Signs of the Times - March 2014 - (Page 52)

NEW PRODUCTS Steve Aust is ST's Senior Associate Editor. A member of its editorial staff since 2000, his work emphasizes vinyl graphics, architectural and environmental graphics, and 3-D signage. B y Wa d e S w o r m s t e d t Product Showcase: SIGN BLANKS 3A Composites 3A Composites USA Inc. (Statesville, NC) produces an array of composite substrates for the signage and display markets: * Dibond®, an aluminum-composite material, comprises two, 0.3mm, aluminum-surface layers with a polyethylene core. The front and reverse sides are stove-lacquered with a heavy-metal-free coating, and the material is shipped with a protective-foil layer. Fabricated with an AlMg1 alloy, Dibond allows easy 3-D processing through bending, contour cutting, routing or folding, and provides high corrosion resistance. The panels may be directly digitally printed or screenprinted, and are available in 2 to 6mm panel thicknesses; sizes range from 39.4 x 80.7 in. to 59 x 246 in. (not every thickness is available in every size); * Gatorfoam®, a high-rigidity, laminated "sandwich" made with an extruded-polystyrene, foam core with resinimpregnated liners on either side, is available from 3/16 to 3 in. thick. Its surface accepts direct printing, and the substrate may be mounted and fabricated for 3D signage and POP, hanging signage and tradeshow displays; * Fome-Cor®, a polyurethane-foam-core, lightweight board with coated, multi-layered, paper liners, is designed for interior POP, photo-mounting and hanging-sign displays. The material is direct-printable, dimensionally stable, and easy to cut (with a jigsaw or manually) and laminate. (704) 872-8974; www.3acompositesusa.com HandyShapes HandyShapes.com (Auburn, AL) is introducing its DigiBlanks 4mm-thick, corrugated-plastic, inkjet-printable sign blanks. The panels are nested in their own frames and printer-ready, and HandyShapes.com provides free vector files that allow the user to lay out the design and register the frame within a printer or screenprinting press. Most blanks measure 17.25 x 23.5 in.; available shapes include Arrow, House, Starburst, Oval, Van, Octagon, Football Helmet, Graduation Cap, Ribbon and Balloon. After printing, the shapes can be removed from the frames by making small finish cuts with a razor or X-Acto® knife. (334) 826-2633; www.handyshapes.com Laminators Inc. Laminators Inc. (Hatfield, PA) composite-material media offerings include: * Omega-Bond™, a solid-core, aluminum-exterior panel, is designed for fascias, canopies and other heavy-duty, exterior installations; * Alumalite™, a corrugated-plastic, double-sided-aluminum material with a baked-polyester coating, is designed for channel letters, POP and post-andpanel signs, and can accept solvent or UV-cure inks. The substrate is rated for wind loads up to 120 mph and, according to the company, weighs the same as 0.04-in.-thick, aluminum sheet, but is 50 times stronger; * LusterBoard, which sandwiches a plywood core within layers of painted aluminum, is available in 12 colors. Lighter than MDO, and machinable with standard carpentry tools, it's designed for A-frame, post-and-panel, and wall- and fence-mounted signs, among other project types; * Econolite™, a plastic-core material with one, coated-aluminum layer (the other layer is uncoated), is designed for wall-mounted and post-and-panel signs; * D-Lite, a thin panel with two painted-aluminum sides or a mill-finish backer, is designed for POP, exhibit graphics and digitally printed components. (877) 663-4277; www.laminatorsinc.com 52 SIGNS OF THE TIMES March 2014 http://www.HandyShapes.com http://www.HandyShapes.com http://www.3acompositesusa.com http://www.handyshapes.com http://www.laminatorsinc.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - March 2014

Signs of the Times - March 2014
Contents
ST Update
Technology Update
Designing for Large Format
Vinyl Apps
Strictly Commercial
Lighting Techniques
The Moving Message
Technology Review: Summa’s DC5 and DC5sx printers
Technology Review: PrinterEvolution Neo Series printers
Design Matters
New Products
Happiness Squared
They Speak the Language
The 2013 Lighting Survey
Ganassi Racing’s Green Light
Dynamic Digital Signage Made Simple, Part 3
Industry News
Advertising index
Editorially speaking

Signs of the Times - March 2014