Frequently asked questions

Our standard tolerance is ±0.05 mm. If you need higher accuracy, write to us and we will prepare a special quote. The highest accuracy we can offer is ±0.01 mm.

As standard, holes are made to a tolerance of +0.05 mm: a 20 × 20 mm hole goes into the machine as 20.05 × 20.05 mm. Keep this in mind for precise holes, or enter them 0.05 mm smaller.

The 0.05 mm tolerance still applies, so the hole may not be perfectly exact – especially when the panel is anodised afterwards.

We choose material that is undamaged on at least one side. Our sheets arrive with protective film, but we cannot guarantee a flawless surface – minor imperfections may occur. A badly scratched sheet is of course never used.

We do not guarantee the quality of the back side; deeper scratches may occur there.

High-speed milling leaves high-quality machined surfaces. The floor of a pocket will still show tool marks – rectangular in a rectangular pocket, circular in a round one. Anodising does not hide them, and they cannot be sanded away inside a recess.

The maximum depth of a blind hole, thread or pocket is the panel thickness minus 1 mm – 4 mm in a 5 mm sheet. The app will not let you enter more: deeper, we could not guarantee that no mark (a slight bump, sometimes even a hole) shows on the other side.

Anodising is done for us by a specialist. Small clamping marks may remain, mostly on the edge of a hole where the wire the panel hung on touched it. If you want a panel without them, see the next question.

Panels up to 3 mm thick are hung by their holes. You can tell us which holes to use (at least 2) – their edges may show marks. If you don't, the anodiser hangs the panel however suits them best. We recommend countersunk or counterbored holes on the front, where a screw head hides any mark.

Thicker panels can be hung on M3 screws. Design at least 2 blind M3 threads, 3 mm deep, on the back (ideally in the corners) and let us know about them. Otherwise the panel is hung the usual way.

A thick panel can also be hung by its holes like a thin one, which costs less – but you must tell us which holes. If you don't, the anodiser decides.

Send us your instructions in a message on the order (Order ▸ My Orders) or by e-mail.

Only aluminium and its alloys (dural, certal…), or other non-ferrous metals and plastics. This matters mostly if you send us your own material. We reserve the right to refuse an order with steel panels.

Machining your own material, or a panel that is not anodised (raw): about 2 weeks. An anodised panel takes 4–6 weeks.

We reserve the right to extend the delivery time if problems occur – for example the anodising needs rework – or other unforeseen circumstances.

No. If you can save it as DXF, import it with File ▸ Import (see the next question).

If the drawing won't import or is too complex, e-mail it to us in your own format – DXF preferred. Redrawing costs €10–30 depending on the quality and complexity of the drawing.

Yes, with File ▸ Import:

1. Choose the .dxf file.
2. Pick the layers to read – just untick dimension, note or frame layers.
3. Set the thickness, material and surface finish – a DXF does not carry them.

The largest closed outline becomes the panel (a rectangle, rounded corners allowed); rectangles and circles inside it become holes. A DXF has no depth, so holes come in as 1 mm deep pockets – except the smallest circle of each set of concentric circles, which goes through. Check the depths after importing and switch the holes that should go through.

Layers whose name contains engraving, text or label are read as engraving – both text and graphics.

For a hole of any other shape than a rectangle or circle, use Features ▸ Custom Cutout – a DXF with one closed outline. Its corners are rounded to the radius of the mill.

For a groove of any shape, use Features ▸ Other Holes ▸ Custom Groove – a DXF whose lines, arcs and circles (open or closed) are milled along their centerline with the tool you choose, so the groove is as wide as the tool.

To export your panel to DXF, use File ▸ Export.

Yes – Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X and Ctrl+V, or Edit ▸ Copy / Cut / Paste, or right-click a feature. The clipboard lasts while the app is open, so you can carry features over to another panel too.

Replace from clipboard (Ctrl+E) swaps the selected features for the clipboard feature, in their place.

With the mouse wheel. To see the whole panel press F4 or use View ▸ Zoom to Fit Panel.

Yes – hold the middle mouse button (the wheel) and drag. On a touch screen, drag with one finger and pinch with two to zoom.

Select the features (holes, threads, texts…) and right-click ▸ Group, or press Ctrl+G. A group is selected, moved, copied and deleted as one, so the features keep their positions relative to each other. Ungroup (Ctrl+U) dissolves it.

To reuse a group in another panel, copy and paste it – the copy is a group of its own.

Yes. When creating a panel, or in its properties, set the mechanical surface to brushed. The quote includes it straight away.

We do not currently offer this service, for logistical reasons.

Yes, but please tell us – it is not done as standard. The panel is first dipped in lye, which strips the old anodising, and then anodised again. The lye removes a little material, so the panel may shrink (and holes grow) by up to 0.05 mm.

Machined surfaces (pocket floors) will keep tool marks – the lye does not remove them and anodising does not hide them. Bear this in mind for visible surfaces.

Yes, if you supply the material yourself. Tick I will supply my own material when creating the panel, or Own material in its properties – then you can enter any thickness. The panel must not be steel. Own material carries a one-off handling fee, shown in the quote.

Yes – tick Own material in the panel properties. We do not cut own-material panels out of a sheet: send them already at their final size, and we machine the holes, engraving and chamfers.

Clearly mark the front (A) and back (B) side. The panel must not be steel. Own material carries a one-off handling fee.

No. With your own material we assume the surface is already finished (e.g. anodised), and the price does not include it. If you want it anodised as well, write to us and we will prepare a separate quote.

No need to worry. We handle panels – anodised ones especially – very carefully, and they are held on a vacuum table during machining, so no vice can mark them.

Clearly mark the parcel “QuickPanel” with your order number. Label each panel with its name (as in the order) and mark its front side (A). Send it to:

Z-BOX Bidovce (Packeta), Slovakia
e-mail: baliky@quickpanel.sk
phone: +421 910 765 498

Engraved features have Anodised switched off by default – they are engraved after anodising, so bare aluminium shows in the groove. On black anodising this looks great. On a raw or natural-anodised panel the contrast is too low to read easily from a distance – consider a colour infill or printing.

Yes. The app offers several single-line fonts (the tool follows the middle of each stroke) and the outline fonts Montserrat and Roboto Condensed with adjustable boldness, where the whole letter area is milled.

For any other font or a logo, convert it to curves and import it as DXF – see Engraving your own graphics and logo. Or consider printing.

Save the logo as DXF and import it with Features ▸ Engraved Graphics. The steps are in Engraving your own graphics and logo. Or consider printing.

Yes. The app lays the letters out exactly as production does, so the text length and the letter shapes match the preview. With outline fonts the preview shows exactly what the tool will cut.

If a stroke is too thin even for the smallest tool, a warning icon appears by the text and a warning under Boldness with a Fix button, which raises the boldness only as much as needed. Or make the text larger.

See engraved samples in Choosing the engraving tool.

Yes, on request.

Features engraved after anodising: 0.12 mm deep.

Features engraved before anodising: 0.2 mm deep, so they are clearly visible after anodising.

Yes, on request. Printing costs less than engraving but is less durable – the ink sits on the surface rather than below it. Any font or logo is possible, even full colour.

Attach a file with the graphics and text to print, including the panel outline, ideally as vector graphics (PDF, AI, EPS or SVG). Don't add the printed texts as engraved text in the app.