{"id":47,"date":"2015-03-30T10:03:12","date_gmt":"2015-03-30T10:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/graphicdisplayusa.com\/blog\/?p=47"},"modified":"2020-02-12T00:11:03","modified_gmt":"2020-02-12T00:11:03","slug":"3as-rigid-substrates-help-create-large-format-graphic-displays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/3acompositesusa.com\/blog\/3as-rigid-substrates-help-create-large-format-graphic-displays\/","title":{"rendered":"3A\u2019s Rigid-Substrates Help Create Large-Format Graphic Displays"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"6fdb3cadb6a3b9d1220607e77d5a6ecb_f587\"<\/a>PhotoWorksGroup, Inc., a large-format graphic solutions provider based in Charlottesville, Va., has been creating large-format graphics, exhibits, displays and signs for museums, universities, healthcare institutions, manufacturers and corporations for nearly 30 years.<\/p>\n

While PhotoWorksGroup utilizes all types of media, including fabric and vinyl, Geoff Kilmer, president, PhotoWorksGroup, estimates that three out of every four of the company\u2019s projects are produced with rigid substrates. To meet the individual needs of each project, Kilmer frequently turns to the wide array of rigid substrates offered by 3A Composites USA and distributed by Sudlersville, Md.-based Harbor Sales Co<\/a>.<\/p>\n

PhotoWorksGroup<\/a> has utilized graphic display boards ranging from Fome-Cor\u00ae paper-faced foam board to Gatorfoam\u00ae heavy-duty foam board with wood-fiber veneers, Sintra\u00ae PVC board and Dibond\u00ae aluminum composite material to create large-format displays.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe appreciate the consistency of 3A Composites\u2019 rigid substrates,\u201d said Kilmer. \u201cSome extruded panels have inconsistencies and cause headaches when we\u2019re laminating graphics because air becomes entrapped. We appreciate the consistency of a product like Sintra, which we prefer for higher-end permanent displays.\u201d<\/p>\n

In order to recommend the best rigid substrate for individual large-format displays, Kilmer asks several initial project questions, including:<\/p>\n

\u03bdIs this project designed for indoor or outdoor display?
\n\u03bdHow long is this project designed to be displayed?
\n\u03bdHow large is this graphic? \u201cOften the graphic\u2019s size \u2013 which might require the material to be paneled and seamed \u2013 will dictate the substrate,\u201d said Kilmer.
\n\u03bdHow will the graphic output be produced? Will the rigid substrate be digitally direct-printed? Or, will the graphic output consist of vinyl printed with a solvent-based ink or a LightJet photo printed and mounted to the rigid substrate?
\n\u03bdWill the rigid substrate be a good fit for the client\u2019s budget?
\nPhotoWorksGroup has selected 3A Composites\u2019 rigid substrates for creating everything from a permanent interior environmental makeover for a university\u2019s football team to short-term point-of-purchase retail-store displays and exterior realty sales signage.<\/p>\n

\"a5ea46b67130ef8523d31ee04abaf86f_f586\"<\/a>Environmental Makeover<\/strong><\/p>\n

PhotoWorksGroup fabricated and installed a complete environmental makeover in late-2007 for the UVA Football Cavaliers\u2019 offices\/facilities housed at The University of Virginia\u2019s McCue Center in Charlottesville.<\/p>\n

Included in the makeover are two-sided free-standing displays installed in an upper-level hallway featuring photos of well-known UVA Football alumni. Each free-standing exhibit features two sets of 3-foot by 8-foot player images positioned within a 10-foot tall custom frame. The player images are LightJet prints on photographic paper panels, which were laminated with a thermally activated textured vinyl, then mounted using pressure-sensitive adhesive onto 6mm black Sintra\u00aegraphic display board. The graphic panels were bent to a specified radius to fit custom-welded tubular frames and held in place with metal caps and mechanical fasteners. Each display is securely bolted to the building\u2019s concrete floor and ceiling.<\/p>\n

While designed as part of a permanent makeover, the configuration of these free-standing displays allows them to be updated easily by \u201cswapping out graphics and securing them in place,\u201d according to Kilmer.<\/p>\n

\u201cSintra was selected for these free-standing displays because it conforms to a radius curve and holds up well; it\u2019s also cost-effective,\u201d said Kilmer. \u201cWe chose black Sintra because we wanted to bleed the graphic to the edge and cut it clean. The black edge offers an upscale look.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Sintra is a lightweight-yet-rigid expanded PVC material. Durable Sintra is easy to fabricate with wood or foam board techniques. It cuts cleanly, creating smooth edges; and, it can be direct printed and accept vinyl graphics. Sintra fabricates easily without special tools and can be formed and laminated to other materials. )<\/p>\n

