There was once a time when almost everything was done manually. Some would call those the “good old days.” The practice of scrubbing clothes on a washboard, writing letters with a fountain pen, and painting signs with brushes was just how things were done.
在旧时代，几乎所有的事情都是手动完成。例如，在洗衣板上擦洗衣服，用钢笔写信，用笔画画等。
Then came the technology boom. Automated processes allowed companies to output products as a faster rate, with more accuracy than ever before. Soon, manual production was seen as "vintage"—rendered archaic by today’s modern advancements.
但随着现代化技术的繁荣，公司的自动化流程能以更快的速度输出产品，并且比以往输出的产品在各方面性能更加准确，久而久之，手工制作被当今现代化的技术所取代，手工制作也被看作成了是复古品。
Of course, we in the sign industry know that there will always be a place for handmade designs specific to displays and signage. We value much of this an art form—customized, one-of-a-kind pieces. By and large, however, automated processes have made life much easier for most sign makers, especially in the field of channel letter fabrication.
当然，在标识行业，还是存有一个专门用于手工制作设计标牌的地方。标识行业的专业人士非常重视这一艺术形式—— 手工定制成的产品。总的来说，自动化流程使大多数标牌制造商的制作过程变得更加容易，特别是在槽型发光字制作的领域。
“To be competitive in channel letters today, you need to be able to automate the process,” says Carl Ondracek, president of Computerized Cutters, Inc., a manufacturer of automated letter bending equipment. “The most time-consuming area is in the manual layout, notching, flanging, and bending of channel letter aluminum returns. A channel letter bending machine can eliminate about 80 to 90 percent of the labor time involved in this process.”
Computerized Cutters公司的总裁Carl Ondracek说：“现在，各公司为了在槽型发光字的制作中凸显自己的竞争优势，不得不需要进行自动化处理该过程，因为最耗时的制作部分是在手工布局，例如槽口、折边和弯曲的地方，槽型发光字弯曲机可以简化这个过程，减少大约80％到90％的劳动时间。”
Automation vs. Manual
自动化与手动
For a business that produces several sets of channel letters per day—such as a channel letter wholesaler—a channel letter bending machine should be viewed as an essential piece of equipment that must be reliable throughout the production process.
对于一些每天生产几套槽型发光字业务的批发商来说，字母折弯机被视为在整个生产过程中最重要的设备之一。
“We have the best equipment money can buy,” says Warren Sciortino, owner of Colorado-based channel letter wholesaler LetterFab LLC. “Everything is computerized, and that’s the only way a wholesaler can operate.”
位于科罗拉多州，槽型发光字制造商LetterFab有限责任公司的物主Warren Sciortino说： “我们会把资金重点投资在设备上，使生产流程一切都是电脑化，这是批发商惯有的操作方式。”
For sign makers who put out a lower volume of letters and lean toward more customized work, they might have a different manufacturing method; albeit more time-consuming and hands-on. Theirs is a manual technique.
对于那些倾向于做定制的标牌制造商来说，他们会通过手工来制作，尽管更加耗时，但他们可能有不同的制造方法。
“For a skilled craftsman,” starts Kevin Kane, sales manager at CLN of Florida, Inc., “they use a pencil, a ruler, a square and a sheet metal brake. With these tools, you can produce one letter every 30 to 45 minutes depending on the complexity of the artwork. People usually learn this trade by watching or working beside a craftsman as an apprentice.”
佛罗里达州CLN公司销售经理Kevin Kane表示：“熟练的工匠会经常用到铅笔、尺子和钣金制动器，使用这些工具，可以在每30至45分钟内生成一个字母，具体花费多长时间还得取决于单件艺术品的复杂性。
But speed is something to consider, especially with work involving strict deadlines.
在涉及有严格期限的工作时，生产速度是首先考虑的要素。
“Equipment has evolved to take the skill out of the job,” Kane continues, “and the tools needed now are a CNC Router table, CNC notching machines, an CNC Auto Bending machine and an automated fasting machine.
Kane继续说道：“在槽型发光字制作商之间的竞争中，把握好设备和技能才能提升他们的竞争优势，必备的设备有数控铣床、数控切割机、数控自动弯管机。”
Of course, price-conscious customers are not only concerned with time savings but cost savings as well. All totaled, “Automation can cut the costs by 50 to 75 percent over manually bending,” says Ondracek.
当然，聪明的客户不仅关注制作的时间，还会关注成本，先进的设备可以将成本降低50％至75％。
In addition to a bending machine for producing this type of work, Ondracek also notes that a CNC router is also required, and should run hand in hand with the automated channel letter machines. "The next piece of equipment would be a clinching machine to help eliminate the time needed to drill and rivet the aluminum backs onto the aluminum channel letter return.”
Ondracek还指出：“生产用具除了折弯机之外，数控铣床设备和夹紧装置也很重要，并且它们应该与自动化发光字切割机要一起运行。
This may sound like a lot of equipment, but when a full arsenal is in place, the advantages can be tremendous.
这可能听起来像是需要很多设备，但是当一个完整的设备库全部就位时，能发挥巨大的作用。
When looking at channel letter equipment, there are several factors to consider when making the move to automate. Ondracek, who's company introduced the first automated channel letter bending machine in 1995, says that there are several advantages: increased speed, higher precision, less waste .
在进行自动化操作时，我们需要注意几个问题。Ondracek公司在1995年推出了第一台自动信道信号弯曲机，这款机器有几个优点：速度快、精度高，还能有效减少成本浪费。
The Wholesale Model
批发模式
As alluded to previously, wholesalers can play a big role in channel letter production. Sciortino attributes his company’s popularity to the idea that the industry is shifting away from in-house manufacturing due to better costs when buying wholesale.
