Vol. 1, No. 9 | April 19, 2006
TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Month’s SBI Trivia Question Stumper:
What was the total attendance at the ISA International Sign Expo 2006, held this month in Orlando, Florida?
For the answer, scroll to the bottom of the newsletter.
| |
Industry News
[[HOT TOPIC]] CNC Routers vs. Sandblasters and Engravers
It's April, and the weather is heating up. So let's get back to our Hot Topic from last month: CNC routers vs. sandblasters and engravers. [*Ed. Note: To read comments on this topic from Chris Hanchette, vice president of sales at MultiCam, scroll to
the bottom of the page, click on the SBI Update Archive logo, and select the March 2006 edition.] This month, we talked to 15-year sandblasting sign veteran Jerry Stephens, owner of Wood Signs by Jerry in Rancho Cucamonga, California. An artist at heart, he weighs in on the personal nature of sandblasting versus CNC routing:
"Sandblasting is a lot more hands-on, which allows more
creativity in the process: We can change our thoughts, we can add Curly-Q’s, we can change the fonts—all by hand, and very easily. We can get a lot more creative than somebody who’s locked into patterns that come straight out of a computer.
Secondly, wood is a much warmer medium. Although those who are using wood and CNC don’t show it to any advantage because there’s no grain involved in the graphics. So sandblasting gives a much greater “retro” look to the signs. They look kind of
antique when they come out and then get better as time passes. We’re trying to appeal to markets that want that retro feel, like cities that are trying to recapture that feeling, and businesses in resort areas that want that warmth of customer appeal. Those things can’t be duplicated by a router. There’s always going to be a market for sandblasted signs, just like there will always be a market for letterheads. But it’s a shrinking market. A lot cities here in California, especially along the
coast and in resort areas, are really encouraging the use of things that have a hand-made feel.
The main advantage to a sandblasted sign is that it can look a lot more attractive, more customer-friendly, and it can really draw people into a business because they glance at a sign like that and just see that it has a lot of personality; whereas something that comes out of a CNC router can’t really do that.
The disadvantages of sandblasting? Obviously, the throughput in a shop is
slower because it is such a hands-on process and each step is very time-consuming. The blasting process itself is a very violent, dirty process. Not that CNC routers prove much cleaner for dust and sawdust, but we deal with abrasive sand and silicate dust when sandblasting.
So there are some health issues, but the speed of the process is probably what’s going to end up killing it, just like vinyl signs have pretty much killed hand painting. Not that CNC routing is a better method, it’s
just more efficient.
A good CNC router can easily cost as much as $50,000, and probably a starting point is $15,000 for a cheap one. And unless you have a customer base that is going to help repay that rather promptly in profits, it’s ridiculous to invest in the equipment. You either find someone you can farm it out to, or you confirm somehow through market investigation that you have a valid chance of making it economically feasible to get a return on your investment. Sandblasting takes
an Exacto knife and a roll of Blast Mask—big difference.
Technology like CNC routers will eventually take some of the heart out of the sign business. The personality of hand-craftmanship in any industry is what makes it unique. And once it becomes a production line and kind of soulless, then you lose a lot of the effect of what you're after."
Efficiency versus artistry. Mass production versus personal touch. The sign industry has been watching these battles play out for years, and
will continue to do so as new technology continues to develop along with new sign builders. Will both embrace the past as part of the future? We'll see.
Flexible Future
As signage technology continues to develop, consumers and sign builders need to keep and open mind and stay flexible when it comes time to choose the substrate with which they want to work. Or perhaps, they’ll
simply choose a flexible substrate.
According to iSuppli Corp., an electronics industry market research and analysis firm, flexible display panels has quite a future ahead of them. According to a report published in Purchasing Magazine Online, the global market for flexible panel displays will grow 84.5% each year for the next seven years, reaching $339 million by 2013. (By comparison, the 2006 market for flexible displays is expected to be somewhere around $5 million.) The
majority of that impressive growth spurt will be fueled, in part, by the application of small electronic screens in public venues.
