on a top surface of the printing base  110 ; and   a liquid ejection unit  146 , which is connected to the assembly body  142 , such that an ejection point  355  of the liquid ejection unit  146  is configured to point downward, such that the liquid ejection unit  146  is configured to inject liquid drops  347  of a printing fluid  347  on the printing panel  120 ;   
           iii. a curing laser  148 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3C , which is slidably connected to the bridge connector  136 , such that the curing laser  148  is configured to slide along the lateral direction  118  of the printing base  110 ;       

     e) a control unit  160 , which is configured to control the sliding motions of the bridge component  130  in the longitudinal direction  116  and of the assembly body  142  in the lateral direction  118 , such that the control unit  160  for example as shown can be mounted on the assembly body  142 ; 
     wherein the cutting laser  144  is configured to emit a cutting laser beam  345  with a predetermined cutting frequency, such that the cutting laser beam  345  interacts with and is absorbed by the top layer  122 , such that the cutting laser beam  345  does not interact with the transparent bottom layer  426 , whereby the cutting laser beam  345  passes through the transparent bottom layer  426  with no effect on the transparent bottom layer  426 ; 
     such that the cutting laser beam  345  is configured to cut through the top layer  122 , such that the control unit  160  is configured to control the sliding motion of the sliding assembly  140  in the longitudinal  116  and lateral  118  directions, to cut characters  502  out of the top layer, as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ; 
     such that the characters can be exposed by removing remaining parts  504  of the top layer  122  to form tactile raised letters; 
     such that the control unit  160  can be configured to control the sliding motion of the sliding assembly  140 , such that the liquid ejection unit  146  can deposit spherical domes/dots  604  of the printing fluid on an exposed surface of the transparent bottom layer  426 , such that the spherical domes  604  form a braille text  606  of raised braille elements; 
     such that a curing laser beam  349  emitted from the curing laser  148  can be pointed at the spherical domes  604  in order to cure and harden the spherical domes  604 . 
     In a related embodiment, after removal of the remaining parts  504  of the top layer  122 , the top layer  122  and the transparent bottom layer  426  can be pressed together (for example manually by an operator/user of the sign manufacturing system  100 ), such that the top layer  122  and the transparent bottom layer  426  become firmly adhered, to form a finished printing panel  420 . 
     In a related embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3C , the cutting/ejection assembly  143  can be slidably connected to the assembly body  142  (and thereby to the bridge component  130 ), such that the sliding assembly  140  can be configured to enable the cutting/ejection assembly  143  to slide altitudinally  348  (i.e. up and down/vertically  348 ), to adjust a height  349  between an ejection point  355  of the liquid ejection unit  146  and the printing panel  120  (such as for example an exposed surface of the transparent bottom layer  426 ). The height  349  is shown exaggerated from a typical height  349  in  FIG. 3C , for illustrative purposes.  FIGS. 1 and 3C  show typical heights  349  during use. In some related embodiments, the sliding assembly  140  can be configured to enable solely the liquid ejection unit  146  to slide vertically  348  (i.e. up and down/altitudinal  348 ), to adjust a height  349  between an ejection point  355  of the liquid ejection unit  146  and the printing panel  120 . 
     In a further related embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3C , the assembly body  142  of the sliding assembly  140 , can further include 
     a) an upper arm  152 ; 
     b) a lower arm  154 ; and 
     c) a vertical column  156 , which is connected between the upper and lowers arms  152   154 ; 
     such that the assembly body  142  is slidably connected to the bridge connector  136  with the upper and lower arms  152   154  mounted above and below the bridge connector  136 , such that the assembly body  142  is configured to slide along a lateral direction  118  relative to the printing base  110  (corresponding to a longitudinal direction  138  of the bridge connector  136 ); 
     such that the cutting/ejection assembly  143  is slidably connected to the vertical column  156 , such that the cutting/ejection assembly  143  can slide vertically  348  (i.e. up and down/altitudinal  348 ), to adjust a height  349  between an ejection point  355  of the liquid ejection unit  146  and the printing panel  120  (such as for example an exposed surface of the transparent bottom layer  426 ). 
     In a yet further related embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 1 , the cutting/ejection assembly  143  can further include an assembly connector  172 , which is slidably connected to the vertical column  156 , such that the liquid ejection unit  146  and the cutting laser  144  are connected to the assembly connector. 
