There are many forms of luminous character production, and our common luminous character production can be roughly classified into the following 15 process nodes;

Step 1: Before making luminous characters, it is necessary to typeset the font, which is called deepening design in professional terms; When making luminous characters, it is necessary to carry out detailed design at the front end of the factory, which includes trimming edges, expanding edges, reducing the base, assembling, calculating materials, and arranging orders for the font;

Luminous character design layout

2. Step 2: After the luminous characters are arranged, the laser cutting of the character shell panel is required; The luminous character shell panel is generally made of zinc plate, stainless multiple plate, and aluminum plate material; Use CNC equipment to cut the luminous characters that need to be made into shapes, and the front edge of the normal luminous characters should be 6MM-8MM; The shell panel of the luminous character is determined based on the size of the luminous character. The larger the luminous character exceeds 1.2 meters, the thicker it becomes. The smaller the luminous character is below 50CM, the thicker it becomes; Therefore, when producing luminous characters between 50CM-1.2 meters, it is normal to use materials with a thickness of 0.8-1.2MM. Other non normal sizes need to be determined based on the font, environment, and material requirements.

Laser cutting of luminous character shells

Step 3: After the luminous character shell is made, the next step is to create the sidebands of the luminous characters; The luminous edge strip is generally cut into a width of 6CM-12CM from the board, determined based on the font size and the thickness of the font required by the owner. The normal optimal luminous angle of the edge strip is 6-15CM; The minimum should not be less than 6CM and the maximum should not be higher than 15CM, except for the production of extra large luminous characters; The side strip needs to be grooved by a slotting machine before it can be welded along the shape of the shell; If the edge of the character shell is very thin, it can be handmade. Of course, its accuracy is definitely not as precise as the machine's slotting.

Light emitting character edge cutting and folding plate (picture shows aluminum plate)

Step 4: Cut the luminous character shell and groove the edges. Next, weld the surface of the character shell with the edges using laser welding or argon arc welding. If it is an aluminum plate, it is welded using an aluminum welding machine; After all the luminous characters are soldered, the polishing worker goes online.

Light emitting character slotting

Step 5: Surface treatment of the luminous character shell, that is, polishing of the luminous characters; Surface polishing: Use an electric polishing machine or manual polishing to treat the metal surface to a shiny crystal. This is also a test of a polishing worker's skills, as the polishing techniques used for precision and non precision work are different. When making precision luminous characters, it is necessary to use skilled polishing workers instead of ordinary level polishing workers.

Polishing of luminous character shell

Step 6: Spray coating treatment on the surface of the letter shell; There are three common types of luminous character shells, one is brushed stainless steel color or mirror steel color; One type is baking paint; Another type is electroplating process; The surface treatment of these three common luminescent character shells is more difficult than the baking paint process and electroplating process. Electroplating is already an industry, and it goes without saying that we do not delve into its technology; Baking paint is a great challenge for the production of advertising luminous characters. Many luminous character factories do not have a baking paint room or the baking paint room itself is not compliant, resulting in many businesses directly recommending users to use stainless steel with bright colors to make the edges of the luminous character shell; Reflective mirrors are indeed not suitable in some scenes, but in the last two years, it was discovered that there were more and more mismatched color tones appearing on door signs.

Light emitting large font forming

7. Step 7: Engraving acrylic lettering with luminous lettering. The luminous surface of the lettering machine generally ranges from 1.8MM-5MM; Acrylic with a thickness of 1.8-2.8mm is commonly used by peers in luminous character processing factories; 3MM-5MM acrylic is commonly used in brand luminous character processing or in factories that produce high-quality luminous characters. Of course, it still needs to be determined based on the specifications and size of the luminous characters during production. The larger the font, the thicker the acrylic panel used, especially for outdoor large fonts. When choosing the thickness of the acrylic panel, special attention should be paid.

CNC carved acrylic panel

Step 8: After carving the illuminated text panel, the next step is to install the acrylic into the text shell; When the first step is to make the illuminated character board, the panel needs to be slightly retracted to allow the acrylic to fit in easily. After putting it in, seal it with glass glue on the back; Generally, glass adhesive requires the use of white adhesive with high weather resistance. If it is a large luminous character on the exterior wall, it needs to be sealed with structural adhesive.

Engraved illuminated text panel

9. Step 9: After installing the luminous character chip, it needs to be left there and dried overnight before moving. Next, we will start making the bottom plate of the character shell. The large characters on the bottom plate are welded with zinc plates, and the small characters are made of white PVC; Taking zinc plate baking white reflective paint as an example, the process of welding the bottom plate of the shell is the same as that of welding the shell panel, and the painting process is the same; Spraying white paint is to enhance the effect of its inner wall. Using zinc plate or stainless steel as the base, and aluminum plate as the base for large characters. Regardless of the material, as long as it is metal, it is generally better because it has good heat dissipation and cold resistance, especially when placed outdoors, it has stronger weather resistance.

Bottom plate welding sample

10. Step 10: After the bottom plate of the luminous character is made, it is immediately followed by the installation of lights, also known as installing lights; We usually install LED modules, and if it's indoor, we can also use light strips. Most outdoor luminous characters require LED modules with a certain waterproof level. There is 3M adhesive on the back of the module, which is evenly pasted on the bottom plate and then fixed with white glass adhesive. Double sided adhesive generally serves as a temporary fixing function, while structural adhesive or glass adhesive serves as a long-term sealing and fixing function. Especially when it comes to outdoor luminous characters, it's definitely not possible without glue.

Luminous character spray painting treatment

11. Step 11: Test the light, which can also be called dimming; If uneven areas are found, they will be adjusted evenly, and the areas that are not lit will be connected. At the same time, it is necessary to press down the line between the LED module and the module that emits the light; To prevent light blocking.

Light emitting character making cloth lamp test lamp

Step 12: After the completion of the luminous character test lamp, the assembly of the luminous character is completed; Fix the luminous character shell and the luminous character base plate with gong wire. Under normal circumstances, the gong wire should be of the same color as the edge of the character shell; Otherwise, it will appear more uncoordinated. If necessary, stainless steel gong wire must also be used for the gong wire.3D sign maker melbourne, wide format printing melbourne, light box maker melbourne

Surface film for luminescent characters

13. Step 13: After the assembly of the luminous characters is completed, it is necessary to check the font draft; The process of making luminous characters is essential in a factory, as a set of luminous characters must have many strokes. Therefore, it is necessary to write an installation draft to verify whether the luminous characters are complete.

Luminous word packaging

Step 14: After the calibration of the luminous characters is completed, they need to be packaged with bubble film. The surface protection of the luminous characters is the last step before leaving the factory. If they need to be shipped out of town after being wrapped with bubble film, they need to be packed in wooden boxes. If the luminous characters are large, they need to be shipped with a welded iron frame.SIGN WRITER MELBOURNE, SIGN MAKER MELBOURNE

Installation effect of luminous character roof

Step 15: Print the instruction sheet, leave the factory, and make the illuminated text. It is necessary to print the instruction detail sheet or delivery list before leaving the factory. In recent years, there has been a trend of soliciting and soliciting goods, and the transmission of information is crucial in the final step. Completing the above 15 steps for making luminous characters is considered officially completed.https://www.speedysignandprint.com.au