批发商可以在槽型发光字的生产中发挥重要作用，由于在批发时购买成本较高，行业开始有了从内部制造转移的观念。
“A local sign company could get a job for 50 sets of letters and (the customer will) say they’ll need to have them done in a month or two,” Sciortino explains. “Typically, they might be able to make their own letters, but they can’t make 50 sets.”
Sciortino解释说：“客户会需要一家公司在一两个月内完成50套槽型发光字的制作工作，通常情况下，他们能做出很多套槽型发光字，但不可能制作出50套来。”
For retail sign makers, wholesalers can help keep the overhead down by offering lower prices at a much quicker turnaround rate.
对零售商来说，批发商可以通过更快的周转率，提供更低的价格来帮助降低成本。
“They have all of the latest equipment,” says Sciortino, “trim cap machines, channel bending machines, routers—everything you’d need to produce channel letters at a good cost.”
Sciortino说：“制作槽型发光字的成本很高，但是拥有最新设备的公司不仅能提高生产效率，还能有效地减少成本，例如修边机、通道弯曲机、切割器等这些设备，技术越先进，越能为公司实现效益。”
According to Sciortino, most retail companies take an hour or two to make their channel letters, whereas LetterFab can do the same job in six to eight minutes. Kane testifies to the speed of this equipment by pointing to his company’s most effective offerings.
根据Sciortino所说，大多数零售公司花费一两个小时来制作槽型发光字，而LetterFab公司却可以在六到八分钟内完成同样的工作，这就说明了设备和技术对槽型发光字的制作有多么重要。此外，Kane也指出了该公司最有效的产品来证明了设备对制作槽型发光字的影响。
“CLN of South Florida has taken channel letter fabrication to a higher level,” he says. “We wanted to make the fastest process in the world, and have achieved that with our CNC Auto Bender. And it’s the roll forming tools that really set CLN apart from machine in the marketplace. Roll forming the radius makes for a smooth and fast process. This machine produces one letter every two to three minutes.”
位于南佛罗里达州的CLN公司已经将槽型发光字的制作推向了一个更高的层次，物主说： “我们希望通过最新设备，达到世界上最快的速度来制作槽型发光字，我们的速度达到了每两到三分钟生成一个字母，而且我们拥有的这些设备与市场上的机器能明显区分开来。”
“I’ve been in every phase of the sign industry,” he recalls. “I remember when everyone was using a Gerber Signmaker III. I’ve seen everything progress. When I started, everything was being done by hand.”
他回忆说：“我一直从事在标识行业，发展的每一个阶段都记忆犹新，我看到了一切进展，当我刚进入这个行业时，一切都是由手工完成的。”
Today, customers are sensitive about deadlines and cost. Who do they go to when they need a quick job at a lower price? The wholesaler.
发展到现在，客户对产品制作的截止日期和成本相当敏感，当他们想要同时获得低价格高效率的产品时，他们会去哪里？答案是批发商。
“When I got into the wholesale side, I thought this would be a pretty good market down the road,” says Sciortino. “And now we do work in every state. Two years ago we opened another plant in New Orleans, and it gave us additional distribution. Our goal is to get a channel letter project out in three to five days. Other companies might take a week to two weeks.”
Sciortino说：“我认为批发市场是一个相当不错的市场，两年前，我们在新奥尔良开了另一家工厂，目标是在三到五天内完成一个制作槽型发光字的项目，而其他公司可能需要一周至两周的时间才能完成。”
The Value of Speed
速度带来的价值
The value of speed—when it comes to completing channel letter projects—cannot be overstated. It’s one of the most important elements to customers when they decide to place a sign order. Clients want projects done on time, and they want them done right.
槽型发光字制作的速度是客户最看重的要素之一。当客户决定下订单时，不能对他们夸大生产效率，客户希望按时保量地完成项目，希望他们做好准备。
“The first word out of a customer is: ‘How long is it going to take?’ If you tell someone six weeks and someone else can do it in two weeks, it’s a big difference,” says Sciortino.
Sciortino说：“通常，客户向我们提出的第一个问题是制作要花多长时间，如果你告诉客户要花上六个星期，而另外一家公司却可以在两个星期内完成，那客户会好不犹豫地选择后者。”
And if speed wasn’t enough, there are equally important elements of quality and accuracy to be considered.
除了要求速度，还要考虑质量和准确性这两个关键因素。
“Now we can do a four- or five-inch channel letter with the equipment we have—where years ago the lowest profile letters we could do is 12 or eight or nine inches,” says Sciortino. “With the new equipment, you can do a nice small channel letter and put LEDs in there.”
Sciortino还说：“几年前，我们可以做8、9英寸或12英寸的槽型发光字，现在我们可以用我们所拥有的最新设备，做一个四到五英寸的槽型发光字，并且可以将LED放在里面。”
This focus on accuracy also becomes relevant when a channel letter needs replacing. If a sign maker is doing a job by hand, it is much more difficult—and time-consuming—to manually travel to the project site, take a pattern of the sign, re-create and replace it.
当槽型发光字需要更换时，重新制作的精确度会变得非常重要。如果一个标牌是手工做工，那么项目现场要花费更多的时间来重新创建和替换它。
Channel letter production has certainly changed throughout the years. As Kane says, “You can use many different tools it all depends on your skillset.” But with all of the new innovations on the market today, which can add value to a sign job, it’s imperative to stay on top of the latest solutions. Kane warns, “You have to keep up with technology or you fall behind and become one of those dinosaurs.”
多年来，槽型发光字的制作一直在发生变化。正如 Kane所说：“你可以使用许多不同的工具，一切都取决于你的技能，但是，随着市场上不断创新的技术，为了你签署的工作增加价值，我们必须保持拥有最新的解决方案，必须跟上技术，否则我们就会被淘汰。”