     In a related embodiment, the printing fluid/resin  347  can be an optically sensitive resin, such as optically sensitive resins used as dental adhesives or adhesives for industrial use, including resin/adhesive compositions of N,N-Dimethylacrylamide, Isobornyl Acrylate, at least one photoinitiator, a silane coupling agent, and combinations thereof. 
     In a related embodiment, dimensions of the sign manufacturing system  100  significantly reduces the training needed for manufacturing of ADA signs and speeds up the process in order of 4 to 8 times in comparison to conventional methods and systems. 
     In a related embodiment, dimensions of the sign manufacturing system  100  can be approx. 2′×2′×2′, and weight approx. 100 lbs. 
     In a related embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 2A , the sign manufacturing system  100  can further include, i.e. be enclosed in, an enclosure  280  to form an enclosed sign manufacturing system  200 , such that the printing base  110 , printing panel  120 , bridge component  130 , sliding assembly  140 , and control unit  160  are positioned inside the enclosure  280 . The enclosure  280  can further include at least one window  282 , or a plurality of windows  282 , which can be open apertures or transparent panes. 
     In a related embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 2B , the printing base can further include a top sliding part  212  and a bottom stationary base  214 , such that the top sliding part  212  is configured to slide out parallel to the bottom base  214 . 
     In a further related embodiment, the enclosure  210  can further include a printing base aperture  213 , such that the top sliding part  212  can slide out to provide access for insertion or removal of a printing panel  120 . 
     In a yet further related embodiment, the printing base  110  can further include a front plate  216  that is perpendicularly connected to a front of the top sliding part  212 , such that the front plate closes the printing base aperture  213 , when the top sliding part  212  is fully inserted into the enclosure, as shown in  FIG. 2A . The printing base  110  is thereby configured as a drawer that can be pulled out to insert or remove the printing panel  120 . 
     In another related embodiment, the cutting laser  144  can be configured such that the cutting laser beam  345  has a wavelength of approximately 445 nm, or is in a range of 443-447 nm, 440-450 nm, or a wider range. 
     In another related embodiment, the cutting laser  144  can be configured such that the cutting laser beam  345  has a power output of approximately 5 W, or is in a range of 4-6 W, 3-7 W, 4-10 W, 2-10 W, or a wider range. 
     In another related embodiment, the curing laser  148  can be configured such that the curing laser beam  349  has a wavelength of approximately 405 nm, or is in a range of 403-407 nm, 400-410 nm, or a wider range. 
     In another related embodiment, the curing laser  148  can be configured such that the curing laser beam  349  can have a power output of approximately/substantially 20 mW, or be in a range of 5-40 mW, 10-40 mw, 5-100 mW, 20-500 mW, or a wider range. The cutting laser beam can be configured with a diameter of approximately/substantially 0.5 mm, or can have a diameter in a range of 0.2-1 mm, or a wider range. 
     In a related embodiment, the top layer  122  can be made from an ADA compliant engraving plastic material, such as ROWLAND™ ADA ALTERNATIVE™. 
     In yet a related embodiment, the transparent bottom layer  426  can be made from a transparent acrylic material, such as ACRYLITE™ acrylic sheet, manufactured by EVONIK INDUSTRIES™. 
     In a related embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 4C, 4D, and 4E , the printing panel  420  can further include a protective layer/liner  425 , which can be a paper liner/sheet  425 , which is positioned on a bottom surface of the pressure sensitive adhesive  424 , such that the protective liner  425  is configured to be removable/removed prior to adhering the top layer to the bottom layer, to expose the pressure sensitive adhesive  424 . 
     In a further related embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 4D, and 4E , the printing panel  420  can further include at least one piece of adhesive tape  428  (also called sticky tape  428 ), which is configured to be removable, and can for example be a masking tape  428 , such that the at least one piece of adhesive tape  428  is positioned on one side of the printing panel  420 , and connected in a first end to an upper surface of the top layer  122  and in a second end to a lower surface of the transparent bottom layer  426 , such that the at least one piece of adhesive tape  428  functions as a hinge  428 , such that the top layer  122  and the transparent bottom layer  426  are hingedly/pivotably connected, 
     such that (as shown in  FIG. 4E ), the printing panel  420  can be opened by pivoting  460  the top layer  122  away from the transparent bottom layer  426 , such that after cutting of the characters  502 , characters can be exposed by removing remaining parts  504  of the top layer  122  to form tactile raised letters, and the protective liner  425  can be removed prior to pivoting the back to a closed position, and removing the at least one piece of adhesive tape  428 , pressing the top layer  122  and transparent bottom layer  426  together, to form a finished printing panel  420 . 
