865 Fab Lab

865 Fab Lab is the custom fabrication division of Wired4Signs USA, based in Powell, just outside Knoxville, Tennessee.

We specialize in precision fabrication, custom component manufacturing, and small-batch production using advanced CNC tools and digital workflows.

We are a B2B-focused operation, serving industries such as retail merchandising, signage, lighting, architecture, and product development.

A significant part of our work involves producing custom window displays, fixture components, and in-store branding elements for visual merchandising teams, marketing firms, and design studios.

Our Origins

Our story begins in 2002, in Cape Town, South Africa, where our founder joined CraftSigns—one of the most innovative and technically advanced signage manufacturers in Africa and globally. During six years at CraftSigns, he worked on high-volume, brand-sensitive rollout programs for national fast food and fuel station chains. This included fabricating elements from materials like acrylic, Alpolic ACM, and other plastics, using CNC routers, thermoforming, V-grooving, rolling, and precision forming techniques. Adhesive solutions were engineered using world-class systems such as Sika.

In 2004, with full consent from his employer, he launched a part-time business supplying wiring harnesses for fluorescent signage and distributing adhesives to other signage professionals. By 2007, as the LED revolution began reshaping the industry, the focus shifted to developing high-performance LED systems.

In 2009, the company became a full-time operation and quickly grew to be one of South Africa’s leading suppliers of LED solutions for signage and architectural applications. The South African company was sold in 2017, paving the way for new ventures in the United States.