Interior plastic signs are ubiquitous in hotels, office buildings,
hospitals and other structures. These signs may seem like simple
products, but they are actually often complex assemblies of numerous
pieces. Like many other manufacturers, sign makers are continually
working to improve the quality and functionality of their products,
while also reducing manufacturing costs. Traditionally, sign fabrication
has relied mostly on mechanical machining techniques. A new breed of
smaller and more efficient laser-based machine tools now offers superior
performance and cost characteristics for many applications.
For example, CO2 laser-based machine tools are workhorse systems that are well established in numerous industries. Their combination of rugged operational simplicity, compact packaging, low operating costs and high processing power often make them the tool of choice for bringing the advantages of high-tech photonics manufacturing to both high- and low-tech (and/or low-unit-value) applications. Sign making is a standout example of this trend to extend laser manufacturing to simplify complex processes.
Sign making basics
Figure 1 shows a typical interior hotel sign. Note that the numerals and braille characters are raised. To achieve this, the numbers first are cut out as separate pieces and then glued to the main body of the sign. Sometimes signs also contain a pocket or slot that allows a piece of paper or nameplate to be inserted. Thus, a single sign can be an assembly of a variety of different plastic, metal and thin-film materials, and may be fairly complicated.
http://www.photonics.com/Article.aspx?AID=57144
For example, CO2 laser-based machine tools are workhorse systems that are well established in numerous industries. Their combination of rugged operational simplicity, compact packaging, low operating costs and high processing power often make them the tool of choice for bringing the advantages of high-tech photonics manufacturing to both high- and low-tech (and/or low-unit-value) applications. Sign making is a standout example of this trend to extend laser manufacturing to simplify complex processes.
Sign making basics
Figure 1 shows a typical interior hotel sign. Note that the numerals and braille characters are raised. To achieve this, the numbers first are cut out as separate pieces and then glued to the main body of the sign. Sometimes signs also contain a pocket or slot that allows a piece of paper or nameplate to be inserted. Thus, a single sign can be an assembly of a variety of different plastic, metal and thin-film materials, and may be fairly complicated.
http://www.photonics.com/Article.aspx?AID=57144
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