Vivid Surfaces

Carter Heltzen took the leap of faith in 2017 and started out on his own after years of project managing at another fabrication facility and founded Vivid Surfaces in Dallas, Texas. Carter is a people-person and enjoys developing relationships with clients. With a customer base of largely commercial projects and some high-end custom residential mixed in, Vivid Surfaces was looking to increase their shop efficiency. They turned to Park Industries to make this happen. 

Voyaging into Digital Fabrication

Vivid Surfaces partnered with Park Industries® and installed a VOYAGER™ XP, FASTBACK® II, Pathfinder®, and used HydroClear™ water system to start the transition into becoming a digital fabrication shop. 

Carter shares the major benefits of this, “Our production is faster, more efficient, and better quality. The shop is cleaner, our employees are happier, and it has allowed us to optimize our time in the shop.” All eight employees in the fabrication shop are happy with the positive changes that going digital has made possible. There was a learning curve, but the team at Park, from sales to installation to training, helped smooth the transition immensely. 

VOYAGER™ XP 

Walking into the shop each morning and firing up their new CNC saw, the VOYAGER™ XP, has brought a new energy to Vivid Surfaces. Carter shares, “Man, I just love that machine. I love the CNC, the 5-axis, the ramping in and out on the porcelain slabs and compact materials. The VOYAGER™ XP is a cool, productive machine all around.” 

The VOYAGER™ XP has allowed quick production times with less manual labor. Carter shares, “We do a lot of miters so the VOYAGER™ XP has provided clean-cut miters with sharper edges and tighter joints. The customers are noticing the high-quality precision on the final product.” In addition, the VOYAGER™ XP has made it possible to track specific parts, assist with G codes, and provide overall shop efficiency.

FASTBACK® II

The FASTBACK® II has been a game changer in the shop, especially with the 2-3 cm flat polish that is popular with Vivid Surfaces’ customers. Carter shares, “The FASTBACK® II spits out a beautifully polished product so much quicker than anyone could ever hand fabricate it. Just in backsplash alone, it saves us so much time. A hand polisher would take a full day on what the FASTBACK® II can do in an hour.” 

Why Park

Carter reminisces about the very first time he saw a Park machine. The American flag proudly displayed across it caught his eye, and he thought ‘I need one of those’. When the time came to look into equipment for their shop, Carter did his research. After hearing about Park’s strong reputation and receiving multiple referrals, the choice was clear on which machine manufacturer was right for them. Carter shares, “Nobody else can compete with the level of support Park provides. Park’s customer service is next to none.” 

Vivid Surfaces can operate with peace of mind that their Park machinery is reliable and backed by trusted customer service. They know their questions will be answered in detail when correcting or calibrating something on their machine. They can pick up the phone and rely on the service that really matters and sets Park apart. 

Results

Vivid Surfaces has been able to take on more complex projects with their increased efficiency. Recently they used the VOYAGER™ XP’s versatility to complete a custom backlit quartz logo. They have enjoyed their newfound capability of doing cut outs for high-end projects on a variety of materials and are trying out engraving bits too.  

Carter elaborates on the results they have seen with their digital transition, “Our typical square footage before the VOYAGER™ XP was about 220 sq. ft. per day, and now we are easily double that, maybe even triple. We cut 12 slabs a day on the VOYAGER™ XP pretty regularly. It has been a game changer to produce 400-600 sq. ft. per day now and we couldn’t be happier.”