Acrylic Signage

UNDERSTANDING ACRYLIC

Acrylic signage is one of the more common and durable signage used in the sign industry in Singapore, as evident in its vast applications across various mediums. With its versatility, ease of use, and relative light weight compared with other materials, it has become the main choice of material for the fabrication of signages in Singapore.

That said, not all acrylic are created equal, and choosing the right type of acrylic material will ensure that the signage performs as intended. For example, a special type of light acrylic will be needed if light is required to permeate through it, as conventional acrylic do not allow for the full permeation of light.

Acrylic is part of the plastics family, and plastics come in two main forms:

• Thermoplastics: This type of plastic is softened by heat, and can be moulded via injection moulding or vacuum formed; Acrylic, polypropylene, polystyrene, polythene and PVC are examples of thermoplastics.
• Thermosets: These are plastics that are formed by the heating process, and its shape and form are then permanently set and cannot be changed by further heating; These are the types of plastics used for more permanent applications such as sauce pan handles, polyester and epoxy resins.

As such, the plastics family used for signages are thermoplastics for its flexible and vast applications, whereas thermosets are used more for creating consumable products. Thermoplastics can be further sub-divided into different types of plastics, each with their own characteristics and uses:.

• Acrylic: Acrylic sheets come in varying thicknesses, sizes, colours and opacity level. Some acrylics even have UV qualities allowing them to be used in the exterior environment. Acrylics can be moulded, cut, glued, spray-painted, formed, and fabricated to produce some very intricate signs. Lightbox signage contain opal or clear acrylic faces as they disperse light extremely well, and router cut text is normally cut from acrylic as this normally lighter than other materials.
• PVC and uPVC: This type of plastic is stiff, hard and tough while being extremely lightweight. It comes in a sheet form and is sometimes used as background for signs.
• Polycarbonate: This type of plastic is very strong and has many uses. In the signage industry, polycarbonate is used for areas where there is high traffic or the possibility something may be struck against the sign. One disadvantage of using polycarbonate however, is that it is more susceptible to scratches than acrylic.

ACRYLIC IN SIGNAGES

Signage fabricated from acrylic material has distinct advantages. Its extreme durability, clarity, malleability, and ability to take on a wide spectrum of colours makes it a flexible enough to cater to a wide range of applications. Furthermore, it can be heated and formed to various shapes, bends, and angles to suit your requirements.

Acrylics can also be used for illuminated signs, as they help disperse light evenly and can be coated with a translucent vinyl to change or vary the colour accordingly to your corporate requirements. Illumination or lighting can be done using florescent tubes, LEDs or even neon tubes. This can then in turn be fabricated in the shapes such as letterings of various fonts or your logo to produce some very visually-pleasing signs.

Advantages of acrylic
The inherent characteristics of acrylic provide the following advantages:

• durability
• clarity
• malleability
• light permeability
• wide colour options
• flexible and vast range of applications
• ease of maintenance

Applications of acrylic
Apart from making it a good choice material for signage, applications of acrylic also commonly include:

• Light boxes
• Directional signs
• Custom holders
• Trade show exhibits
• Pamphlet holders
• Point-of-sale promotional elements
• Name plates and labels

The uses of acrylic are only limited by the imagination. With a bit of creativity, acrylic can be used to enhance the visual aesthetics of existing signage. Multi-coloured letterings, layers of coloured acrylic strips, company logo in custom-fabricated acrylic materials, are just some examples. Should you wish to depart from the conventional, a custom laser-cut 3D signage is a good choice.

SignageMaker.Sg has created numerous quality custom signboards and signages using acrylic as can be seen from our portfolio. So if you have requirements for acrylic signage, contact us today!