“A combination of mixed vibrant colours and Cabochon lights really make the letters pop,” says Impact 3D Signs managing director, Kevin Washbourne
Build yourself up
Built-up letters can bring a whole new three-dimensional look to a business and sign-makers can really show the talent in their craft.
A range of materials and techniques can be used, which also makes built-up signage a versatile option, depending on the look the customer would like to go for.
The beauty of built-up letters, also known as 3D or channel letters, is that the signage can be enhanced with a backdrop of LEDs to add that extra punch. Coupled together with a clean finish, built-up letters can be striking and promote a business to potential customers.
Numerous sign-makers offer this service as a part of their repertoire – one such sign-maker is Applelec. The business has been in this field for over two decades, so its workforce really know their stuff when it comes to making impactful built-up signage. Metal and acrylic are just some of the options for materials and 3D letters can add a spark to an indoor space or shine a beacon on a business outside.
O Factoid: Built-up letters can also be referred to as 3D letters or channel letters O
Metal built-up letters is one option that can offer a clean finish. Precise manufacturing with blended edges means that metal signage can be beautiful and striking. Applelec offers other 3D letters crafted from metal but with an acrylic luminated face, surrounded by a visible trim. Or if that’s not the customer’s cup of tea, they can opt for the rimless option which is the same metal built-up letter with an acrylic face, but the acrylic covers the entire face.
Metal built-up letters from Applelec can offer a premium feel
Impact 3D Signs managing director, Kevin Washbourne, agrees that stainless steel, be it mirror or satin, is the “most popular material for built-up letters”.
He adds: “Although, other metals such as aluminium, brass, copper and even plastics such as acrylic can be made in basically the same way.”
Illumination can produce somethign special, and because Applelec is the exclusive distributor of SloanLED, the illumination can be provided by LEDs with a ten-year electric componentry warranty. With the pandemic putting a strain on many businesses and the economy, cost savings are important, and Sloan LEDs can provide illumination for less than a penny an hour. For next to nothing, a business can look its best – signage and the look of your shopfront can be the difference between customers choosing to shop with you or go somewhere else.
Colin Pestell of GDI Trade Signs agrees that a touch of illumination will really bring built-up signage to life. He explains: “There’s no getting away from it, well-made built-up letters always look fantastic especially with the addition of LED illumination. Halo illumination looks classy and face illumination can have a great impact.”
There’s no getting away from it, well-made built-up letters always look fantastic”
Halo illumination is clearly a popular option and the Applelec SignPik option diffuses the light produced by the LEDs through an acrylic base. A closed acrylic base also means that the lettering can be mounted flush to the surface. Applelec also offers a ‘neon’ style option which is a letter with a glass tube appearance and uses LEDs as the light source.
GDI operates in East Sussex and has been supplying built-up letters and signage to the trade since 1995. Pestell boasts a great knowledge of built-up letters and knows the importance of having a superior finish that will promote a business to potential clientele. He continues: “In an increasingly competitive world, clients have to be made aware that a good quality sign is always a good indication of a good quality business. A sign is often the first interaction a business has with a potential customer – it cannot be emphasised enough how important a good first impression is.”
If built-up letters are something that sign-makers would like to offer, they could also look at outsourcing the work
Impact’s Washbourne expands and says: “Built-up letters are suitable for such a wide range of clients from shop signage to high-end business signs. Our built-up letters are intended to achieve the maximum impact, giving our client brands an instant as well as incredible visual effect. They look highly stylish and professional, creating a lasting impression to potential clients.”
Craftmanship
One of the most admirable aspects of the sign industry is the craftsmanship – there are certain areas that have maintained this hardworking, crafted by hand feel. Even with the introduction of machinery, built-up letters are still considered a skilled craft and some elements are still produced by hand. GDI’s Pestell explains the process around manufacturing a 3D letter: “The process begins with cutting the letter face. Traditionally, this was by hand – usually with a combination of a bandsaw and a fretsaw. These days, the faces are predominantly cut using CNC equipment – either a CNC router or a laser profiler. The returns are cut to size and with metal returns, they are usually cut with a power guillotine. With built-up acrylic letters, the returns are usually cut on the CNC router and once the components are ready, the returns can be shaped.”