The UVA Football environmental makeover also features lower-level hallway displays, including suspended ceiling headers decorated with images of the Virginia Cavaliers\u2019 \u201cV-Sabre\u201d logo on contour-cut vinyl and mounted to vinyl-wrapped Gatorfoam\u00ae graphic display board. The vinyl completely wraps a sandwich of two \u00be-inch thick sheets of kraft-colored Gatorfoam to form these durable header panels.<\/p>\n

(Gatorfoam consists of polystyrene foam bonded between two layers of wood-fiber veneer laminate \u2013 a unique construction that makes this substrate rigid yet lightweight and warp-resistant; its surface also is exceptionally smooth and strong, offering superior dent- and scratch-resistance.)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe chose Gatorfoam for the headers because it is a lightweight-yet-rigid substrate that doesn\u2019t warp; the natural kraft color was most cost-effective,\u201d said Kilmer. \u201cThe Gatorfoam was completely encapsulated with vinyl, which increases the dimensional stability of these headers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additional pieces fabricated by PhotoWorksGroup for the UVA Football makeover included cabinets, custom aluminum fabricated rails, laser-etched acrylic, custom framing, direct application photomurals and waterjet-cut aluminum logos.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe graphics\u2019 sizes were scaled to the space in McCue Center,\u201d said Kilmer. \u201cThey have a huge impact because they are scaled appropriately. Both hallways had been completely bare; this makeover really transformed the space.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"77d5a061322a48751c5d453335d76162_f584\"<\/a>Retail-store P-O-P Displays<\/strong><\/p>\n

PhotoWorksGroup was approached in late-2013 to create 30 life-sized standees of University of Virginia Basketball Coach Tony Bennett to be installed as point-of-purchase displays for three to six months to support a supermarket chain\u2019s soft-drink promotion.<\/p>\n

PhotoWorksGroup used a SCREEN Truepress Jet 1600 UV-F flatbed with a vacuum bed to direct print Bennett\u2019s image with a bleed onto 3\/16-inch thick white Fome-Cor\u00ae board. The printed images featured vector-generated contour cutting lines that were cut out with a CNC router. Scrap Fome-Cor board was used to create easel backs for the life-sized cutouts.<\/p>\n

(Fome-Cor board consists of extruded polystyrene foam bonded between various high-quality papers that feature a smooth surface for decorating. Fome-Cor board is lightweight, rigid, warp-resistant and easy to cut.)<\/p>\n

The short-term nature of these point-of-purchase displays as well as budget constraints led PhotoWorksGroup to recommend Fome-Cor board for the cutouts, according to Kilmer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew that Fome-Cor board would hold up for this use,\u201d said Kilmer. \u201cAnd, we were able to meet the client\u2019s budget.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"dac8f8549c6ebc2e837630e21076fadb_f582\"<\/a>Exterior Signage<\/strong><\/p>\n

When PhotoWorksGroup was contacted by a real-estate agency in late-2014 to create exterior 10-by-4 foot two-sided signs promoting residential sales in a new adult community, there was only one rigid substrate that Kilmer would recommend for the job \u2013 Dibond\u00ae aluminum composite material.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor this type of outdoor signage, I wouldn\u2019t use anything but Dibond,\u201d said Kilmer. \u201cIt offers more rigidity and carries a better wind load than sign blank.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Dibond is a rigid, durable aluminum composite material consisting of two pre-painted sheets of .012-inch aluminum bonded to a solid polyethylene core \u2013 a unique composition that makes it approximately one-half the weight of aluminum. Dibond, the flattest panel on the market, offers a superior surface for direct digital-printing as well as for mounting graphics. Dibond won\u2019t bow or oil can.)<\/p>\n

PhotoWorksGroup direct-printed two sets of identical realty graphics onto 4mm white Dibond panels with a SCREEN Truepress Jet 1600 UV-F flatbed with a vacuum bed. The signs were inserted back-to-back into a custom frame built from 4-by-4-inch pressure-treated wood posts cut with slots to accept the signage, which was secured with screws installed at an angle. This frame was designed to open from the top to accept new signage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe prefer to print on white Dibond with the UV flatbed printer because we don\u2019t have to apply a white undercoat; the ink sticks well to the Dibond,\u201d said Kilmer. \u201cThis project was a cost-effective approach to real-estate signage. It\u2019s not fancy but effective. It provides branding for both the real-estate agency and the sales property.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photography courtesy of PhotoWorksGroup<\/a><\/p>\n