Field Trip: Star Signs

 

http://starsignsllc.com/

 

INDD 508 Materials & Processes 

Field Trip Notes
Who is/ what is Star Signs?

• They are a sign manufacturer located in Lawrence, Kansas.

Products & Services: What do they do/ what do they make?

• Star Signs makes custom signage and environmental graphics, as well as other various way-finding packages.

Vocabulary Terms & Definitions (Materials):

• Star Signs uses a wide variety of materials. A common material used is aluminum for their signage since it is relatively easy to manipulate, cheaper than steel, and retains its production ready finish for much longer than steel.

Forming Technologies:

•  They use rollers and breakers for materials that require shaping such as aluminum.

Cutting Technologies:

• A 8x12' CNC machine and router are commonly used at Star Signs. The router uses CAD base software to route materials. However, the tools located on sight are somewhat limited in their capabilities to manipulate materials. For example, Star Signs cannot transform aluminum that is thicker than half an inch. In such scenarios, Star Signs simply outsources their work to other companies that can complete their work. Such companies may include Gemini, High Tech Laser, and P1.

Joining Technologies:

• Digital printing is used to produce vinyls and aluminum.

Finishing Technologies:

• Star Signs has their own Matthews Paint intermixing paint system and spray booth. They also have a machine for color matching. Star Signs also has their custom faux and patina finishes which they did not disclose during the tour.

Overall Impressions/ Epiphanes/ Aha Moments?

• I will never really look at signs the same way as I did before. As everyday life is seemingly hectic at times, one does not take the time to look at common things such as signage and wonder who produces them and how they are produced. After taking the field trip to Star Signs, I found myself appreciating signs more than I had before. For example, I had no idea that the green signs that hang by the street lights around Lawrence were actually illuminated by their very own light. When walking to and from campus, I find myself looking at signs more often and think of the ways they are produce, and wonder if they come from Star Signs.

Field Trip: The Reuter Organ Company

INDD 508 Materials & Processes 

Field Trip Notes
Who is/ what is the Reuter Organ Company?

• They are a company located in Lawrence, Kansas who produce custom pipe organs. They were originally located in Illinois, but moved to Kansas in 1919.

Products & Services: What do they do/ what do they make?

• They make custom pipe organs for customers around the world. Most customers, however, are churches while the remaining majority of their other customers tend to be colleges and private universities. 

Markets for whom do they make it?

• As mentioned above, they produce their custom pipe organs for mainly churches while also doing custom work for universities and colleges. On some occasions, they may get a customer who wants to buy a pipe organ for they own personal uses.

Materials:

• Larger pipe organs are generally constructed using copper or zinc. They also may use tin on some occasions. Copper and zinc are favored due to the sound qualities they are capable of producing. 
• They also have their own in-house lumber mill to make custom lumber for various parts. Out of all the variety of woods they carry in-house, poplar is most commonly used since there are very few knots in the wood.
• Keys on the pipe organ are generally made from plastic, wood, and bone while valves may be made of sheep skin or kangaroo skin.

Cutting Technologies:

• Reuter carries complex cutting tools such as a CNC router which is used to drill holes and route out corks in wood. The CNC router also has the ability to cut out complex patterns. 

Joining Technologies:

• Materials such as the metals used in the process of producing custom pipe organs at Reuter are joined be welding or soldering. Glues are also used for non-metal materials such as parts made of wood or plastic. 

Finishing Technologies:

• To keep metals from contamination and to give them a shiny quality, lacquer is used to coat the metal pipes. Pipes are also "aged" for production to further enhance their sound producing characteristics. For copper pipes, Reuter will sometimes allow for oxidation in order to give the pipes a patina. They can also achieve this finish by introducing chemical compounds to the copper such as carbonates, sulfates, sulfides, and oxides.

Overall Impressions/ Epiphanes/ Aha Moments?

• I was impressed by the fact that such an intricate instrument such as the pipe organ is mostly hand made. The precision by which they are produced is so impressive, it's hard to believe that a group of craftsman are able to produce these complex instruments with consistency.

Show and Tell: LED watch

For class, I brought in an LED watch for show-and-tell. My LED watch was given to me for my birthday and came from Japan from a company called TokyoFlash. The watch is mostly comprised of stainless steel, rubber, plastics, and LED diodes which let you tell time in a different, unconventional way. The LED diodes are covered in acrylic in order to protect them while the thin metal band is made of stainless steel. Rubber is also used in the wrist portion of the watch to prevent chaffing on the user's arm. Overall, the watch isn't very functional unless you really take the time to learn how to tell time using the watch in a way that is fast and convenient. With that being said, this watch mainly serves as a novelty, allowing users to tell time in their 'own' way.

Honestly, when trying to find the materials and processes by which these specific watches are made, there isn't much information out there.

But here is a cool video on their website that kind of shows what TokyoFlash is all about. In my opinion, these watches are definitely "out there," but it is fitting for the Japanese culture when you look at their current design language and aesthetics in some of their more famous brands like Lexus.