UFB Fabrication
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Posts posted by UFB Fabrication
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BTW the Ushio LED "bulbs" are dimmable? What type of dimmer is best?
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Congrats on the 13 years !!!!! How time flies when you are having fun.....
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Unless a company/exhibitor has unlimited budget for show marketing it has to have a measured ROI. As far as a show goes it has to have something to see as an attendee and without attendees you won't have exhibitors. Kind of a chicken or the egg thing.
Anyway here is a flyer of our show in Feb. BTW I am pretty sure the Tri-State Sign Association will have a meet and greet directly after the show. We would love to see the Sign Syndicate members stop by.
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We are an approved Signcomp fabricator. We have always ordered straight from Signcomp. The problem is we always had was waiting for the supply house to approve the order. Great company to work with.
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3 hours ago, Brian said:
What paint do you prefer for painting PVC routed letters indoor use.
We use Mathews. On a second note since its so much work to sand the edges and have them decent we switched to acrylic. A bit more money for matl but almost no prep labor
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I think it does not make a difference what continent its made on its how its made. This will include materials used eng. ,assy. methods and QC. I am not a fan of much not made in the states but I know the the good old USA can put out crap as well. I am no fan of China but to generalize is not always accurate.
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16 hours ago, Sign Lady said:
We have the Gerber router. It is amazing. Only problem right now is it got hit by lightening and we have to have it repaired. But has been a beast and worth every penny until now!
I do know shops that have Gerber and they also seem to like them. I only worry that Gerber came into the sign Biz like a lion with cutting edge technology 10-20 years ago and has not made any move forward since and everyone else has passed them by.
On a second note none of these brands and others will not run without need of service. IMHO that is the key a 100 grand machine sitting is useless. I want parts the next day or the software glitch fixed in almost real time.
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7 hours ago, ChannelBender1 said:
Hi Rene, since you decided on the best channel letter bender available. The Super ChannelBender XP from SDS / Adams Tech, it will need a solid router to keep up with it. Based on what I see all over the US and Canada Multicam or AXYZ are the go-to brands. Don't look at anything smaller than 5' x 10'. If you go 4' x 8' you'll regret it. Get a tool changer and vacuum hold down also. You'll need vacuum hold down for cutting faces accurately enough to work with our Trimless LetterForm coil and tool changers just make life so much easier....and faster.
I agree with the exception of get a 6' table. We end up cutting a fair amount of work for other shops that cant go above 4 or 5 feet wide. If you want to wait until Jan we are selling one of our older 5x10 Multicams to upgrade to a new 7x12 Multicam Apex
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I guess you got the same email special as me
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We just ordered our 4th Multicam. 84x144 bed with tool changer and so on. Just under a 100k with vacuum pump. All of our machines are Multicam. Was at another big shop a few weeks ago and they have 6. Ours run 8+ hours a day. Anything less is a hobby machine. By the best and only cry once.
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On 9/27/2017 at 10:54 AM, Sign Lady said:
LOL - I'm glad cause I don't like being fussed at. Believe me, I bitch about the folks that don't pull permits and licenses around here. We have 2 right now that are working on the weekends and in the wee hours of the morning - one with a pull behind lift - no names anywhere - to keep from pulling business licenses and permits. I keep thinking the City will do what they would to me if I were doing it and fine them, but nothing is ever done to them because the folks with the City won't get out on the weekends and or at night to catch them to even find out who they are. That is the kind of work we fight against every day too, so I completely understood what you meant, just felt like it was kind of a broad statement that seemed like you thought that everybody that had not spent the money to do the crane certification were "HACKS". That was the only thing I took offense to. Not the fact that you were calling the true hacks, hacks because I couldn't agree with you more!
Just wanted to tighten the stroke of the brush a little, that's all.
My customer lost a channel letter job to a company that did not pull any permits. The sign that went up was on a building directly adjacent to city hall where the inspectors showed up to work. My guy complained and they did nothing. Government at its finest...SMH
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Does the forum have a way to block forum members?
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Non Illum here for us. We dont have retail customers and are back in a industrial court and trying to stay low key. Expanding again soon and hope to do the whole corporate thing with flags in the front yard and helipad :-)
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Sall Pat Crocker Eng. does a ton of work for sign companies. He also understands signs and does not go overboard with complications. decent price as well.
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Okie Dokie boys and girls, when describing aluminum faces with the letters cut out and backed up with plex is the proper term "routed" or "routered" ?
Or is it a regional thing?
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We are seeking a CNC programmer. our CNC routers and channel letter bender, plotter, printer and more. We are one of the largest shops in the region and are continually growing. We are in St. Louis County . Experienced only apply. Send resume attention Steve Amrein to samrein@ufbfab.com
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I havent had to deal with cranes in 15-20 years but I thought that aerial equip had to be inspected by a 3rd party. Either poor install. improper bolt sizing or severe rust. All preventable.