Pestell continues: “Metal letters are still often shaped by hand, but with the introduction of letter-making machines, more and more companies are turning to machine-formed returns. These machines can be an advantage, especially when a roll-out is required with multiples of the same letter style and size. However, machines do have their short comings, they are often limited to the size of return available, and they cannot cope with bevelled letters.”
Bevelled letters can prove a little trickier because Pestell says this type of letter is “still very highly skilled” and are “almost exclusively handmade”. He says that acrylic letters are a “different matter altogether” as the return material has to be heated to a pliable state and formers are produced to hold the shape as it cools. “Once cool,” explains Pestell, “the letter corners are mitred using sanding discs and once the faces are cut and the returns are shaped, they then have to be assembled.
Lighting, which could be provided by LEDs, can produce a sleek and smart look
"With stainless steel, brass and bronze, the returns and faces are normally soldered together – although with the advent of laser welding machines, this process is sometimes used with stainless steel. With aluminium and acrylic, they are usually glued together, using appropriate adhesives. You then have to consider how the letters are to be fixed, of which there are many options.”
Built-up letters also provide both the sign-maker and the customer the ability to have a little bit of fun. Because there is the scope to spruce up standard 3D letters with aspects such as LED lights and bulbs, designs can be more flamboyant. Applelec offers a solution that gives “the quirky nostalgia” of “vintage fairground-style bulbs” says an Applelec spokesperson. It is called the previously highlighted Cabochon, which again uses low-energy LEDs while still producing the fun of that iconic fairground bulb.
Impact 3D Signs’ Washbourne adds that using fun elements such as Cabochon fairground lights “can make them stand out and really give them that wow factor”. Washbourne also notes that LEDs would definitely add a little something else when it comes to built-up letters.
Market stalwart
The Sign Group’s Lydia Wrightson explains that acrylic and metal lettering, and in particular built-up letters using these materials, will always be a large part of the signage industry. “I am confident it will be for a long time to come,” says Wrightson.
“Some people write off built-ups as being an out-of-date product when there’s so many other options out there now. They shouldn’t,” explains Wrightson, before continuing: “Built-ups are versatile and adaptable, there are so many techniques and applications they can be used in. Get in touch with us and we can show you what can be achieved with built-ups, as well as most other types of signage. We’ve got the knowledge to help you stand out to your customers.”
The Sign Group’s Lydia Wrightson says that built-up letters will be part of the industry for
a long time
Wrightson also says that businesses should opt for whatever signage works for them, and it all depends on their requirements. While built-up signage might be what they think they need, Wrightson explains that The Sign Group will always say what they think is best rather than what they want to sell. However, if built-up signage is the best foot forward, “they’re getting a real great product”.
“Built-ups, if done right, are eye-catching and long lasting which is exactly what signage needs to be,” adds Wrightson. “We try to offer what others can’t, whether that be specific techniques or the knowledge that is required to help the client move forward with the job in hand. We can help our customer help their customer understand what the best solutions are and how to make them happen.”
While coronavirus may have had an impact on many industries, including the sign industry, Pestell says that the built-up signage market is a great one to be in. However, Pestell also notes that it does require some investment in infrastructure in order to operate in this sector. He says: “It is a good market to be in, but it does require considerable investment. Even with the presence of letter-making machines, it is still a highly skilled job. A good letter-maker comes at a premium, and CNC equipment is not cheap either. CNC routers, laser, waterjet cutters, letter-making machines, ovens and paint shops can run hundreds of thousands of pounds.”
Acrylic is just one material option for sign-makers
Impact’s Washbourne also notes that because it can be a costly process, perhaps outsourcing built-up letters is an option for sign-makers. “They would save on costs,” he explains. “They would not need to buy the expensive equipment needed for production or the specialist workmanship skills required to manufacture.”
Wrightson further agrees that coronavirus has created a stormy sea for sign-makers, but that it will bounce back due to diversification and the easing of restrictions. She says: “The pandemic crucified interest in the signage industry – why would customers spend on signage if they are closed and without knowing what’s next for them? Companies have had to adapt to the change in demand, for example producing acrylic screens or even masks and other PPE [personal protective equipment].
“But also, companies who sell direct to the public will have seen a large improvement in sales of signs for use in the home. It’s a relief that now restrictions are easing, we’re seeing a sharp upturn in sales of trade signage.”
As with the expansive vaccination roll-out and the easing of restrictions, it is looking positive for life and the sign industry.
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