sign news

Service Neon Signs Incorporated played host to the staff of its trade association, the International Sign Association (ISA), for a tour of its Springfield, Virginia operations and facilities, December 13.

Leading the tours were Service Neon President Mark Luxenburg, General Manager Bob Gray, Jack Evans, Jim Illidge, Bill Spradlin, and Greg West. Founded in 1932, Service Neon employs a staff of 52, engaging in the manufacturing, service, shipping, installation, and permitting and processing of a variety of custom signs and letters.

ISA staff, numbering 20, witnessed Service Neon sign professionals bend neon tubing, cut plastic, vinyl and channel letters, crate materials, as well as demonstrate routing techniques. In honor of hosting the ISA staff, Mark Lappen, President and Chief Executive Officer, and John Johnson, Vice President, presented Luxenburg with a plaque.

Gray explained to the ISA staff that his enjoyment was hearing the customer state their satisfaction when their sign is completed. During the tour, when asked by an association staffer about the ISA’s benefit to Service Neon, Gray responded, "With our work in many states, it’s helpful knowing another ISA member within an area to contact for assistance. When our staff searches for an installer, they turn first to the ISA’s [membership] Directory and Buyer’s Guide. I know if we contact an ISA member, then we share a common bond."

A member of the ISA since 1992, Service Neon fabricates building signs, advertising signs, freestanding signs, illuminated signs, neon signs, identification markers, and displays for retail centers. Though the firm offers its service nationwide, much of Service Neon’s work can be viewed in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

With more than 65 years in the sign business, hundreds of companies have placed their trust in Service Neon to convey their business image in a manner that meets or exceeds their expectations, and that attracts attention. Service Neon values each customer as a partnership that begins with the initial design conception and carries through to the sign completion. To receive a listing of some of their most recent clients, contact Service Neon by phoning (703) 354-3000, or FAXing (703) 354-5810.

The U.S. on-premise sign industry is a $5.4 billion-a-year trade, providing approximately 250,000 jobs in congressional districts throughout the country. It consists of about 31,000 companies – all of which can provide hundreds of thousands of businesses with needed identification and advertising messages that help buyers and travelers make informed decisions. There are nearly 3,000 Canadian sign companies.

The on-premise sign includes a wide variety of sign types. All of these signs, however, are located on the premises of the concern they advertise and are considered necessary accessories to a business or establishment. On-premise signs can vary from large signs atop a pole marking a restaurant or shopping mall, to smaller directional signs.

ISA, with its headquarters in the Washington, DC area, was created in 1944 to service and promote the interests of the on-premise sign industry. ISA is a non-profit association of industry-related businesses and professionals serving its membership and the sign and graphics community through communication, education, technical, legislative, and regulatory programs.

For more information, contact ISA via the World Wide Web at http://www.signs.org. Or, call (703) 836-4012 or FAX ISA at (703) 836-8353.

UL engineers do the writing, working with advisory committees whose members represent a broad range of interest, including jurisdictional authorities who research, develop, revised and maintain UL's more than 700 Standards for Safety. They seek expert opinions and field experience that can help develop and update UL requirements.

After a Standard has been developed, it goes through review phases, beginning with UL's technical staff. Then the proposed Standard goes on to industry representatives. Their comments are received and carefully evaluated by UL engineers, who may revise the draft document to reflect appropriate safety.

The final phase opens the draft Standard to public comment through mailings and/or notices in trade publications. Recommendations received may often lead to another cycle of revisions, reviews and resolutions, it allows those who are affected by the Standard to contribute to its development.

(excerpt from The Code Authority)

UL has established new requirements for secondary ground fault protection for neon transformers and power supplies on UL Listed neon signage covered by the Standard for Electric Signs, UL 48, and Standard for Safety for Neon Transformers and Power Supplies, UL 2161.

The basic requirement of UL 2161 were derived by the need to provide secondary ground fault protection. The risk of fire increases in neon tubes where the transformer do not provide inherent secondary ground fault protection. Should a breakdown occur outside the transformer, it may result in arcing to dead metal or non-conductive surfaces that have gotten wet.

This new code requirement, which requires the neon transformer to kick off instantly when a short occurs to ground, has increased the cost of transformers. As of this date, all transformers used in new signage must be UL 2161 approved transformers.