#1 Graphic Design and Installation in Dallas-Fort Worth
#1 Graphic Design and Installation in Dallas-Fort Worth
ACM, sold under names including Dibond, is two thin aluminium skins bonded to a solid polyethylene core.
It stays flat. It does not rot, rust, absorb water or delaminate. It handles North Texas summers and the temperature swings between a February morning and a July afternoon without warping. It is what most exterior flat signs should be made from, and it is not what a lot of them are made from, because PVC is cheaper on the quote.
Part of our signs, letters and graphics range, produced using direct to substrate printing.
3mm for wall-mounted panels up to about 4×8 feet, where the wall itself provides the support.
4mm for larger panels, post-mounted signage, and anything exposed to wind loading.
6mm for very large panels and freestanding applications.
Get this wrong and the panel oil-cans, meaning it flexes and ripples visibly in the middle. A 3mm panel mounted on posts in an open field will do this, and it is the difference between a sign that looks professionally specified and one that looks bought on price. It cannot be fixed after installation.
Building fascia and wall-mounted signs. Post and panel signage at site entrances. Construction hoarding and development boards, which is steady work in Collin County given the pace of building between Prosper, Celina and Anna. Tenant directory and listing boards. Parking, traffic and wayfinding signage. Monument sign faces and cladding. Real estate development boards. Menu and price boards in exterior positions.
Printed direct. UV ink applied straight to the panel surface. Our preference. No vinyl edge to lift, sharper detail, longer life, fewer production steps.
Vinyl faced. Printed vinyl applied to the panel. The advantage is that the graphic can be replaced later on the same panel, which is genuinely useful for tenant directory boards where names change, or for sponsor boards updated annually.
For a permanent sign, direct printing. For anything where the message changes on a reusable panel, vinyl faced.
Brushed and mirror-finish ACM is available where the metal surface is part of the design.
The panel itself lasts well over ten years and is not usually the limiting factor.
The graphic is. Direct printed with UV laminate, expect 5 to 7 years in North Texas before noticeable fade. South and west-facing signs go first, sometimes noticeably so on a building where the same sign appears on two elevations and one has visibly shifted while the other has not.
For freestanding signage, ACM panels mount to aluminium or timber posts, either face-fixed or captured in an extruded frame.
Frame-captured panels look considerably better and cost more, because the frame hides the panel edge and the fixings. Face-fixed panels show the bolt heads, which on a small site sign is acceptable and on an entrance sign for a business park is not.
Post depth and concrete footing depend on panel size and wind exposure. Oversized panels on undersized posts lean within a season, which is common on cheaply installed site signage.
ACM stands for aluminium composite material, a panel made of two thin aluminium sheets bonded to a plastic core. It is rigid, lightweight and fully weatherproof, which makes it the standard material for flat exterior business signs, site boards and directories.
The panel itself lasts well over ten years, and the printed graphic typically holds colour for 5 to 7 years in North Texas with UV lamination. Signs facing south and west fade fastest because of sustained afternoon sun exposure.
Yes, for anything permanent. PVC is cheaper and easier to cut, but it expands, contracts and bows after a couple of Texas summers outdoors. ACM stays flat and weatherproof for a decade or more, and iCandy Grafix recommends it for all permanent exterior flat signage.
Use 3mm for wall-mounted panels up to about 4×8 feet, 4mm for larger or post-mounted signs, and 6mm for very large freestanding panels. Under-specifying causes the panel to flex and ripple visibly in the middle, which cannot be corrected after installation.
Only if it was produced vinyl-faced rather than direct printed. Vinyl-faced panels allow the graphic to be stripped and replaced on the same panel, which suits tenant boards and annually updated sponsor signage. Direct printed panels are permanent and last longer.
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