LED: The New Revolution in the Sign Industry
LED lamps (which are actually semi-conductor chips) have launched a new wave in the signage and illuminated frames industry, thanks to their cost-effective, environmentally friendly technology.

In 1996, Signalex began developing its first edge-lit sign system using T8 lamps. As time went by, lighting methods evolved from T8 to T5 and T4. In cooperation with Ultralex for the LED technology, and after over a year of in-house testing, Signalex was able to refine its edge lit system to offer a Super Slim, Edge-lit signage, based on the original edge-lit system. The models are called "MINI" (0.56" thick), "MIDI single-sided" (1" thick), "MIDI double-sided" (1.375" thick), "MAXI single-sided" (1.625" thick) and "MAXI double-sided" (2" thick).

Signalex is proud to say that the "MINI" Slim-Brite sign, with its 0.56" thickness, is currently the slimmest light box available on the market. But we are not stopping there. We are currently testing a "MICRO SLIM" frame, which will have a thickness of 0.468" !

Caution ! Not all LEDs are created the same
Not all LED lamps are the same. There are many LEDs manufacturers, ranging from very large proven companies, to small struggling manufacturers. Many lack experience in this new technology, yet offer their products on the market. Choosing a proper supplier is vital to the quality and longevity of your sign box. An another vital criterion is the intensity of the light (LUX reading), as well as the rate of degradation of the light (loss of luminosity over the life of the LEDs). And finally, the quality of the power supply is of utmost importance. LED lamps are very sensitive to variations in voltage. The quality of the power source is what will regulate the voltage and a good power supply will be able regulate the variations with very tight tolerances.

So Why Use Our "SLIM BRITE" LED Light Boxes?
After contacting Suppliers all over the world and requisitioning LED light box samples from many factories, we have seen almost everything!!
The most common problems we saw were (to name a few) low LUX readings, poor assembly of the aluminum frames, plain white paper used as the sign back and LEDs “sudden death”. Our testing of the LED lamps led us to qualify three Asian semi-conductor companies (one large and two mid-sized) as high-quality LED manufacturers. Their LED lamps would not degrade more than 17% (retaining 83% brightness) after one year in severe testing conditions of either 100+ degrees or below 0 degrees. The LUX intensity was excellent, using either 2-chip or 3-chip LEDs, depending on the size of the box. In the end, the best fit was actually one of the mid-sized companies, which we have elected to work with.

Since we were working with an Asian LED lamp manufacturer, we also looked for an Asian power supply company. We worked with 3 power supply companies in Asia, and qualified one of them, so that we now have a strong working relationship with both LED and power supply Asian companies.

We feel that our Slim-Brite LED light box system is a high quality, well thought-out, researched and tested product. Although the anticipated life of an LED lamp is about 100,000 hours (under lab conditions, at 20° C), this is something that cannot be proven as no laboratory or company has had over 10 years to test LEDs. However all laboratory projections indicate this length of time as feasible, as long as the temperature does not go over 60° Celsius. The aluminum extrusions used in our Slim-Brite system are the heat sink for the LEDs (they are embedded in the extrusions), thus avoiding any over-heating problems.

The ultra slim thickness and the even ultra bright illumination of our Slim-Brite system are the way of the future in the sign industry.