The range of rigid signage materials currently available is extensive. Paper-based boards, foam boards, PVC, acrylics, polypropylene, polystyrene, aluminium, and aluminium composites are just some of the options on offer.
Both tried and tested and new technologies present sign-makers with ever increasing opportunities to create innovative solutions for applications ranging from packaging, point-of-sale, exhibition stands and displays, to external signage, advertising fascias, and light-boxes.
Some, however, stand out from the crowd; here we focus on just a handful of products that are currently proving their worth.
Board rigid
SMART-X from Antalis UK is a distinctive lightweight foam board for sophisticated
applications
Board products have long been a mainstay of rigid signage, with foam boards a well-established choice.
From its extensive range of rigid substrates, Antalis UK highlights SMART-X and KAPA as standing head and shoulders above other comparable products on the market.
SMART-X is a distinctive light-weight foam board for sophisticated applications in the field of visual communication. It is an all-plastic sheet material with surfaces of UV and weather resistant solid polystyrene (HIPS) and a core of expanded poly-styrene that is completely moisture-resistant.
Michael Crook, product manager at Antalis UK comments: “SMART-X is the world’s only lightweight foam board for external applications that remains colour resistant for up to two years. In addition, its refined surface structure and large-format production (up to 2m width) also make it perfectly suited for direct digital printing.
SMART-X is the world’s only lightweight foam board for external applications that remains colour resistant for up to two years. In addition, its refined surface structure and large-format production (up to 2m width) also make it perfectly suited for direct digital printing”
“Furthermore, it is a mono-material composite made from 100 percent polystyrene and, therefore, meets the growing demand for ecological materials in this sector. About 95 percent of the production waste from SMART-X production is collected and recycled on-site, and with a homogeneous compound, SMART-X itself is 100 percent recyclable,” he adds.
KAPA is a family of lightweight foam boards with a polyurethane foam core. The KAPA product portfolio includes individual paper-based cover layers, and applications range from model building to substrates for printing and advertising displays. According to Antalis, KAPA is a high-performance foam board with usable surfaces on both sides, high-quality cover sheet layers, an excellent level of stiffness, good dimensional stability, and total flatness, even with thin boards.
Antalis will be adding two new additions to the KAPA range: KAPA Premium, which has photographic quality liners for ultimate image and colour reproduction when printed; and KAPA Tech, incorporating all the qualities of the standard KAPA products, with the addition of aluminium skin liners on each side. This results in a very rigid but lightweight board that is ideal for signage and cladding applications, and retail graphics, due to its added strength and very smooth surfaces.
“KAPA is so versatile. Both of its sides present usable surfaces, and its high-quality cover sheet layers and excellent level of stiffness and heat-resistance makes it ideally suitable to a host of applications, from direct digital print, screen, model making, fill-in panels, and display systems, as well as lightweight structures,” says Crook.
KAPA is so versatile. Both of its sides present usable surfaces, and its high-quality cover sheet layers and excellent level of stiffness and heat-resistance makes it ideally suitable to a host of applications, from direct digital print, screen, model making, fill-in panels, and display systems, as well as lightweight structures”
The need for a strong paper-based board has been addressed in recent years, with Dufaylite’s development of its Ultra Board product, featuring recycled paper honeycomb technology. It is lightweight, easy to fabricate, allows high-quality print and produces no static electricity. It is also 100 percent recyclable.
Sophie Bayes, Dufaylite business development manager for Ultra Board, explains: “At Dufaylite we’ve recognised the need for the industry to move in a sustainable direction, limiting waste and reducing its carbon footprint without having to compromise on display quality. Paper and board options don’t often provide the versatile rigidity that materials such as PVC offer, which is why we have found our product, Ultra Board, stands out from the rest of the market.”
Using Dufaylite’s trademark honey-comb core, all products in the Ultra Board range offer a strong, rigid, and constructible material that can be easily printed upon, delivering a high-spec finish.
When it comes to application, paper products such as Ultra Board can also be easily adapted for more creative solutions. It can be creased, cut, and easily joined. Rigid paper boards also offer more opportunity for construction applications and applications where strength is required, which cannot be achieved with PVC.
Bayes adds: “The products also benefit from being 100 percent recyclable, meaning it costs the end-user no additional landfill tax to dispose of them, in comparison to rigid PVC alternatives. Landfill tax is also set to rise from £72 per tonne to £80 on April 1st 2014.”
Making a show of it
Dufaylite designed and created a self-assembly Ultra Board plinth for Winchester
School of Art’s BA degree show, utilising Ultra Board’s cutting service
In a positive demonstration of Dufaylite Ultra Board’s versatility, the Eurotunnel Freight team approached the division for a solution when designing an exhibition stand for the Multimodal exhibition 2013. The exhibition was a key event for the Euro-tunnel Team, as it was a platform for them to promote its Freight Shuttle service.
Ultra Board provided a flat-pack slot-in desk made from 18mm graphic board and 10mm panels for the stand itself. The board also had full edging, giving it a clean cut and finish perfect for the exhibition. In addition, the stand was 100 percent recyclable.