     In a related embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 7 , a sign manufacturing system  100  can include: 
     a) a control unit  160 ; 
     b) a bridge component  130 , which is connected to the control unit  160 , wherein the bridge component  130  is configured to slide  116  along a longitudinal direction  116  relative to the printing base  110 , under control of the control unit  160 ; 
     c) a sliding assembly  140 , which is connected to the control unit  160 , wherein the sliding assembly  140  is configured to slide  118  along a lateral direction  118  relative to the printing base  110 , under control of the control unit  160 ; 
     d) a cutting laser  144 , which is connected to the control unit  160 , such that the control unit  160  controls emission of a cutting laser beam  345  from the cutting laser  144 ; 
     e) a liquid ejection unit  146 , which is connected to the control unit  160 , such that the control unit  160  controls ejection of liquid drops  347  of a printing fluid from the liquid ejection unit  146 ; and 
     f) a curing laser  148 , which is connected to the control unit  160 , such that the control unit  160  controls emission of a curing laser beam  349  from the curing laser  148 . 
     In a related embodiment: 
     a) The printing base  110  can include a first servo motor  381 , as shown in  FIGS. 3C and 7 , such that the control unit  160  controls the first servo motor  381  to control a longitudinal sliding movement  116  of the bridge component  130 . The first servo motor  381  can for example be a linear or rotational actuator; 
     b) The bridge component  130  can include a second servo motor  182 , as shown in  FIGS. 1, 3C, and 7 , such that the control unit  160  controls the second servo motor  182  to control a lateral sliding movement  118  of the sliding assembly  140 . The second servo motor  182  can for example be a linear or rotational actuator; and 
     c) The sliding assembly  140  can include a third servo motor  183 , as shown in  FIGS. 1, 3C, and 7 , such that the control unit  160  controls the third servo motor  183  to control a vertical sliding movement  348  of the liquid ejection unit  146 . The third servo motor  183  can for example be a linear or rotational actuator. 
     In a related embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 8 , the control unit  160  can include: 
     a) A processor  802 ; 
     b) A non-transitory memory  804 ; 
     c) An input/output  806 ; 
     d) A movement controller  810 , which is configured to:
         i. control the first servo motor  381  to control a longitudinal sliding movement  116  of the bridge component  130 ;   ii. control the second servo motor  182  to control a lateral sliding movement  118  of the sliding assembly  140 ; and   iii. control the third servo motor  183  to control an altitudinal/vertical sliding movement  348  of the liquid ejection unit  146 ;       

     e) A cutting controller  812 , which is configured to control emission of the cutting laser beam  345  from the cutting laser  144 ; 
     f) A curing controller  814 , which is configured to control emission of the curing laser beam  349  from the curing laser  148 ; 
     g) An ejection controller  816 , which is configured to control ejection of liquid drops  347  from the liquid ejection unit  146 ; all connected via 
     h) A data bus  820 . 