“The idea of bendable, rollable, or floppy display panels is intuitively appealing to end users and to product designers because of their ruggedness, novelty, lightness, and potential for compactness,” Kimberly Allen, iSuppli’s director of display technology and strategy told Purchasing Magazine. “Futhermore, such displays offer manufacturers the potential
for display types being used for flexible screens to include crystal display, LCD, and OLED.”
3M Digital Signage Launches in UK
3M Digital Signage has opened an office in the United Kingdom, based at 3M’s British offices in Bracknell, Berkshire. With a team of technical and sales specialists currently being trained, 3M will
use this UK office to support a rapid expansion across Europe using 3M’s existing offices in most European and Middle Eastern countries.
3M Digital Signage software provides advanced content and network management functionality for any configuration of a digital signage network.
“3M has over 50,000 products across more than 40 different business units,” said newly appointed 3M Digital Signage UK Sales and Marketing Manager Simon Birkenhead. “3M Digital Signage will bring together
all of 3M’s technologies that will be of interest to customers seeking innovative digital signage solutions.”
In the United Kingdom, 3M Digital Signage will work closely with other 3M business, such as 3M Optical Systems, 3M Touch Systems, and 3M Visual Systems, all of which offer products relevant to the digital display industry.
Two Firsts in OLED Development
A team of German researchers at the Technical University of Braunschweig claim to have developed the world’s first entirely transparent OLED pixel, allowing for the potential creation of transparent
signage that can be viewed in places that would otherwise not allow obstructions.
According to a report in CIO Magazine, the OLED features transparent thin-film transistors made of a 100-nanometer-thick layer of zinc-tin-oxide, which transmits more than 90 percent of visible light.
In related news, Cambridge Display Technologies, of Cambridge, England, announced what it believes is the world’s first OLED print head, which uses OLED as a high brightness light source. This
opens the way for utilization of OLED as a new technology for printers, and potentially to the manufacture of color printers that are smaller, have higher resolution, and faster printing speeds.
Current laser printers use LED or laser light sources.
Boat Wraps Speeding Into Style
NASCAR racing cars and company trucking fleets aren’t the only means of transportation getting the vinyl wrap treatment these days. According to a recent report on PRLEAP.com, boat wraps are catching
on across the U.S., with boat owners placing advertising on their ships for a price.
“We’ve seen a tremendous increase I the number of inquiries this year for interested boat owners, and we expect the growth to continue for the foreseeable future,” said Pete LoBrutto, owner of Azure Vehicle Graphics. “It’s a lot less expensive than painting a boat, the boat doesn’t have to be transported to our location, and boat owners like the fact that they can design almost anything they want for
their wrap.”
Be on the lookout for more information about this growing trend in an upcoming issue of Sign Builder Illustrated…
Roland Sponsors Vehicle Wrap Contest
Roland DGA Corporation recently announced the company’s first-ever Wrap Vehicles Graphics Contest, an industry-wide competition open to sign makers, screen printers, and vehicle graphics professionals across the U.S.
and Canada.
Professionals can submit their best designs to Roland’s Web site at www.rolanddga.com/wrap for judging by a panel of company experts and industry pros. Designs will be evaluated for their creativity, effectiveness, and technical quality.
The grand prize is a Roland VersaCAMM® 30-inch integrated printer/cutter, as well as an all-expenses-paid trip
to the SGIA ’06 conference this September in Las Vegas, where winning designs will be displayed. Additional cash prizes of up to $1,000 will be awarded to the top contest finalists.
Entries must be received by July 31st.
New Appointments
Cree named Thomas Werner to its board of directors. Werner is CEO of SunPower Corporation.
3M appointed Simon Birkenhead UK Sales and Marketing Manager for 3M Digital Signage.
