FEATURE
STEP BY STEP
Pre-planning
You need to ask the following
questions to determine the
lightbox you want to manufacture.
• Determine the size of the
lightbox you would be
manufacturing. (Remember,
when using the Mae West
Corner connector to deduct
66mm in total (33mm per
side) from your Mae West
extrusion, e.g. if the lightbox is
1000mm2, cut your extrusions
to 944mm in length.)
• Establish if you want to make
a box with either a rigid sign
face (Palglas opal acrylic and
h-profile) or a flexible sign face
(Profil PVC Tensioning System
and 1000D Backlit PVC).
• Will the box be single
or double-sided?
• Will the box be displayed
indoor or outdoor, as this
will determine the width/
strength of the extrusions?
• Confirm positioning of the
lightbox e.g. suspended from
ceiling to the top extrusion
(ceiling mount), side supported
(between posts/pillars) or base
mounted. This is important in
order to determine from which
side the Palglas acrylic is to be
removed e.g. slide from sides,
out the top or from the bottom.
One must always keep in mind
that the Palglas Acrylic and
pre-wired light fittings are only
available in certain standard sizes
and to work your box around
these measurements accordingly.
In this exercise we will be using
the Mae West 150mm wide
aluminium extrusions and the
aluminium corners to fit this
profile. (The Mae West Aluminium
extrusion can also be mitred
at a 45° angle and then joined
with a 50 x 50 Angle Iron.)
The actual size of the front
face of your lightbox will vary
depending on the aluminium
h-profile that has been used
with the relevant extrusion.
Various alternatives to the Mae
West extrusion are available
from your Falcon office.
PRACTICAL SIGN AND DIGITAL GRAPHICS ISSUE
PSDG MarApr 201003 2.indd 69
What do you
need?
• 150mm Mae West
Aluminium Extrusion
• Baby h or Big h extrusion
• Either 050 Palglas Acrylic in 3
or 5mm or Hex-Flex 1000D x
1000D Backlit White/White PVC
• 4 aluminium corners to fit
the Mae West Extrusion
• Pre-wired light assemblies
to fit lightbox size
• Electrical wire to connect
light assemblies
• Flat head self tapping
screws and rivets
• White Chromadek for
backing, if single-sided
• Power supply cable to connect
lightbox to external power
supply. (Ensure you use the
correct type and size of wiring
e.g.; if outside then select UV
protected aluminium insulated
wire – always check with
your accredited electrician).
• Plastic Grommet or
Compression Gland (to insulate
wiring from the aluminium
extrusion which is a legal
and essential requirement
in accordance with Wiring
code SANS 10142).
• 25 x 25mm Angle Iron
to mount light fittings if
lightbox is double-sided.
• 4 fittings and fluorescent tubes.
Tools required:
• Electric/Portable Drill
• Metal Drill bits
• Tape Measure
• Screwdriver bits
• Mitre saw (when cutting 45°
angles, manual or electric)
• Rivet Gun
• Side Cutter and pliers
• NT Knife
• Hammer and piece of wood
or White Plastic Mallet
• Garden Scissors (Profil
PVC Tensioning)
46 MARCH/APRIL 2010
Assembling the
lightbox:
1. After the Mae West
Aluminium has been cut
to size, insert your Mae
West corner connectors to
the Mae West extrusions.
Use a piece of wood to
protect the aluminium
from being damaged/
scratched when using a
hammer or white rubber
mallet in the assembly.
4. Now connect one fluorescent
tube to the other in
parallel. The first pre-
wired fitting would be the
fitting closest to where
the power cable would be
connected. Then attach
2. Secure the pre-cut corresponding coloured
Chromadek to the back of wires to each other. Now
the box with the white side connect corresponding
facing into the lightbox colour wires to a central
(remember to remove the point and connect the
clear protective layer from wire bundle to a cable
the Chromadek Sheet). connector (also known
as “chocolate block”).
3. Attach the pre-wired light
fittings to the Chromadek
with pop rivets (it is
recommended that you place
the light fittings ± 200mm
apart on a single-sided box
and ± 80 - 100mm apart in
a double-sided lightbox.)
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3/1/10 12:10:16 PM
 FEATURE
all wiring of your lightbox
as a precautionary measure.
Always obtain a wiring
certificate after installation.