     In an embodiment, a sign manufacturing system  100  can include: 
     a) a printing base  110 ; 
     b) a printing panel  120 , which can be removably positioned on a top surface of the printing base  110 , wherein the printing panel (as shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B ) includes:
         i. a top layer  122 ;   ii. a pressure sensitive adhesive  424 , which is positioned on a bottom surface of the top layer  122 ;   iii. a transparent bottom layer  426 ;   such that the top layer  122  is loosely positioned on a top of the transparent bottom layer  426 , such that the pressure sensitive adhesive  424  is positioned between the top layer  122  and the bottom layer  426 , such that the top layer  122  is loosely connected to the bottom layer  426 ;       

     c) a sliding assembly  140 , including:
         i. an assembly body  142 , which is slidably connected to the printing base  110 , such that the sliding assembly  140  is configured to slide along a longitudinal direction  116  and a lateral direction  118  relative to the printing base  110 ;   ii. A cutting/ejection assembly  143 , which can also be referred to as a cutting and ejection assembly  143 , including:
           a cutting laser  144 , which is connected to the assembly body  142 , such that a cutting laser beam  345  (shown in  FIG. 3A ) emitted from the cutting laser  144  is configured to point downward and impact (i.e. hit) the printing panel  120  that is positioned on a top surface of the printing base  110 ; and   a liquid ejection unit  146 , which is connected to the assembly body  142 , such that an ejection point  355  of the liquid ejection unit  146  is configured to point downward, such that the liquid ejection unit  146  is configured to inject liquid drops  347  of a printing fluid  347  on the printing panel  120 ; and   
           iii. a curing laser  148 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3C , which is connected to the assembly body  142 ;       

     wherein the cutting laser  144  is configured to emit a cutting laser beam  345  with a predetermined cutting frequency, such that the cutting laser beam  345  interacts with and is absorbed by the top layer  122 , such that the cutting laser beam  345  does not interact with the transparent bottom layer  426 , whereby the cutting laser beam  345  passes through the transparent bottom layer  426  with no effect on the transparent bottom layer  426 ; 
     such that the cutting laser beam  345  is configured to cut through the top layer  122 , with control of a sliding motion of the sliding assembly  140  in the longitudinal  116  and lateral  118  directions, to cut characters  502  out of the top layer, as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ; 
     such that the characters can be exposed by removing remaining parts  504  of the top layer  122  to form tactile raised letters; 
     such that the liquid ejection unit  146  can deposit spherical domes/dots  604  of the printing fluid on an exposed surface of the transparent bottom layer  426 , such that the spherical domes  604  form a braille text  606  of raised braille elements; 
     such that a curing laser beam  349  emitted from the curing laser  148  can be pointed at the spherical domes  604  in order to cure and harden the spherical domes  604 . 
     In a related embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C , the cutting/ejection assembly  143  can be slidably connected to the assembly body  142  (and thereby to the bridge component  130 ), such that the sliding assembly  140  can be configured to enable the cutting/ejection assembly  143  to slide altitudinally  348  (i.e. up and down/vertically  348 ), to adjust a height  349  between an ejection point  355  of the liquid ejection unit  146  and the printing panel  120  (such as for example an exposed surface of the transparent bottom layer  426 ). The height  349  is shown exaggerated from a typical height  349  in  FIG. 3C , for illustrative purposes.  FIGS. 1 and 3C  show typical heights  349  during use. In some related embodiments, the sliding assembly  140  can be configured to enable solely the liquid ejection unit  146  to slide vertically  348  (i.e. up and down/altitudinal  348 ), to adjust a height  349  between an ejection point  355  of the liquid ejection unit  146  and the printing panel  120 . 
     In a related embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C , the liquid ejection unit  146  can be configured to slide altitudinally  348  (i.e. up and down/vertically  348 ), to adjust a height  349  between an ejection point  355  of the liquid ejection unit  146  and the printing panel  120  (such as for example an exposed surface of the transparent bottom layer  426 ). The liquid ejection unit  146  can for example be slidably connected to the assembly body  142 , either separately or with the entire cutting/ejection assembly  143 , as shown, or the assembly body  142  can be configured to slide altitudinally. 
     In further related embodiments, the disclosure of the sign manufacturing system  100  should be understood to include the use of various well-known mechanisms for longitudinal, lateral, and altitudinal movement of the cutting laser  144 , liquid ejection unit  146 , and the curing laser  148 . Thus, the assembly body  142  should be understood to include various related designs in use for additive and robotic manufacturing, including robotic arms, controllable “gooseneck” arms, and other designs permitting lateral and longitudinal positional adjustment and height adjustment over a printing surface. 
     In a related embodiment, the control unit  160  can further include a program controller  818 , which can be loaded with artwork to execute a manufacturing script to manufacture a sign with the artwork, such that a user can load artwork, place a blank printing panel  120  onto the printing base/tray  110 , press START, wait a few minutes during manufacturing operation, then remove the manufactured print panel/sign  120  from the machine, such that the manufactured sign  120  only requires minor cleaning up. 
       FIGS. 1, 7, and 8  are block diagrams and flowcharts, methods, devices, systems, apparatuses, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. It shall be understood that each block or step of the block diagram, flowchart and control flow illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagram, flowchart and control flow illustrations, can be implemented by computer program instructions or other means. Although computer program instructions are discussed, an apparatus or system according to the present invention can include other means, such as hardware or some combination of hardware and software, including one or more processors or controllers, for performing the disclosed functions. 
