Leading lights

Over the past twelve months LEDs have firmly established their place as the option of choice for sign lighting, with fluorescent, neon and cold cathode now very much taking a back seat.
It has been estimated that 75 percent of all lighting will be LED by 2020.

“Neon and cold cathode light has pretty much been replaced by LED modules in built up sign letters and this is now the norm,” comments Terry Cattle, managing director of Bright Green Technology, which specialises in energy efficient solid-state backlighting systems for advertising and signage.

Whilst energy and cost efficiency continue to be the driving force behind this shift in emphasis, the replacement of fluorescent in tubes in sign fascias, flex face boxes and billboards has taken longer to become established as the initial capital investment for LEDs is greater and pay back times are longer. However, fluorescent tubes, which have traditionally been a very low cost capital purchase, have become more expensive to operate as electricity prices have increased. There is also a high cost associated with maintenance and replacement.

With the drive towards lower prices, Ashby Trade Signs has seen the sales of coloured LED units falling in favour of white LEDs, with colour being added by combining digital print over clear acrylic. Sales manager, Penny Paylor believes this use of colour through digital printing has in part been driven by clients’ corporate IDs, which often require precise colour matching or the recreation of complicated design features.

Driven by demand

To meet these changing demands, the range of LED based products on the market has seen a significant increase with the development of a wider range of options to meet specific requirements.

A typical example is Unilight Slim from Universal Aluminium Systems, a 70mm-wide trough lighting option that incorporates high-performance LED modules in place of conventional fluorescent tube lighting. The company says that this has enabled savings in energy consumption of up to 30 percent without any compromise of the powerful and evenly diffused light that is further enhanced by the presence of polished mirror-finish reflectors.

Multiple fixing brackets to accommodate both horizontal and vertical mounting and a choice of five different gear trays are available to meet a wide range of sign and display lighting requirements, from top illumination of signs, posters and associated display material to upward illumination for applications such as exhibition stands and interior displays. Easy to fabricate and install, Unilight Slim units can be supplied in single-section lengths from 582 to 5,922mm and will provide up to 1.5m depth of illumination. Available in a choice of white, black, silver, blue and red as standard, the units can also be supplied powder-coated to any BS or RAL colour.

Following its recent acquisition of SMP, Ashby Trade Signs now manufactures trough light systems in-house with a choice of LED or fluorescent tube illumination. However, with their competitive pricing structure for LED troughs Ashby has seen a decline in sales of fluorescent tube products, which are less efficient and have a shorter life.

Also new from Ashby is the PosterBOX LED range of double-sided fret cut aluminium trays, which deliver a bright even illumination over the whole of the sign face. These LEDs mount internally to the sides, which means that a mounting panel in post, totem or projecting signs is not required, making it a cost
effective option.

Bright Green Technology’s Bright Green Matrix has been designed specifically for those applications where fluorescent tubes would previously have been used.

“With LEDs supplied in lengths of up to 1810mm, they greatly reduce the cost of installation when compared to fitting small modules designed for built up letter illumination,” explains Cattle.

Special installation kits have also been designed to help pre-space LEDs and reduce the time spent working at height.

A new variant of Bright Green Matrix has recently been added to the range at a lower price point and available direct from the manufacturer. Targeted for use in slimmer light boxes from 100 to 150mm deep, it features 100mm pitch LEDs rather than 50mm.

Sign-maker ASG specified Bright Green Matrix in the design and manufacture of an illuminated sign face for a well-known Italian restaurant chain. The design brief was to provide a wash of light over the distinctive logo using a high quality, well proven lighting system.  Bright illumination with a very consistent colour temperature was also important to maintain a consistent, high quality visual effect that would replicate the same corporate appearance throughout the restaurant chain.

ASG’s senior project manager commented: “Bright Green Matrix was the ideal product for this application, it’s reliable and very quick to install. It illuminates the ASK facia in way which the client is delighted about.”

GDI Trade Signs has recently developed an innovative new system of transmitting power for LED illuminated built up letters. Gdi TRAX is a new way of delivering power to the individual built up letters, using a 6mm dia. stainless steel rod system, which eliminates unsightly cable between the letters. Consequently there is no need for a sign tray to hide wiring or for cable to be threaded through the fabric of the building. This means that built up LED face illuminated letters can now be fixed directly to glazing without the need to drill the glass.

“The finished result is not only very neat, it is absolutely stunning, giving a real 21st century solution to a 20th century problem,” enthuses GDI’s managing director Colin Pestell, who adds: “The system was developed for a well-known high street retailer and has since been adopted by a number of other blue chip high street businesses.”

