Neon Has The Answer for Channel Letters

The market for channel letters have been increasing due to government regulation to mandate or recommend dimensional signs, which took effect years ago. Accordingly, the demand for lighting sources, which are applied on channel letters, is also growing. Though the next generation lighting sources such as LEDs is starting to gain popularity, the spotlight is still on neon. We are going to take a look at the trend of neon market, which is growing in parallel with channel signs.

The Primary Illumination for Channel Letters.
In Korea, the lighting source, which is most widely used for channel letters, is, needless to say, neon. These days, a great number of coldcathode lamps, featuring low voltage and high luminance, are being applied, and LEDs have also been under a lot of scrutiny and R&D for possible application as channel letters illumination since a few years ago. The volume of consumption for LEDs lighting source has been steadily increasing. According to industry insiders, the demand for channel letters incorporating into neon as a lighting source increased 30% last year compared to two years ago, and this year, it has also risen 30% to 40% from the previous year so far. The increase in the demand for channel letters prompted vigorous movement in the neon market. A sign maker said, “Though a variety of the alternative lightings are been developed and introduced in the market, the primary lighting source for channel letters is still neon. More than 90% of channel letters use neon as a lighting source. Neon is still gaining the most of market share except for some applications where neon cannot be installed due to narrow space.”

Prejudice
There are some misunderstandings about channel letters using neon illumination because they can achieve only letters, compared to others illumination signage which can provide animation and various graphics. As a result, neon channel letters could be less effective than other signage, which can provide colorful and various graphic images. Some advertisers dismissed neon illumination channel letters as inferior, based on a false belief that channel letters can be clearly seen only at night. According to them, those signs can be colorific at night but messy and low in visibility during daytime. However, there are few signs as flexible as neon channel letters. It is possible to avoid a fixed and monolithic image using neon’s feature of flashing. Neon can also highlight luxurious images by making it possible to use various fonts other than standardized Gothic. It is the existence of such a good lighting source that can accommodate various shapes of channel letters. Nothing can do it but neon, which can be easily processed. Neon channel signs have some safety issues such as electric shock or short circuit caused by overload. It is important to make sure that neon tubes are kept at a certain distance from the steel plates when installing a channel sign and that a bushing is placed between the high voltages line and the steel plates to separate them

Nothing Forever
In the meanwhile, coldcathode lamps with low voltage and high current are increasingly
Expanding in the market instead of the existing neon which is of high voltage and low
current. Currently its applications include large corporations and financial institutions to highlight CI or company name, and are being extended for retail sign purpose. Coldcathode lamps, which refer to neon tube with a diameter of over 18mm, can provide a feature of gradation that enables color to change more smoothly and sonorously. They cost much to operate because they emit far more light than ordinary neon. Yet their ability to maneuver brightness over a wide rage provides more opportunities to be used as lighting sources for large-scale channel signs. “Coldcathode lamps are easy to maintain because they are robust in harsh weather conditions such as typhoon, earthquake and vibration,” said a channel letter vendor. “many companies prefer coldcathode lamps because they offer higher illuminations and large visual range." He added “Neon channel letters vary in their brightness depending on whether a cap is in place or not, therefore, capped channel letters goes better with coldcathodes lamps.” He also explained about the movement in channel letters market. “LEDs are used for small channel signs, so more and more companies are dedicated to developing various new illuminations.