While the various substrates all have their places, most signs seem to be composed of wood, rigid plastic or metal, but glass is often overlooked. Despite this, glass signs certainly serve a purpose in the signage industry with the sophisticated look that comes from etching. With etching, a glass sign has a permanent graphic that adds a classic look to any environment. 
尽管每种基材都有它们的作用，但大多数标识似乎都是由木材、硬质塑料或金属制作而成，玻璃材料则往往被忽视。但是，在标识行业中，因为蚀刻工艺所带来的精致外观，使得玻璃也具有着重要的作用。经过蚀刻的玻璃标识图形能够永久地进行保存，为安装环境增添经典的外观展示。

Glass Signs in Use
玻璃标识的使用
Typically, glass is ideal for indoor applications, such as wayfinding systems, door signs, office buildings and hotels, says Ruth Dobbins, owner of Dobbins Enterprises, a glass consulting business in Santa Fe, N.M. Glass gives an elegant, timeless look, but because it’s susceptible to vandalism, glass is usually used in indoor applications where it is better protected. However, that’s not to say glass can’t be used in outdoor applications. Glass can, in fact, be used in exterior environments, but a thicker glass with some sort of pretreatment is recommended. 
Dobbins Enterprises的所有者Ruth Dobbins表示，通常情况下，玻璃非常适合室内应用，应用范围包括导视系统、大门标识、办公楼和酒店，Dobbins Enterprises是一家位于新墨西哥州Santa Fe的玻璃材料解决方案公司。玻璃产品拥有精致、永恒的外观，但是因为它们容易受到损坏，因此常应用于室内，因为这样可以更好地对玻璃进行保护。然而，这并不是说玻璃不能应用于室外。在将玻璃应用于室外的时候，建议使用一些提前被处理过的较厚的玻璃。
“There is now a material on the market called Clear Shield that can be applied to any kind of glass, be it etched or not etched,” Dobbins says. “It will protect it from contamination and staining, and that would definitely be recommended. I would not install a sign outside without any kind of preparation like that.”
Dobbins说：“市面上有一种名为Clear Shield的材料可用于任何类型的玻璃，无论玻璃有没有经过蚀刻处理，均可使用。这种材料可以保护玻璃避免灰尘的沾染和染色，我十分推荐这种材料。我不会在没有任何准备的情况下在户外安装标识。”
During the pretreatment process, Dobbins also suggests sign makers use resist materials on the glass as a protectant. Resist materials include soft vinyl, hard vinyl and rubber but the resist vinyls are different from sign vinyls, which are too thin. These resist vinyls are specifically made for etching. To get a deeper etch, a soft vinyl or rubber should be used while a hard vinyl gives a shallower etch. 
在进行预先处理过程中，Dobbins还建议标识制造商在玻璃上使用抗蚀剂材料作为保护剂。抗蚀剂材料包括软质乙烯基、硬质乙烯基和橡胶，但抗蚀剂乙烯基不同于标识使用的乙烯基材料，它们比较薄。这些抗蚀剂乙烯基材料专门用于蚀刻。要获得更深的蚀刻，应使用柔软的乙烯基或橡胶，而硬质乙烯基则可以进行比较浅的蚀刻。
Resist material is also recommended for use because it protects the glass from scratches as it’s being transported around the sign shop, Dobbins says. Using a resist material protects the etched glass from skin oils, as well, which can be difficult to clean. 
Dobbins建议使用抗蚀材料，因为它可以防止标识商店在运输玻璃时刮伤玻璃。使用抗蚀剂材料也可以保护蚀刻的玻璃免受难以清洁的护肤品的影响。

