Measure. Mark. Drill. Punch. Route. Repeat. Is There a Smarter Way?

Measure. Mark. Drill. Punch. Route. Repeat.

For many aluminium window, door and fabrication businesses, this is simply how production has always been done.

A profile is measured and marked. It moves to a drill. Then perhaps a punch, copy router or another workstation. The operator sets it up again, completes the next process and moves it on.

Each individual operation may be familiar and effective, but when you look at the complete production process, there can be a significant amount of handling, setup time and operator involvement between the raw profile and the finished component.

As production requirements increase, the question becomes:

Is there a smarter way to do it?

The hidden cost of multiple manual processes

Traditional profile fabrication can involve several machines, workstations and operators completing different stages of the same component.

The cost isn’t necessarily one individual drilling, routing or punching operation. It’s everything happening between those operations.

Profiles need to be moved, repositioned and measured. Operators need to change between machines and repeat setups. Templates need to be selected or adjusted. And each additional manual step introduces another opportunity for variation or error.

For a workshop producing a small number of components, that may be manageable.

But as production volumes increase, those additional steps can begin to affect labour utilisation, consistency, throughput and overall workshop capacity.

What if multiple operations could happen in one place?

Rather than moving an aluminium profile between several manual workstations, a CNC machining centre can bring multiple machining operations together within a single programmed process.

The Pertici P104 CNC Machining Centre is designed to perform operations including milling, drilling, tapping and end machining on aluminium profiles and other compatible materials. With four controlled axes, a 5 kW electrospindle and an 8-position automatic tool changer, it provides a more integrated approach to profile machining.

In practical workshop terms, that can mean fewer separate machining stages and greater opportunity to complete more of the profile within one controlled CNC workflow.

Less handling. Less manual machining. More repeatable production.

From operator-dependent to programmed production

One of the biggest differences between traditional machining and CNC isn’t simply speed.

It is repeatability.

Once an operation has been programmed, the machine can reproduce the same machining process across subsequent profiles without the operator repeatedly measuring, marking and manually positioning each machining operation.

This can help businesses reduce repetitive tasks, improve consistency between components and make better use of skilled employees elsewhere in the workshop.

The objective isn’t necessarily to remove people from the production process.

It is to allow your people to spend less time performing repetitive machining operations and more time on the work where their experience is most valuable.

One CNC. Multiple machining operations.

The Pertici P104 brings a range of aluminium profile machining capabilities into a compact CNC platform.

Its moving-column configuration provides clear operator access for loading and unloading, while automatic clamp positioning helps streamline profile setup throughout programmed machining operations.

For an aluminium fabricator, that can mean moving from a process that looks like:

Measure → Mark → Drill → Punch → Route → Reposition → Repeat

to one centred around:

Load → Program → Machine → Repeat

That change can have implications well beyond the machining time itself.

It can help reduce unnecessary material movement, simplify workflow, improve repeatability and create additional production capacity without simply adding more manual workstations.

What could that mean for your workshop?

A CNC machining centre becomes particularly relevant when a business starts experiencing issues such as repeated manual setups, inconsistent machining between operators, increasing labour requirements, ageing machinery or difficulty increasing output using its existing production methods.

For some businesses, the P104 may replace particular manual processes.

For others, it may work alongside existing machinery and take over the repetitive or higher-volume machining that is consuming operator time.

The important question is therefore not simply:

“What can the P104 do?”

It is:

“What could the P104 remove from our current production process?”

Don’t just take our word for it — send AMS your profile

The profiles you process, the machining operations required and your production volumes are ultimately more important than a list of machine specifications.

That’s why AMS can take the conversation a step further.

Send us your aluminium profile, drawing or machining requirements.

The AMS team can review your application and demonstrate how it could be produced using the Pertici P104.

Rather than simply imagining how CNC could fit into your workshop, you can see the machining process applied to a component that is actually relevant to your business.

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A timely opportunity to consider the P104

For businesses already considering the move toward CNC profile machining, there is currently an additional reason to take a closer look at the P104.

Save up to $20,000 on selected in-stock Pertici P104s

Additional P104 stock has created an opportunity for AMS to offer selected brand-new machines at special campaign pricing for a limited time.

With machines available for immediate supply, customers can also access local AMS installation, commissioning, operator training and ongoing technical support.

The current offer is limited to selected in-stock machines and ends Friday 25 September 2026, or once available campaign stock is allocated.

Talk to AMS about your current production requirements, send us a profile for review, or explore the current Pertici P104 campaign while stock is available.

Call 1300 736 556 or contact the AMS team today.