Lisa Sperring, Sales Manager at Nova Aluminium discusses the issues of keeping flexface signage smooth in any temperature
A prolonged cold snap followed by warmer days can cause some ‘tell tale signs’ with flexface signage. The expansion and contraction of any material due to changes in temperature, be it metal, wood, plastic or vinyl, is expected but the side effects can cause unsightly issues. When it comes to flexface signage systems you may start to see wrinkles in the stretched graphic skin. These fluctuations of temperature lessen the effects of the tensioned material around the edges.
Spot the gap
All flexface systems are not created equally however, and these wrinkles can be minimised or even avoided. Most tensioned systems on the market use small plastic strips to clip the graphic skin into the frame. These clips are placed at intervals along the frame with gaps between each of them. It’s therefore understandable that using bits of plastic snapped on top of smooth vinyl will inevitably require you to have to keep re-tensioning the fabric over time, especially with extreme fluctuations in temperature.
Full perimeter tension
Nova Aluminium saw the solution was to eliminate the use of the plastic clips and seek to avoid any gaping around the framework. The result is the NovaFlex system, the only full perimeter tension product on the market. Step one is to easily thread thin aluminium rods along all edges of the material. This eliminates any gaping which in turn, reduces any pinching or creasing along the graphic. The second part of the puzzle was to avoid having to create the tension manually.
Hold on tight!
The NovaFlex system employs a standard drill to create the tension evenly around the frame at a few key points. This creates a stable and highly taught skin eliminating any future re-tensioning maintenance, offering further time and cost savings. Other systems may also have to employ extra wires behind the skins to stop them flapping in high winds. The NovaFlex system’s tension tool also allows for much bigger signs to be created that won’t flap due to superior tensile properties.