Channel letter production reaches new heights

by carly_mchugh | 10 February 2023 11:54 am

By Dionne Greaves

This January, Atara Signs celebrated five years of operation.

During this time, we have gained valuable experience, and developed new skills and strategies to provide customers with quality channel letters. Our approach, techniques, and teamwork have allowed us to streamline manufacturing and delivery processes to better serve our clients from the retail, trades, and architectural sign industries.

We have found regardless of the size of the letters we are making—from our minimum sizing at 127 mm (5 in.) high to very large and oversized letters—the approach is always the same. We need to ensure they are well-made, esthetically pleasing, sturdy, durable, and well-priced, and they meet the production deadline.

When it comes to our team, having a general manager who is an experienced mechanical engineer is a valuable asset. Using input from other team members has also brought together ideas from a variety of perspectives—including our graphic designer, our computer numerical control (CNC) operator, and our fabricators and trim cap technicians. Our shop floor meetings, where we discuss progress and improvements, have kept us moving forward in our efforts to achieve and maintain the best-quality product.

Teamwork produces big results

Our general manager, Steven Taylor-Lewis, believes it is important for each person to understand the various parts of the process and the role they play within every project. He involves all team members in the production process, including office staff, who he will take to the shop floor to thoroughly describe and explain what we are working on and why production files need to be adjusted, or to give a different perspective for our quotations.

Over the last few years, we have had to develop new techniques and strategies to build oversized letters and have applied this team approach to challenges that were new to our manufacturing facility. It began when we were tasked with fabricating mid-sized, illuminated channel letters which were being installed in a wind belt. They needed to be able to withstand the constant force they would be subject to, so we had to come up with a design which included stronger materials and fabrication, to ensure the seams could hold up against more than the usual pressure. Soon after, a request came in for front-lit, 2.7-m (9-ft) tall channel letters.

Materials, supply schedule, font design and layout, fabrication and painting, and logistics and shipping all needed to be carefully considered. We used the same fabrication method for crane-mounted and wind belt letters as we did for the 2.7-m letters, which made them easier to assemble and allowed us to use more mechanical fasteners to increase their sturdiness.

Close attention to detail is important throughout every project. For example, we quickly realized the font style of the 2.7-m letters was going to require some additional ingenuity, as the extra-sharp points at the tips of the strokes could cause weak points and cracked edges during fabrication, or shadows when the sign was illuminated. Some of the letters also required multiple partial cuts, as their width exceeded that of the 1.5- x 3-m (5- x 10-ft) CNC router bed.

After each stage of fabrication was complete—from preparing and painting the trim cap to assembling the backs of the letters to the sides, painting the cans, painting the raceways, and assembling the cans to the raceways—multiple people were needed to manoeuvre the letters around the shop for the next step in the process.

The large letters required extra tables and surfaces for them to be worked on at various stages, as well as multiple hands to do tasks such as sanding the different elements prior to painting and laying LEDs inside the channel letter cans.

The 2.7-m letter request came along with four sets of raceways (carrier boxes) per letter, for ease of installation and for running electrical cables. Putting this together required the raceways to be made in maximum 3-m sections, for simpler shipping logistics.

Teamwork was very important during the fabrication of these letters. We had to be nimble every step of the way, to ensure the highest quality and economic value for the product we were delivering.

Building on experience

We were met with another challenge when a company asked us to build crane signs which would need to be installed before the crane was raised on a construction site. Again, we needed to ensure strength of fabrication, since the letters would be installed approximately 70.1 to 80.7 m (230 to 265 ft) above the ground. As a result, their ability to withstand the wind load was of the utmost importance. This request came with the need to build a welded mounting frame, for safe transportation to the site.

The layout and design were also highly important to this client. The letters would be very visible to passersby, so brighter illumination was used to draw more attention to the signage. In addition to the specific details which would need to be attended to, crane sign projects have to be completed within the very tight and firm deadlines of their respective construction projects.

In situations like these, it can be tempting to compromise on attention to detail, colour matching precision, and overall cleanness of appearance, due to the large size of letters and the height at which they would be installed. While some people claim no one can see an imperfection from way up high, our team strongly believes if we are not happy with it, our customer will not be happy with it, either.

We work diligently to ensure we pay close attention to every detail. In our painting process, we use colours from our colour matching paint system, seek help directly from paint suppliers if we are not confident we can get an exact match on our own, and leave our paint jobs to cure for an extra few days—just to make sure there are no fingerprints.

The next five years

Over the last five years, Atara Signs has taken the approach of listening to our clients’ needs, to ensure we understand their expectations and the details of their order. There is no job too large for our team—in fact, we are already reviewing a 4.2-m (14-ft) tall channel letter project with a client. To ensure the best possible result, our customer service and design staff may suggest alternative materials, products, or services which are more cost-effective or give better quality to our clients. Once the final order and cost have been approved, skilled production staff create the custom orders, combining up-to-date technology and traditional craftsmanship to meet specific needs. With this approach, we have ended up with happy clients and repeat orders. We will continue to strive for excellence in customer service and quality of product in the next five years.

Dionne Greaves is the manager at Atara Sign Manufacturing Corp. (Atara Signs). Over the last four years of starting with the company and entering the sign industry, she has gained a true enthusiasm for manufacturing in signage. With a background in customer service and project co-ordination, Greaves’ creative mind helps to shape all the projects that go through the facility. She is looking forward to the years to come in the sign industry, with developing technology and advancements.

Source URL: https://www.signmedia.ca/channel-letter-production-reaches-new-heights/

---