Star Signs LLC

Last Thursday, Materials and Processes traveled down to 801 East 9^th Street to visit Star Signs LLC.  This company fabricates signage and environmental graphics, and also provides installation for their customers.  The process starts off in the design lab, where they create computer models of the product and communicate with the customer.  After the design is made they send it to the shop.  Since customers all want different things, Star Signs do not stock every single material they have ever used.  They order the materials as needed.  However, many of the common materials we saw were different grades of aluminum, acrylic, steel, polycarbonate, PVC, vinyl, and hard woods.  We were all very curious about what made one grade of aluminum different from another.  Aluminum is very light and strong, and depending on what they are using the material for, they have to combine it with other metals to create different grades to fit their needs.  Another material I really found interesting was the vinyl.  They used this material in several ways, but the one I was most intrigued about was the use of it in their shop as a large Chiefs photo that looked as if it had been printed straight onto the wall.  After printing the photo on a piece of vinyl, it acted as a gigantic sticker that took form to the texture it was stuck on too, and in this case, it was a cinderblock wall.  Star Signs LLC also introduced me to many different processes.  Like Reuter Organ Company, Star Signs also utilized a CNC router, to cut out letters, shapes, and patterns.  They also used 2D and 3D printing.  In their ‘print lab,’ they had a process/finish that I had never seen before.  It was called photopolymer.  It is a 3D printing process that alters the material when it is exposed to light.  Star Signs primarily uses this process when adding brail to their signage.  Star Signs LLC not only introduced us interesting materials, but also gave us a good look at a company’s process through a project.