Architectural-Sign Substrates

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.

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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:

Formstone™, a thermoformable, 100%-acrylic-resin material with ATH fillers
Granite, a product that consists of both filled and unfilled unsaturated polyester resins
Crystelle, a material consisting of multi-hued textures suspended in a tranlucent matrix
Gemstone, an agate collection that offers deep, translucent, marble-veining patterns
Avonite sheets come in 36-, 30- and 120-in. widths; custom widths are also available. Standard sheet thickness is 1/2 in; 1/4-, 3/4- and 3/8-in. thicknesses can be special ordered.

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Corian® Corian Div. of Dupont
Wilmington, DE (302) 774-1000

At last, Corian has come out of the kitchen. Although still a popular countertop material, Corian is now finding uses in the sign industry as well. A blend of acrylic resin and natural minerals, the material is manufactured in sheet form and comes in 41 colors–from solids to large particulate styles.

In addition, Corian is non-porous, so it won’t stain. And any scratches to the material can be buffed with a green, 3M Scotchbrite® pad. Another Corian feature your customer will appreciate: Dupont’s 10-year product warranty.

Granite Cold Spring Granite Co.
Cold Spring, MN (800) 328-5040

Real granite, of course, is virtually impervious to weathering from smog and other airborne contaminants. It’s also difficult to vandalize, making it a good choice for exterior sign applications.

And, if you’re worried about fabricating and installing stone signage, don’t be. Cold Spring states: "[We] work closely . . . throughout the project to determine specific and evolving project requirements, recommend proper anchoring techniques, and provide assistance in selecting existing [anchoring] systems or designing custom systems." In addition, the company furnishes standard anchors and dowels to accommodate plans and specifications.

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Cold Spring offers 26 types of granite, in eight finishing options.

Mirakor® Simtec Surface Technology Systems
Salt Lake City, UT (801) 977-0400

If Simtec’s Mirakor composite material were a sandwich, the top slice of bread would be Mirakor’s coating, texture and finish. The jelly would be Eastman Chemical’s rigid Spectar™ polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) material. Mirakor’s image layer of patterns, colors and logos would be the sandwich’s peanut butter. And the bottom slice of bread, a layer of Recycled PETG sheet.

These ingredients, then, are thermally fused together. The resulting material is one that can be thermoformed or bent using tools and procedures similar to those used for high-pressure laminates.

"Natural products are quarried, poured or harvested and can vary from lot to lot," says Simco. "[Our] process, on the other hand, uses a printed image that allows a consistent look without an obvious synthetic appearance." Mirakor comes in 4 x 8-ft. sheets, in more than 50 patterns, eight textures and four finishes.

American Porcelain Enamel Co.
Dallas, TX (214) 637-4775

It’s ironic that one of the best solutions to modern-world sign problems–vandalism, petrochemical contamination and the like–is an old-world fabrication technique: porcelain enameling.

In brief, the porcelain-enamel manufacturing process involves combining "frit" (mineral-content glass) with pigments consisting of oxide, and fusing the mixture to a substrate (typically, sheet steel) at a very high temperature.

American produces porcelain-enamel signs in lengths of up to 10 ft. and widths of up to 4 and 1/2 ft. These signs feature edge flanges for stiffness and concealed fasteners. American reports its signage is "manufactured in compliance with the Porcelain Enamel Institute’s standard specifications." Further, "All manufacturer warranties are negotiated on a job-to-job basis to meet specific project requirements."

Fireform Porcelain Inc.
Santa Rosa, CA (800) 643-3181 or (707) 523-0580

In the world of porcelain enameling, Fireform is a relative newcomer. Yet the company has distinguished itself by developing a proprietary method of photo-process printing using a photosensitized porcelain slip. This process allows Fireform to achieve very fine detail on its signage–detail not achievable by more traditional porcelain-enamel color-transfer methods like screen printing, brush patterns and hand painting.

For most projects, Fireform’s maximum panel size is 48 x 96 in. or 36 x 108 in. Fireform’s maximum image size varies according to the fabrication method used.

In addition to its signage, Fireform offers exhibit bases and frames; monolith, double-post and double-panel-monolith monuments; post-and-panel kits; and wall-mount kits. All kits come with porcelain-enamel panels to which permanent or temporary (vinyl) graphics can be added.

