Cells
Starter Floor
A workable starter CNC cell for South African shops, set up for teams who already know their materials and production flow.
How Starter Floor begins on a practical CNC week
Starter Floor is for shops bringing in their first proper CNC setup and needing the layout to match the work already coming through the door. It covers a practical starting point for routing, milling, or plasma with space for loading, cutting, and operator movement.
Begin with the process you want running first, whether that is nested board cutting, light aluminium work, or plate profiling. Include power supply details, extraction position, sheet or plate handling, and aisle width around the machine. Workshops near the coast need corrosion control on exposed steel, while inland sites often need stricter dust and cabinet checks.
Send one wide photo that shows the full working area, including doors, columns, DB boards, and storage near the cut zone. That makes it easier to spot loading pinch points, forklift conflicts, and places where operators will keep stepping into the wrong line. A short check list beside the control helps with first start, material hold-down, and tool or consumable checks before any sheet or plate is committed.
Starter cell handover points
The output is a usable cell outline with machine position, operator clearance, loading side, and service access noted in plain terms. Tooling, extraction, air supply, and material handling are tied back to the kind of work the shop is actually doing. That gives the team something they can measure against on site instead of a vague concept drawing.
Before you expand beyond the first cell, line up the machine list, cutter or consumable stock, and operator paperwork against the actual work mix. Note any power or extraction constraints and send it through the contact form. Include the machine type and the cell name so the layout context is clear.
- Cell plan built around current throughput
- Machine area checked before first cut
- Browse Machines, Cells, and Notes for matching setup details
- Workshop brief sent straight to the team
Workshop conditions that change layouts
This starter cell must fit the building as it stands, not an ideal drawing. Door height, forklift turning room, slab condition, and extraction routing all affect where a router, mill, or plasma table can sit. If another machine is staying in the bay, mark that clearly so loading space and operator movement are not guessed.
Coastal humidity near Durban and Cape Town affects cabinet sealing, corrosion checks, and storage of cutters or consumables. Inland sites around Johannesburg often need tighter housekeeping around dust, compressed air quality, and electrical enclosures. Load-shedding also matters, so restart checks, homing procedure, and the first part inspection need to be part of the cell thinking from day one.
Operated by Astros Marketing (Pty) Ltd from 2 Makro Place, Sunnyrock 1401.
Starter cell briefing details
Send a Starter Floor brief with workshop photos, available power, production goals, and any setup problems already identified. Keep the subject line simple.
Send the workshop brief while the current setup is visible and easy to photograph. One set of images should show material storage, machine position, power points, extraction runs, and operator access around the cut area. That gives enough context to judge whether the first cell suits the work coming in.
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