Neon signs have informed and entertained us for over a century. Neon lighting was first demonstrated in a modern form in December 1910 by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show. It was a great idea for the time and for the same reasons, is still valid today but development of the technology ceased years ago and newer technologies like LED have come to the fore.
The neo tubes are made of soft lead glass, which are hand heated, bent and twisted, they are then cooled and joined together. Later, they will be filled with one of the special gases that will cause them to glow in different colours.
For the next step, pure-iron electrodes surrounded by a glass jacket are welded to each en of the tube and connected to the high voltage transformer.The transformer converts mains power to the voltage needed to make the neon gas inside the fluorescent tubes glow. This process is called electromagnetic induction.
After fabrication to the required shape, the glass tubes are mounted to a backing panel or some kind of supporting framework. Smaller signs are likely to have a steel framework, while wood, steel or aluminium can be used for larger displays.
By far the largest problem for new neon sign projects is the cost. Each sign is unique, production is artisan, slow and by hand, making it an expensive and laborious process. Product safety is also an issue on several fronts, operating current can be up to 15,000 volts, requiring service by expensive specialist technicians. As the technology becomes less common, spare parts are less plentiful costs are increasing. The tubes often contain amounts of mercury, any leak or breakage is a major OH&S issue. Quite apart from maintenance costs, running costs can be high - particularly with higher voltage installations. In summary, neon can still look great but the technology has issues that cannot be overcome and its light is brighter than its future.
Flex-Neon is the new alternative to traditional Neon signage that has all of the impact but none of the problems.
Simply explained, it is a linear series of closely spaced LED lights encased in a highly flexible white or coloured translucent tube. The tube can be curved to form and endless variety of shapes and trimmed to required lengths. Depending on type, it can be made to dim, pulse, blink, change colour or a combination of these. In appearance it is almost indistinguishable from neon.
Powered by reliable, low cost, low voltage output transformers, they are inherently safe, have ultra low maintenance requirements, do not require specialist technicians and running costs that are just a fraction of similar neon installations. There are no OH&S issues to be factored.Due to the modular nature of the product, production and materials costs are much lower. In short, Neon-Flex can give you that million dollar look of neon for a fraction of the price.
