How To Build Channel Letters

Contrary to popular belief, the construction and manufacturing of channel letters is easier than ever before. What used to be a laborious, time-consuming, and tiresome procedure is not simple to complete with automatic processes. Furthermore, LED lighting features have made channel lettering lighting much easier to create and manage. Although, for many companies who do not create channel letters, the question remains whether or not to begin building them in-house? This article will provide information on how to build channel letters and discuss how channel letters can be profitable as a sign system.

If your company does not offer channel lettering signage, but has been presented with the opportunity to do this, then the first logical step is to employ a wholesaler. Of course, as the volume of orders increases – and it potentially will – it may be best to continue subcontracting instead of producing the graphics in-house. Why bother with in-house channel letter fabrication when there is the option of outsourcing the product?

According to James Van Landingham of FX Sign Wholesale in California, the wholesale dealers are not attempting to keep companies from growing, but they are helping them to become larger stores. He states that a company can develop a customer base without having to invest in any fabrication equipment by using wholesalers. People feel that they need to expand production capabilities to grow, by Van Landingham argues that sales can be expanded without the need to increase production capabilities when using a wholesale dealer.

Van Landingham also stated that using wholesalers allows companies to bridge gaps between the product line and customers. He felt this is highly beneficial when a company is new to an industry as they are still learning all the “ins and outs” of the market, such as regulations, site surveys and permits. As a company learning to build channel letters, your business needs to be better prepared to make the leap to in-house development; therefore, it would help to use wholesale services when preparing for this jump.

If the time is correct, and there is enough volume to justify this, the next step would be to choose between fabricating channel lettering using a DIY approach or an automated system. Manual fabrication will typically require a four-foot brake, notching tools, a jigsaw for formation of the letters, and a flange for the aluminum. The automated systems, however, do not require any of these items and will not need you to perform any manual duties.

According to Don Breneman of Breneman Enterprises in Texas, the larger automated systems are beneficial; however, when the order volume is small it may be better to use inexpensive and lightweight manual equipment. If the company is small, it may be best to begin with a manual approach and when you can justify automated systems, then consider using these. The investment in automation can be useful, but Breneman points out that it is also expensive.

Michael Adams, the owner of Adams Technology in Colorado, is a strong supporter of customizing channel letters and maintaining this personalized value. His company manufacturers various automated channel letter bending machinery arguing that automation has led to commoditization. Adams argues that this concept of commoditization is complicated and challenging to avoid when dealing with large retailers and big projects where all components are specified. In smaller projects, however, customization can remain and the typical channel letter can be made more original.

Nowadays, with the increasing capacities of automatic channel letter building systems, the signs no longer need to be part of the commoditization perspective. Adams states that companies can add value to their signs through fabrication of personalized pieces combining lighting and decoration with digital printing. For example, local restaurants using channel letters will not have the same lettering as Home Depot making them more original than typical. They will want smaller, neater, and cleaner signage that is more sophisticated than the average commodity lettering.

One of the letter-bending customization methods used by Adams in his company is known as automated broaching. Adams explains that this procedure is typically used to help with the production of letters that are dimensional or architecturally fabricated. Most fabricators would complete this technique manually with a grooving tool to score and bend the materials; however, broaching is not used to automatically achieve the same result with a machine.

According to Adams, the use of automated broaching is far more beneficial than manual bending because it provides sharper corners and tighter returns. He says that this method also results in trimless channel lettering where the sign is created without any plastic trim; thereby providing a significant type of uniformity among the letters. Adams warns, however, that if a company chooses this route they should use the machinery entirely and not halfway. It is difficult to retract lettering once the procedure has started.

If you are looking for the tips to find the right company for Individual letters for signs, go through our next article.