Meetings and Events
JUNE
June 22-24: Midwest Sign Show 2006, an ISA-sanctioned event, is scheduled for the Marriott Northeast in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information, call 513/753-6048 or log on to www.msassn.org.
Sponsored Links
M2 Lighting Solutions, LLC -- NEW epoxy-encapsulated UL recognized LED channel letter lighting system that will stay bright even in your most challenging conditions. www.M2Lighting.com
This Month's Trivia Answer:
19,863 attendees
According to the ISA, there were also 1,715 exhibit booths representing 566 companies.
| |
For in-depth coverage of these topics and other sign industry topics, check out
www.signshop.com
ATTENTION SUBSCRIBERS:
Coming up in the May 2006 issue of
Sign Builder Illustrated,
feature articles on:
Dimensional
Adhesives
Architectural ADA
Fluorescent Lighting
LED Displays
Vinyl Paints
Transformers/Power Supplies
Wide Format Vinyl
ATTENTION ADVERTISERS and SUBSCRIBERS:
Coming up in the June 2006 issue of
Sign Builder Illustrated,
feature articles on:
Digital Printing Inks
Dimensional PVC
Inflatables
Magnetic Vehicle Graphics
Digital Printing Software
Vinyl P-O-P
Contact your ad sales representative to reserve your
space today.
As we shape SBI Update into the premier
e-newsletter for the sign industry, we encourage our readers to send us feedback on what you like, what you'd like to see, and any other comments you might have. To do so, send an e-mail to Associate Editor Chris Ytuarte at cytuarte@sbpub.com.
| |
© 2006 Simmons-Boardman Publishing
345 Hudson St., 12th Floor • New York, NY 10014
212-620-7200
|
|
NOBODY BEATS OUR PRICING on LED Signage Solutions. ATG Electronics Manufactures High Quality LED Flex Strips, LED Modules,
LED Rope Lights, LED SMD Ribbon Flex, MR-16, Gu-10, E27 & PAR Spot Lamps. Factory Direct Pricing. We Make Doing Business Easy. Visit our Web site by clicking on our logo above
| |
OSRAM SYLVANIA’s DRAGON family of hi-flux LED modules is rapidly bridging the gap between the requirements of white light illumination and the capabilities of LED technology. The company offers a complete range of products and services for every aspect of contemporary and advanced sign and display lighting. Click on the Osram logo above to visit the Web site.
| |
Bring energy, light and depth to your projects with 9 new metal laminates from Chemetal. Ideal for interior signage, Chemetal has an expansive collection of well over 100 designs that are easy to apply and easy to spec through our international distributor network. www.chemetalco.com. Click on the Chemetal logo above to visit the Web site.
| |
Milliken Wholesale Distribution is a worldwide distributor of sign and awning extrusions, provided in stock lengths or knock down kits. We distribute pan formed faces up to a 10’ X 20’, wide width seamless fabric, awning fabrics, light fixtures, 2 types of benders, vinyl trim and all of the tools that make the system work. To visit our Web site, click on the Milliken logo above.
| |
Sign Builder Illustrated:
The How-to Book Vol. 1
Learn secrets to fabricating neon, illuminating with LED, sandblasting signs, applying paints, cutting and printing vinyl and more in this 288-page, full-color reprinting of Sign Builder Illustratedís how-to articles. To visit the How-to Book Web site, click on the image above.
| |
Sign Builder Illustrated is the "How-To" magazine for the sign industry. With step-by-step instructional features, columns penned by industry experts, and news spanning the signage landscape, Sign Builder Illustrated has the answers. For subscription information, click on the magazine cover above.
| |
|
Sign Builder Illustrated values your privacy and will not sell or share your email with third parties. To unsubscribe, please click here: https://www.simmonsboardman.com/sendstudio/users/unsub.php?Mem=94038&ConfirmCode=f628da78cd7187982b28c38a9a72208a |
Flexible Future