Option 1 :
LightBox with
Palglas Rigid
Opal Acrylic
Face
A Attach either the Baby-h (If
you need a 3mm Palglas
5. Drill a hole into the side Acrylic Face) or Big-h (If you
of the lightbox where you need a 5mm Palglas Acrylic
would like the power supply Face) extrusion to the front
cable to run through. Fit the of the lightbox. Attach 3
plastic insulating grommet sides of the h-channel as
onto the external cable and permanent fixtures and
then insert into the drilled the fourth section with
hole. Connect the external self tapping screws to be
cable to your chocolate able to remove acrylic for
block as per corresponding maintenance to the light
colours. (As illustrated in fitting on a later stage.
this picture Red – Live, Gold
– Earth, Black – Neutral)
B Remove the protective
layers from the Palglas
acrylic sheets, and
apply the vinyl onto the
Palglas Acrylic, before
inserting into the Baby-h
channels. Attach last
h-section to lightbox.
Please note: Only an Accredited
Electrician is allowed to connect
a lightbox to a power supply.
We strongly recommend your
Accredited Electrician inspects
70 Visit www.signafrica.com for the latest news
PSDG MarApr 201003 2.indd 70
C Power up your illuminated
lightbox, and marvel
at your creation !
Option 2 :
LightBox with
Hex-Flex PVC
Backlit Face
(Flexible
Substrate)
(Important Note: Depending on
the length of your lightbox and
in order to avoid any concaving
occurring along the length or width
of a large lightbox, additional
inner cross section supports may
be required to add strength and
accommodate the tensioning of
the flexible substrate.)Do not
underestimate the tensioning
strength of 1000D Hex-Flex PVC.
A You will need to purchase
Profil lengths, which
comprise three components:
−− Profil TSW – bottom channel,
in the shape of a C.
−− Profil Gripp – middle
white plastic extrusion
to grip the PVC.
−− Profil Key – top aluminium
section, to add final double
locking tension with an
aesthetic aluminium finish.
2.2 Position the lengths
PRACTICAL SIGN AND DIGITAL GRAPHICS ISSUE
(Sandwich of Profil
TSW+Gripp+Key) 90° each
other, along the four
corners of the box. Where
the lengths meet, cut each
corner at a 45° mitre. After
cutting the 45° angles on
the corner of each length,
check again that each mitre
meets each other perfectly –
then you have a perfect 45°
mitre cut on each corner. It
is crucial now to mark each
side with a number, so that
when you are installing all
together, each side matches
each 45° mitre corner 100%
accurately, as planned.
B First attach the Profil TSW
channel to your box using
flat head self tapping
screws. Important to note
that the self tapping screws
must be narrow enough to
fit into the channel without
causing the channel to be
widened or disfigured in
any way as this will reduce
the effectiveness of the
white plastic Profil Gripp.
C Position your printed Backlit
PVC onto your lightbox.
Using a pair of garden
scissors or sheers, cut your
plastic Profil Gripp 20mm
shorter on each side than
the length of your Profil
TSW. Ensure your PVC print
has at least a 100mm bleed
around the printed area to
ensure easy tensioning, as
well as preventing the outer
border of the graphic image
from being cut out or skew.
D Start from the top middle
section of the box and
knock in the Profil Gripp at
a 45° angle with the smooth
side facing inwards towards
the lightbox, with the
toothed ribbed side facing
outwards (i.e. towards you).
46 MARCH/APRIL 2010
3/1/10 12:10:23 PM

E Knock the Profil Gripp into the Profil TSW
section, while sandwiching the graphic
between the Gripp and the TSW. The
recommended tensioning procedure
is: Top then side then other side and
finally, tension the bottom. If you are
still not satisfied with the stretch of
the PVC you can always remove the
Gripp where some small creases may
occur, and re-tension those sections.
F To remove the Profil Gripp insert a
strong paint scraper between the lip of
PRACTICAL SIGN AND DIGITAL GRAPHICS ISSUE
PSDG MarApr 201003 2.indd 71
the Profil Gripp and graphic substrate
and gently strike with a mallet at one
side of the Profil Gripp. The Profil Gripp
will release, after a knock or two.
G Insert the Profil Key into the slot of
the Profil Gripp (Either manually or by
lightly knocking it in with a mallet),
to encapsulate the Gripp, thereby
protecting it from harmful UV. This will
also strengthen the tension, due to the
second “locking in mechanism” as well
as give the lightbox an elegant finish.
H Trim the sides of the PVC to finish your
lightbox, using a NT Knife or Carpet knife.
46 MARCH/APRIL 2010 Visit www.signafrica.com for the latest news
FEATURE
I Plug in and you have a well constructed
flexible illuminated sign!
For a full illustration video on using the
Profil PVC Tensioning, please visit http://
www.falconsa.com/signsupplies/profil-tsw
Although Profil is a very easy
installation mechanism for fexible
faces, expertise is only achieved after
many installations of Profil signs.
Special Thanks to Tjaka Snyman from Sign-
A-Rama Silverton for assisting Falcon in
compiling this step by step guide on building
a lightbox.
Contact Falcon on 0861 FALCON
(325266) or visit www.falconsa.com
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