In more than 250 full-color photos, this book covers, in step-by-step format, the techniques used by the world's leading signmaking experts to fabricate the kinds of signs commercial signshops make every ...
Composite materials, products and manufacturers of architectural signage
Our focus is on architectural signage--signs whose designs and materials mimic the buildings they identify. We'll cover composite materials, products and manufacturers. If you can't find the company or material you're looking for here--or if you'd like complete address and fax information for the companies that are listed--check out the Signs of the Times Buyers' Guide, or the SignWeb Search Engine.
Alpolic® Mitsubishi Chemical America, Inc.
Chesapeake, VA (800) 422-7270 or (804) 548-3000
Nissan, Shell, Polaroid and IBM are among the companies that have used Alpolic for their signs and/or p-o-p displays. And no wonder. The material--which consists of two aluminum sheets on either side of a thermoplastic core--is easy to use. It requires no special forming equipment; ordinary wood and metal-working tools are sufficient.
According to Mitsubishi, Alpolic is lightweight and flexible, yet offers the rigidity of heavy-gauge steel. In addition, the composite material features a Megaflon® fluorocarbon coating, and is offered in three diverse product lines: pure colors and anodized finishes; A-Look® reflective surfaces; and Stone Series granite-look material. Each product line comes in 3-, 4- and 6mm thicknesses, in standard widths of 50 and 62 in., and in semi-standard widths of 39, 48 and 60 in. Custom widths from 32-62 in. are also offered.
Alucobond® Alusuisse Composites
Benton, KY (800) 626-3365
Alucobond, although a seemingly simple material--two sheets of .020-in. aluminum with a thermoplastic core--has found a myriad of uses in the architecture, signage and display industries.
Why? Because aesthetically, Alucobond's pre-finished, coil-coated colors and anodized finishes afford an appealing high-tech look. And structurally, the lightweight, weather-resistant material resists buckling, rippling and oil canning.
Of added benefit are Alucobond's fabrication options; it can be routed and bent, drilled or curved. You can also paint it, print it, laminate and photo mount it, or apply adhesive graphics to it.
Alucobond is offered in thicknesses of 3, 4 and 6mm. A thinner version of the product, called Dibond, is also available.
Avonite® Avonite, Inc.
Belen, NM (505) 864-3800
Avonite, a non-porous, homogeneous blend of polylester/acrylic alloys and fillers, has a stone grain pattern that goes all the way through. What's more, you can shape the material using traditional woodworking tools. Four families of Avonite exist:
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