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We have had multiple machines and still use the old ones in a emergency. We bought our from International Welding Technologies in Jersey. It works far better than any other brand we have owned. Better weld with the least amount of work on the face. They also have good pricing on consumables.
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On 5/1/2017 at 9:20 AM, alltex said:
Well a great start would be to remind us (former) paying members to continue our memberships! I don't see my biz on the installer map? Shoot me a bill, and I'll fix that.
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Great article, well thought out and written. I agree on the shipping portion as neon is always a issue in shipping. Also the amount of qualified neon shops has diminished by 80+ % or more. I also think as time goes on fewer shops will be able to diagnose and repair neon fluorescent and HID signs. Eventually it will be so bad that some towns wont have a way to service anything but LED's.
As we have spoken about before I have wondered if light degradation and the importance is a huge issue. Not that it fixes the problem but likely most storefront shops wont survive 5 years, will have moved or have rebranded. Lastly I agree wholeheartedly about trade mags and associations. Harder to stand up to your friends then enemies.
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14 hours ago, Erik Sine said:
I never did get a response from Laura Peters on this
I dont think they ever respond to any criticism or request for correction from the unwashed dirty masses from on the high.....
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15 hours ago, Erik Sine said:
Sign Industry Fake News
Fake News has become a recent term that came about our country's recent election BUT, the term has well defined our industry for some time
I've been asleep and was pretty much dormant for some time writing about the writers of our industry, the self claimed "Trade Magazines", or as most of us well seasoned tradesman and women like to call them, the "Trade Rags, Brochure Rags, Brochure Magazines".
I took a brief leave because one of the worst magazines in our industry did a complete 180˙ from bad to good, Signs of The Times started doing a better job of balanced industry information. I coined the editors name of Wade to "Community Organizer" because for a period of time it became all about the broad positions he held and surrounded himself with, ISA, the Foundation, his Advertisers, and being Media. I took that title away after SOT turned for the better, and Brochure Magazines like Sign Builder Illustrator, & Signs & Digital Graphics continued to decline.
Once I heard Wade was leaving and another took his position, I had a feeling it was only a matter of time where I would once again be writing about, the writers. I didn't get to coin the new name of SOT, another did and it's well fitting, "The Community Agitator". That is because she has strong core political convictions that divide everyday American's, and that spilled into the Magazine one month and after so many complaints she choose NOT to address it or support her position.
SOT today, we can officially say has slowly started to decline once again.
This is all okay.
It's okay because as you might already know, their not highly read anymore as they once were, and one day they will go the way of the Penny Saver, here today, gone tomorrow.
You don't have to take my word on this, just look at any of the three and you'll see that they have become more and more thin over time, it's like they went on a crash diet from paper.
Sign Builder at one time was the better of the three, and SDG has always been consistent, consistent as being known as the lowest of the low.
Sign & Digital Graphics is the only one to this day tied to Convention Shows, so it might be the reason why they position themselves to be more promotional than actual informational though....that seems to be changing, maybe more on that later
If there is one Magazine above all others that wears the badge name of "Fake News" it's Sign & Digital Graphics.
In fact, I don't even know why they bother to have an editor. There should just be a online shopping cart that had a Bonus Button that can be added with purchase "with annual purchase of full page ads, submit your free marketing material here".
I don't read Sign & Digital Graphics that much but I noticed a peculiar article the other day posted on LinkedIn called LED Insights. Having some background knowledge it peaked my interest.
SDG LED Insights is written by Bryan Vincent, also co-owner of Principal LED, who also owns Ventex, Ventex is a consolidation of both Ventex & Transco. Ventex and Transco are known for their Neon Products, Ventex primarily for their SST Neon Transformers. For a period of time Ventex tried to promote and sell a proprietary class I LED system that had has had some very bad power supply issues. We had a number of them fail on our own in house testing that Ventex supplied us for their products. Needless to day, Ventex tried harder at one point to push their LEDs over their customer/following preferred long time legacy Neon Components by pushing Retrofitting of LED VenBrites. They still might continue that marketing today, I just haven't kept up.
Ventex who once was a champion of Neon tuned bad guy over night with their CEO (John Boyd) putting on seminars that Neon 15/30 Transformers loading 15mm Red consume 510 watts.
He was one of the early helpers in our Sign Syndicate's Great White Hope Project Test. He knows full well they do not. He conveniently left out the power factor of that transformer to push the ROI and appearance of their LEDs much better.
A 15/30 max load are also 3.75 watts (name plate value). 3.75a x 120v x .57 (NPF) = 256.5w
Also, no one loads these to max usually 80%, or 205 watts
So to learn of this was very disappointing, and it said to me ..."desperate"
So....Fake News, and SDG "LED Insights", which should really be called Principal LED insights...HELL, the SDG should just be called "Principal LED Sign & Digital Graphics".