Walbridge Corp.
Oakdale, PA (800) 535-7379 or (412) 276-3420

If you think porcelain-enamel signage must be flat, think again. The Walbridge Corp. offers 3-D porcelain-enamel letters and logos. What’s more, colors can be applied to the letters and logos via direct-spray, airbrushing, screen printing or a combination of these processes.

In addition to these products, Walbridge offers multicolored, 2-D, porcelain-enamel signage; and die-formed letters and logos of stainless steel, aluminum, brass or copper.

Winsor Corp.
Olympia, WA (800) 824-7506 or (360) 786-8200

Winsor Corp.’s 21 years of experience include more than 10 years spent manufacturing porcelain enamel interpretive exhibits and providing graphic design, layout and film preparation for the interpretive market.

The company offers photo-process technology that allows for the imaging of full-color photographs, duotones, black-and-white images and original-art resolutions up to 300 lpi. Winsor’s minimum standard for halftone work is 175 lpi, which is reportedly comparable to fine magazine and book printing.

Quarite® |1128|
Florence, KY (800) 354-9858 or (606) 283-1501 Aristech Acrylic

If you regularly thermoform acrylic, you’ll feel very comfortable using Quarite® materials. The material has colored acrylic chips dispersed randomly in an acrylic matrix. The result? Acrylic that looks like granite.

What’s unique about the product is that—during thermoforming—it takes on a textured, pebbly feel. If you don’t want a textured surface, simply thermoform the materials using a "male" mold instead of a standard "female" mold. Quarite comes in various granite colors, in .125-in.-thick custom-sized sheets.

Quarite Plus® is Quarite sheet strengthened by laminating a high-impact thermoplastic substrate to the acrylic surface. According to Aristech, "The result is a composite material that combines the desirable properties and aesthetics of Quarite with the strength and physical characteristics of a high-impact ABS substrate." Quarite Plus comes in 100 x 100-in. and 90 x 90-in. sheets of .350-in. thickness.

Simulated Boulder® Mimco Products
Anaheim, CA (714) 693-3194

When you want a sign that looks like a rock—not a fancy-schmancy, mauve pseudo-stone, but an honest-to-goodness, Fred Flintstone kind of rock—give Mimco a call.

Although the company’s weather-resistant, simulated boulders look and feel like real rock, they weigh much less. The weight difference makes otherwise challenging sign installations much easier.

In addition to standard and custom rock shapes that can be used for signage, the company offers an extensive line of faux-rock p-o-p displays. Mimco also makes faux-brick, -metal, -wood, -tile and -stucco products.

Strata Panels Stonwurks Inc.
Clay Center, KS (785) 632-5687

What is a Strata panel? It’s a thin, 3/16-in. layer of granite or marble, laminated to a 1/2- or 3/4-in. honeycomb aluminum backing. Because of its construction, the product weighs only 3.5 lbs./sq. ft.; this makes it ideally suited for applications where weight is a concern (ie, elevator interiors, walls, and ceilings).

Strata panels are available in a variety of colors. They come in full-size sheets or can be cut to size. The panels can also be purchased completely fabricated.

Syndecrete® Syndesis
Santa Monica, CA (310) 829-9932

Syndesis defines Syndecrete™ as "an advanced cement-based composite using natural minerals and recycled materials as its primary ingredients." For most people, the term "cement" brings to mind an unattractive, gray mass of goo. Syndesis, however, is anything but.

For starters, Syndecrete’s standard colors run the gamut: from peach to lavender. In addition, the material comprises flecks of complementary and/or contrasting colors. Custom mix designs are also available, using a variety of aggregates: plastic regrinds, wood chips, crushed glass, metal shavings, stone fragments, etc.

Syndecrete is available in densitites ranging from 35-100 lbs./cu. ft. Syndesis custom fabricates the material to your specifications.

Terrazzo® Terrazzo & Marble Supply Cos.
Chicago, IL (773) 471-0700 or (800) 762-7253

With increasing frequency, floor graphics are being used as p-o-p, directional and secondary-identification signage. Although specialty vinyls are being used for temporary floor signage, for permanent applications, designers are specifying Terrazzo.

Terrazzo & Marble Supply carries a Tuff-Lite® epoxy terrazzo, a poured-in-place flooring system that combines various matrices with marble, granite, glass or other aggregate. Once cured, Tuff-Lite is ground and polished.

According to the manufacturer, the flooring system can withstand continuous heavy traffic. Resistant to water, chemicals, oil, grease, most acids and solvents, Terrazzo can be cleaned with a mop and water.