Recently selected in projects for MAC cosmetics and the Bank of India, Applelec’s new luxury illuminated letter range employs comparable innovation to the company’s flat lighting unit, LED Light Sheet. Using similar construction techniques to those of the lighting unit, each letter is created by embedding an acrylic with thermally managed LEDs to deliver an evenly illuminated letter which runs cool to the touch.

“The new luxury letter range builds on techniques we have perfected with the LED Light Sheet to create a robust and superior letter choice with a range of bespoke construction and illumination options. The range provides exceptional performance in an elegantly constructed letter and ensures that a unique choice for a luxury letter is now available from Applelec,” explains Applelec managing director, Ian Drinkwater.

The letter range features a choice of illumination styles featuring distinct effects, including face, halo, side and key line illumination and a variety of combinations of these illumination styles. The embedded LEDs are available in cool or warm white, red, green, yellow, orange, blue and RGB (colour changing) options.

Building on the success of the LED Light Pocket introduced by Fairfield Displays and Lighting last year, the range has been greatly expanded with the launch of new designs and brighter light panels, to create high impact flexible illuminated signage. The suspended LED illuminated pockets are designed to take A4 up to A0 graphics.

“Just drop in Duratrans to create amazing results,” says Fairfield marketing director Janice Fairfield, who adds: “The units are so bright that several customers have said the entire area around the pockets is illuminated and they have greatly enhanced the appearance of the environment.”

The marketing manager of one of Fairfield’s customers, Surrey Satellite Technology commented: “The previously dark corridor is now an inspiring area that we are proud for visitors to walk through.”

Spotlight on quality

Drinkwater anticipates that methods of illuminating signage that minimise energy consumption will become a routine requirement of companies across a variety of industries, seeing this as not so much a trend as a factor that will increasingly be a standard requirement.

“Applelec is already experiencing a commitment to the reduction of energy consumption by a number of clients,” says Drinkwater, adding: “Along with the aesthetic construction of illuminated signage, there will be a demand for high quality lighting products that are long lasting and energy efficient. From this perspective I see no lull occurring in the demand for LEDs, which can meet this criteria, but that demand will be for high performance modules, with companies seeking validation that what is being purchased meets environmental objectives.”

The government’s ECA (Enhanced Capital Allowances) Energy Scheme to help manage climate change has been discussed a great deal within the sign industry and there are a number of LEDs on the market that already meet the criteria of the scheme.

In addition, CELMA (the Federation of National Manufacturers’ Associations for Luminaires and Electrotechnical Components for Luminaires in the EU) has pledged to work towards setting standards for lighting technologies such as LED. CELMA aims to speed up and increase the adoption of LED products and luminaires, drive standards and certification in favour of high quality products and to educate the market.

Commenting on the regulations proposed by CELMA, Pestell comments: “I believe this will help sign companies like ourselves, that already use quality lighting products, to compete on a more level playing field, by forcing those who currently use cheap LEDs to use products that are efficient and meet promised life expectancy.”

Cattle sees great opportunities for applications which currently use fluorescent tubes to backlight signs, graphics, advertising, light walls, and also where they are used as up-lighters or down-lighters, to be replaced by LED systems.

“Sign Makers armed with specific data provided by suppliers should be able to demonstrate payback time, operational, power and carbon savings to the end client. If done professionally this is a very convincing argument to invest in LEDs as payback times become shorter,” he explains.

Paylor concurs with this view: “Whilst sales of LED illuminated signs have shown consistent growth over recent years, much can be done to promote the benefits of illuminated signs within the sign industry.”

Forward projection

Paylor also expects that the dynamics of modern business will continue to create consistent demand for new or replacement signs, due to relocation, rebranding, consolidation, mergers and acquisitions, and occasionally end of life. These older signs that feature illumination by incandescent bulbs or fluorescent tubes will be replaced with modern, energy efficient LED units.

“One interesting opportunity for sign makers, skilled with LED illumination, is the increase of such illumination in non-sign applications, such as feature, architectural and room lighting,” adds Paylor, concluding: “This will inevitably present fresh opportunity for sign professionals in non-sign applications, where business relationships exist and diversification is considered desirable.”

Whilst cost and energy efficiency may be the main drivers of increased customer demand for LED options for sign lighting, for the sign-maker willing to employ innovation and some lateral thinking there are clearly plenty of opportunities to grow and diversify their offerings both within and outside of their traditional markets.