I haven't picked up an issue in some time but all electric sign marketing says Principal LED whether it's photo's used for another rep, ERRRRrrrr.....writer, and Ventex, with a throw in of "Bitro" once in a while, still trying to figure out that relationship.
Back to the 2014 article that popped up on LinkedIn the other day, the LED insights for January 2014 just circles the companies co-partners, and when it came to quoting it was only the close related, sure some other companies were named but let's look at the primaries who played a big part in the article who were the story passing off marketing claims as if they were fact and going to different sources, which in fact they were all coming from only one source in reality. This is probably before the Principal officially owned Ventex, but obviously their sites were already set on the acquisition . No proof but it's my opinion, a little research would be required but it's a safe bet to assume.
Who can take the never ending loop of Principal LED in S&DG seriously, and in "matter of fact"?
Just this month, we have their "The Life of the Lighted Sign" by "freelance" Ryan Fugler, pictures in bold print "Image courtesy of Principal LED". I mean, how kind of them to donate their pics to be promoted once again in the Principal LED magazine??? Out of 11 photo's 5 are Principal's, the rest are Bitro....again. The dynamic Duo.
No matter what happens in the brochure magazine you just can't escape the two companies or quotes by either of them. It's any wonder that any LED company actually exists in the sign industry other than these two in the S&DG World.
Just like EVERY Marketing article that this brochure Magazine pimps out, there is one thing they ALL have in common and that is that there are NO real numbers are ever put out, only vague marketing points.
Whether it's Pro's and Con's of all light sources discussed, Light Output, or Cost of Operation, those are facts and numbers they will NEVER put out, because they can't....THAT would defer YOU as the reader and question the entire article because once you have a standard or relationship of the light sources the rest is easy to figure out
They depend on the ignorance of the reader, the editor (maybe, or not, maybe it's a nice chunk of change to turn the other way or ask questions), and customer base is clearly built on "if you say it enough times, it's believable....and if it's in print, it MUST be true!
Principal & Bitro must be the best thing out in the market because that's all you read about in Sign & Digital Graphics
About 10 years ago we contacted Wade @ SOT about doing a artical for the mag. After initial discussion we were given a go to start the article. We took pics and did a nice job giving a tutorial of how the sign was built giving out tips. We then got the text to fit their criteria and had the pics cropped and fixed to go with the article. This sign BTW is the one in my avatar which is on a landmark building and the sign is a landmark. Even on the opening had the mayor and local news along with a hundred or so people to see the sign fire up. Anyway the gave excuse after excuse as months went by until finally they said the sign had been up so long the article was no longer relevant. At the time It kinda made sense until I spoke with one of my colleagues who had a sign up before ours and a articles after our wasnt relevant. Turns out he used LEDS that so happened to be a big advertiser and who also had submitted the project. Hmmmm.
I do have to give SS a Jab as one of the members asked about a CNC letter bender. A few folks including myself answered only to be rebutted by one of SS advertisers and basically turned into a advertisement for his product.........
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I look at this another way. To many hacks are still touching neon. Eventually those with the skills to build and service it we will be the only ones working on it and actually able to charge what its worth.
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On 3/21/2017 at 4:32 PM, Signsfast said:
for the record, we also put silicone on each led module along with the provided VHB tape. added insurance, nothing wrong with it. Id call it hack if they didnt use silicone.
We also silicone every LED on both sides as its possible for the vhb tape to fail. We caulk the seams between the returns and backs for both clinched or welded letters. On a side note LED's that have the "circuit board" look always look cheap to me and not really a sign component. Lastly when this fails how do the get warranty replacements? I know of a company no longer in business that did a massive change over and 3 months later it had over a 80 percent failure rate. When it was time to start getting warranty and replacements the company did nothing leaving him to replace it all 600+k worth out of pocket. Kind of like buying a rolex out of a guys trunk at the gas station. I only buy LED's and electric parts from someone who can and will either replace or will be writing checks to fix the problem. Just like the allanson trans thread I dont give a rip about the transformer cost I acre about the service call cost and my rep as a wholesale builder.
Our new router
in General Message Board
Posted
Our newest Router is just installed and up and running. 84''x144'' 11 station tool changer with a water cooled spindle. We replaced a 60''x120'' 8 station carousel tool changer (to small). The new one is parked next to out 14 year old machine that is still running and making $. Funny we were talking about how scared we were that the machine would not get used enough to justify the cost. Now between 3 machines we have 100 hours a week in routing time and impossible to do what we do. The new machine is a step up again in speed and efficiency. Sorry if I sound like a sales rep for them but they have not given me so much as a tshirt .....
We have never been sorry about purchasing equipment, scared when looking at a string of zeros on the cost though. It might not work that way for everyone but buy it and spend time on growing your biz and dont look back.