For years there has been a critical demand within the sign industry for a book on the structural engineering of signs. This comprehensive text more than meets that demand -- it exceeds it. Sign companies, ...
Make an informed decision when you choose between neon and LED.
By Eric Johnson
In closing, ST's January 2003 LED update (p.78) informally concluded, "LED technology is progressing rapidly -- every six months, a new breakthrough seemingly occurs."
Half a year later, it's time to review the use of this fast-developing technology. Fresh LED innovations offer more opportunities for both unique usage and replacement of other lightsources.
June's LightFair exhibition at the Javits Center in New York City clearly reflected solid-state lighting's evolution as a mainstream lightsource alongside fluorescents, high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps, halogens and incandescents. White-light LED innovations were the buzz of the week. And, LED sign products were offered everywhere.
The simple, identifiable trend in LED signage is "more, more, more." Many incremental improvements have surfaced in the past six months: more channel-letter systems, linear lighting systems and market players.
More than 30 marketers of LED products and lighting systems now target sign applications. Many of those companies, including GE Lumination (Valley View, OH), Osram Sylvania (Exeter, NH), Nichia (Tokushima, Japan), Permlight (Tustin, CA), SloanLED (Ventura, CA), ElectraLED Inc. (Clearwater, FL) and |1959| (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), exhibited at LightFair. Notably, significant new market entrants include some familiar sign names.GELcore, SloanLED, ElectraLED Inc., TIR Systems Ltd.
For example, Gerber Scientific Products (Manchester, CT) announced at April's International Sign Assn's (ISA) Sign Expo its partnership with LED manufacturer Teledyne Lighting & Display Products (Los Angeles) to launch its NorthStar LED line for channel letters. At LightFair, Westinghouse Electric Co. (Pittsburgh), a well-known name in electrical products, also announced market entry.Gerber Scientific Products
In every venue, LED benefits are espoused with the same mantra: "Save energy costs. Enjoy longer life. Make your life easier. Experience the future and all it has to offer." This siren song is quite appealing.
If this scenario seems too good to be true, perhaps it's time for a closer look. Two years of widespread fieldwork with LEDs in channel letters and outline-lighting applications have produced success stories -- and unmet expectations.
The reality of solid-state lighting? It's still very new. It's still changing rapidly; it's not yet mature. Its application isn't that simple. Further, it's not widely understood by the entire sign industry.
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