Ultimate Arcade Cabinets is a small family run business that designs and manufactures custom arcade cabinets for both business and home use...
Founded ten years ago by arcade cabinet enthusiast, Lloyd Morgan, the company has sold cabinets to British celebrities such as retired boxing world champion, Joe Calzaghe; TV presenters, Ant and Dec; and business woman and entrepreneur, Deborah Meaden from the BBC show, Dragon's Den.
Playing thousands of classic games such as: Space Invaders, Pacman, Donkey Kong and Frogger, the cabinets can be customised with finishes such as wood, leather, fabric and carbon fibre as well as printed with customer artwork.
We asked Lloyd why he decided to turn his hobby into a business venture, 'My love of arcade machines began in 1984 when my father bought a Space Invaders machine for the home. In 2001, I decided to try to build my own version of the classic 1980's cocktail cabinet with a modern twist and the business developed from there.'
ArtCAM Express is easier to learn than other CAD software. It is really user friendly. It was very quick to pick up and learn to do both basic and advanced tasks quickly and efficiently.
Up until last year, Lloyd outsourced his business's machining, but thanks to a grant he received he was then able to purchase a CNC router from Axyz Automation (UK) Ltd that came with Delcam's Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CADCAM) package, ArtCAM Express.
Before purchasing his CNC machine, Lloyd researched into a number of CADCAM software packages that would work with CNC machinery but chose to start with ArtCAM Express, the entry-level CADCAM software package in the ArtCAM range. Lloyd states, 'ArtCAM Express is easier to learn than other CAD software. It is really user friendly. It was very quick to pick up and learn to do both basic and advanced tasks quickly and efficiently.'
Lloyd continues, 'I use ArtCAM Express to design and cut the cabinets out of MDF, meaning I can respond quickly to orders rather than being confined to third party suppliers' lead times. It also enables me to work on one-off projects such as the Tron upright we built, and is essential to continuing to produce new designs and products.'
With the aid of his ArtCAM Express Vector Tools module, Lloyd draws his model of the cabinet in two perspectives, bird's eye and side view, on a vector layer labelled "not to be cut". Once he has built up the model, he copies each vector object to a dedicated vector layer which he can then assign to individual toolpaths. Lloyd explains, 'As I don't have the 3D modelling and assembly creation tools that are available in ArtCAM Pro, I use these two perspectives to ensure that all the dowel holes and fixings are in the correct place.'
Lloyd concludes, 'ArtCAM Express has got some great features. The best is the vector layers in the Vector Tools module as it's great for hiding layers. The zoom wheel is excellent for fast navigation and zooming in on designs and node editing is so easy to use. ArtCAM has greatly improved my business. Thanks to ArtCAM Express we can produce a number of different shapes and designs very easily in order to meet customer requirements.'
Thanks to ArtCAM Express we can produce a number of different shapes and designs very easily in order to meet customer requirements...