Greetings....

I'm a signmaker and have a nice ongoing job coming up where I will be printing on 3 to 6 mil PVC sheets, but then have to custom cutout the printing on the sheets. The cutouts will constantly change because each design is low volume, and there will be 1000s of designs over the next few years.

The maximum PVC sheet size will be 2' X 3'... with the cutouts sometimes going very close to the edges.

I would very much appreciate everyone's opinions as to:

1. What is the most-affordable option and approximation of the cost?

2. What is the best method for cutting? Blade cutter? Router? Plasma? Laser? Is it safe to burn PVC near workers?

3. What would be the best software choices? We currently use Illustrator for most of our artwork... I will be looking at Mach3 soon...

I would love to find a low end way to get started, and as time goes by (and I learn more about CNC) I will know what to upgrade to when the time is right. Any help will be appreciated.

Thank you