     In this regard,  FIGS. 1, 7, and 8  depict the computer devices of various embodiments, each containing several of the key components of a general-purpose computer by which an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that a computer can include many components. However, it is not necessary that all of these generally conventional components be shown in order to disclose an illustrative embodiment for practicing the invention. The general-purpose computer can include a processing unit and a system memory, which may include various forms of non-transitory storage media such as random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The computer also may include nonvolatile storage memory, such as a hard disk drive, where additional data can be stored. 
     It shall be understood that the above-mentioned components of the control unit  160  are to be interpreted in the most general manner. 
     For example, the processors  802  can include a single physical microprocessor or microcontroller, a cluster of processors, a datacenter or a cluster of datacenters, a computing cloud service, and the like. 
     In a further example, the non-transitory memory  804  can include various forms of non-transitory storage media, including random access memory and other forms of dynamic storage, and hard disks, hard disk clusters, cloud storage services, and other forms of long-term storage. Similarly, the input/output  806  can include a plurality of well-known input/output devices, such as screens, keyboards, pointing devices, motion trackers, communication ports, and so forth. 
     Furthermore, it shall be understood that the control unit  160  can include a number of other components that are well known in the art of general computer devices, and therefore shall not be further described herein. This can include system access to common functions and hardware, such as for example via operating system layers such as WINDOWS™, LINUX™, and similar operating system software, but can also include configurations wherein application services are executing directly on server hardware or via a hardware abstraction layer other than a complete operating system. 
     An embodiment of the present invention can also include one or more input or output components, such as a mouse, keyboard, monitor, and the like. A display can be provided for viewing text and graphical data, as well as a user interface to allow a user to request specific operations. Furthermore, an embodiment of the present invention may be connected to one or more remote computers via a network interface. The connection may be over a local area network (LAN) wide area network (WAN), and can include all of the necessary circuitry for such a connection. 
     In a related embodiment, the control unit  160  can communicate with external devices, such as an app executing on a smartphone, over a network, which can include the general Internet, a Wide Area Network or a Local Area Network, or another form of communication network, transmitted on wired or wireless connections. Wireless networks can for example include Ethernet, Wi-Fi, BLUETOOTH™, ZIGBEE™, and NFC. The communication can be transferred via a secure, encrypted communication protocol. 
     Typically, computer program instructions may be loaded onto the computer or other general-purpose programmable machine to produce a specialized machine, such that the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable machine create means for implementing the functions specified in the block diagrams, schematic diagrams or flowcharts. Such computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable medium that when loaded into a computer or other programmable machine can direct the machine to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the function specified in the block diagrams, schematic diagrams or flowcharts. 
     In addition, the computer program instructions may be loaded into a computer or other programmable machine to cause a series of operational steps to be performed by the computer or other programmable machine to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable machine provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the block diagram, schematic diagram, flowchart block or step. 
     Accordingly, blocks or steps of the block diagram, flowchart or control flow illustrations support combinations of means for performing the specified functions, combinations of steps for performing the specified functions and program instruction means for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that each block or step of the block diagrams, schematic diagrams or flowcharts, as well as combinations of blocks or steps, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based computer systems, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions, that perform the specified functions or steps. 
     As an example, provided for purposes of illustration only, a data input software tool of a search engine application can be a representative means for receiving a query including one or more search terms. Similar software tools of applications, or implementations of embodiments of the present invention, can be means for performing the specified functions. For example, an embodiment of the present invention may include computer software for interfacing a processing element with a user-controlled input device, such as a mouse, keyboard, touch screen display, scanner, or the like. Similarly, an output of an embodiment of the present invention may include, for example, a combination of display software, video card hardware, and display hardware. A processing element may include, for example, a controller or microprocessor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), arithmetic logic unit (ALU), or control unit. 
     Here has thus been described a multitude of embodiments of the sign manufacturing system  100 , and methods related thereto, which can be employed in numerous modes of usage. 
     The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention, which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. 
     Many such alternative configurations are readily apparent, and should be considered fully included in this specification and the claims appended hereto. Accordingly, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, the invention is not limited to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and thus, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.