Small plastics fabrication shop with CNC router

Sign companies, exhibit and display builders, retail fit-out firms, equipment makers, labs, food service suppliers and contractors who outsource plastic work.

Quotes per job or per part, with lower prices on repeat orders. Ongoing supply agreements with a handful of trade clients give steadier income than one-off jobs.

• Running a CNC router or laser cutter
• CAD or vector drawing software
• Knowledge of plastics and how they behave when cut and heated
• Estimating, scheduling and managing trade accounts

• Check zoning and certificate of occupancy for a light manufacturing use before signing a lease
• Dust extraction, ventilation, fire safety and machine guarding, and OSHA requirements once you hire staff
• General liability, product liability, property and workers' compensation insurance once you have employees
• Equipment is a big cost, so avoid buying more machine capacity than your first clients need
• Check your state and local rules on sales tax, resale certificates and any air or waste permits for solvents

Startup costs are typically around $25,000 to $100,000, depending on the unit you rent and the CNC router, bending gear and dust extraction you buy. These are estimates, so avoid buying more capacity than early clients need.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $8,000 to $40,000, depending on your trade accounts, job sizes and machine capacity. The estimate assumes at least about 30 hours a week, and it is revenue before your costs.

Check zoning and the certificate of occupancy for light manufacturing use before signing a lease. Check dust extraction, ventilation, fire safety, machine guarding and OSHA requirements once you hire. Also check insurance, sales tax and resale certificate rules, and any air or waste permits for solvents.