The main advantage of Ultra Board is its lightweight nature, so we designed and created a self-assembly Ultra Board plinth utilising Ultra Board’s cutting service”
As well as this, over the last few years Winchester School of Art has used Ultra Board to create exhibition displays for its annual BA degree show. In 2013 some 280 final-year graduates, representing the next generation of artists, designers, and creative professionals showcased their work, including sophisticated fashion pieces and vibrant textile designs, illustrations and animations, large-scale sculptures, and interactive digital installations. Each year students are fully involved in preparation for the show and the Ultra Boards are light and easy to transport into the show spaces. Using clamps, the boards create effective display areas for the students’ work.
“The main advantage of Ultra Board is its lightweight nature, so we designed and created a self-assembly Ultra Board plinth utilising Ultra Board’s cutting service,” comments Bayes, adding: “Winchester School of Art also had the benefit of creating high-quality prints directly onto the boards using their in-house trade print service.”
Lighting up time
The Sign Group’s SG LightSheet is manufactured using clear acrylic material,
embedded with exceptionally birth LEDs, giving an even and efficient illumination
throughout
For illuminated signs and light-boxes, modern innovations, such as The Sign Group’s SG LightSheet, are replacing the traditional back- or edge-lit options.
SG LightSheet is manufactured using clear acrylic material, embedded with exceptionally bright LEDs, giving an even and efficient illumination throughout. Dependent upon how the product is to be used, bespoke light patterns are either digitally printed or laser etched into the acrylic to disperse the light. The patterns have been developed to spread the intense light through the acrylic and give a perfectly even result.
SG LightSheet is only 10 to 16mm in thickness, making it particularly suitable for applications where space is at a premium, or a ‘slim-line’ look is preferred. The Sign Group also stocks and supplies a wide range of accessories from fixings to wire connectors.
Graeme Hoole, The Sign Group’s production manager, explains: “Our sheets have been used in hundreds of ways, from light-boxes, hanging window displays, underfloor lighting, illuminated benches, large textile prints, double-sided projection signs, and inside built-ups; the list is endless. It can be installed both internally and externally, in any area where you require a very bright, very slim, and very simple light source.”
Our sheets have been used in hundreds of ways, from light-boxes, hanging window displays, underfloor lighting, illuminated benches, large textile prints, double-sided projection signs, and inside built-ups; the list is endless”
SG LightShapes are the next evolution in SG LightSheet. With the ability to manufacture intricate and interesting shapes that do not have to conform to the simple shapes generally available, they can be used for a multitude of displays and signage. Again, the product is suitable for both external and internal applications.
“We had to redevelop existing LED technology to give both flexibility and brightness without compromising on overall efficiency and price,” explains Hoole.
Outlining the key benefits of SG LightSheet, Hoole continues: “There are a few unique characteristics of our material, and the most important of these is its brightness, created by the brightest LEDs of their kind embedded into the acrylic, giving a massive light output of 2120lm p/m. This is exceptionally bright, yet coupled with our heat-sink technology, the LEDs are extremely stable, durable, efficient, and with an expected lifespan of five years plus.
“Our standard options use 10mm clear acrylic, which is a huge benefit for the larger sizes required, such as 1000 x 1000mm plus. The thickness helps the light to travel further within the material to give a more even light output.”
Hoole concludes: “In addition we can offer speed of production. We can turn around the material within a couple of days (or even same day if necessary). And, even with all the great advantages of our SG LightSheet, our prices are still extremely competitive, and generally less expensive than comparable products.”
In your fascia
Novaslim boxes with LED illuminations. This smaller version of Nova Aluminium’s
Novacase, offers all the same features and rigidity, allowing the system to
accommodate panels up to 700mm in height and any length
Illuminated signs and fascias, of course, are inherently reliant for quality and durability on the casing, frame, or box in which the display medium is presented.
Fabricator and supplier of aluminium signage products, Nova Aluminium says that simple construction is the hallmark of all its systems, with Novacase being no exception. At a depth of 165mm, it offers an ideal solution for both single and double sided applications and can be easily illuminated using either fluorescent tubes or LEDs. The system has been designed with both fabricator and installer in mind and, with the ability to accept panels of either 3 or 5mm in thickness, covers a wide range of options.
The team here at Nova have been sharing our experience and expertise in aluminium signage for more years than we care to remember”
Novaslim, the smaller version of Novacase, offers all the same features and rigidity, allowing the system to accommodate panels in fascia boxes up to 700mm in height and any length. Projection boxes using Novaslim give an extremely neat appearance; with a depth of just 100mm it makes use of integral sections to give a ‘screw free’ appearance.
“The team here at Nova have been sharing our experience and expertise in aluminium signage for more years than we care to remember,” says Paul Vickery, director Nova Aluminium, who adds: “And with acrylic faced light-boxes proving to be a continually popular system, we are certainly well equipped to provide a solution to meet almost any requirements.”
From flat images to 3D displays, there is a broad spectrum of rigid materials, many offering that little extra ‘something different’, to help sign-makers create just the right impact for their clients. And for those seeking to enhance their green credentials with energy saving, sustainable, and recyclable products, there is an increasing range of options as well.