“Some people are more prone to accidents than others, and they need to maybe do a little more in terms of protecting glass while they work with it than other people,” Dobbins says with a laugh. “You should have adequate man power to handle glass and keep a relatively clean environment when working with glass because it can get scratched pretty easily. Usually, you’ll want to tape off the edges of the glass, so you don’t bang and chip it while handling it. It’s a pretty good idea to do this because you’re already going to be working with the resist materials.”
Dobbins 说：“有些人比其他人更容易发生事故，因此当他们在使用玻璃时需要在保护措施方面做得比其他人更加全面。你应该有足够的人力去处理玻璃材料，并在使用玻璃时保持相对清洁的环境，因为人很容易被它划伤。通常情况下，为了避免在处理玻璃时因为撞击或是碎裂而造成的伤害，你需要使用胶带将玻璃边缘粘住。这是一个好方法，在工作的同时做好安全措施是非常有必要的。”
To make etched glass stand out, Dobbins recommends pairing the sign with LED lighting, which is applied to the edges of thicker glass to illuminate the lines. With LED lighting, the glass sign shows off an extra sparkle and can really catch the attention of those passing by.
为了使蚀刻玻璃更加脱颖而出，Dobbins建议将标识与LED照明光源配合使用，LED照明光源可应用于较厚玻璃的边缘以照亮玻璃的线条。在LED光源的帮助下，被照亮的玻璃标识能够更加容易地吸引到过往路人的注意力。
“LED lighting always adds something to glass,” Dobbins says. “It really shows off the etched areas much better than without any lighting. Of course, there you can go also as far as employing colored LEDs. All of that is possible, so it really depends on what look you would be after.” 
Dobbins说：“LED照明能让玻璃标识更加的出彩，它能够更好地帮助展示蚀刻玻璃的外观，你也可以使用彩色LED，根据你想要展示的外观，实施一切你想实施的想法。”

The Process of Glass Etching
玻璃蚀刻工艺
Although glass can be etched with liquids, Dobbins does not recommend it. Liquid etching requires the use of acid, and that can be a dangerous process. Plus, acid does not allow for any three-dimensional work; thus, she says it’s not the most effective tool for etching. 
虽然玻璃可以用液体进行蚀刻，但是Dobbins不推荐这种做法。液体蚀刻需要使用酸性液体，这存在一些安全隐患。另外，酸性液体不方便在立体物体上工作；因此，她表示液体不是最有效的蚀刻工具。
Dobbins instead suggests using abrasive blasting for glass etching. While most people think of sand when it comes to abrasive blasting, Dobbins actually uses silicon carbide rather than sand. 
Dobbins建议使用喷砂法来进行玻璃蚀刻。虽然大多数人在进行喷砂处理时都会想到砂，但是Dobbins实际上使用的是碳化硅而不是砂。
“Sand is a very coarse substance,” Dobbins says. “You can use it once, and then it’s dull and won’t cut anymore. Silicon carbide is a hard material, and you can recycle it indefinitely; it always stays sharp.”
Dobbins说：“沙子是一种非常粗糙的物质，在使用过一次之后它就会变得迟钝，而不能再进行切割了。碳化硅是一种坚硬的材料，它能够一直保持锋利的特性，你可以对它进行无限地循环利用。”
Using silicon carbide as opposed to sand is also safer, Dobbins adds. Sand contains a crystalline silica dust, and without proper breathing protection, inhaling this substance can lead to silicosis, a form of occupational lung disease. 
Dobbins补充说：“使用碳化硅来代替沙子也更安全。沙子含有结晶硅粉，在没有适当的呼吸保护的情况下，吸入这种物质会导致矽肺，这是一种职业性肺病。”
To practice abrasive blasting, the glass should first be covered by the resist material to protect the glass, and through the resist material, the design or text is cut, which is peeled out, exposing the glass underneath. The glass is then blasted in those exposed areas until the desired depth is achieved. Once the blasting is complete, the resist material is removed and cleaned to finish the process.
在进行喷砂处理时，首先需要使用抗蚀剂材料覆盖玻璃以保护玻璃，并通过抗蚀剂材料切割设计图形或文字，随后将其剥离，露出下面的玻璃。然后在这些暴露区域中对玻璃进行喷砂处理，一直到达到所需的深度。一旦完成喷砂，就可以移除抗蚀剂材料并进行最后的清洁工作。
When determining pricing, Dobbins bases each estimate on the individual job. Substrate thickness, type of glass and amount of graphics all affect the pricing. Each job is different and requires its own set of pricing. 
在确定最终定价时，Dobbins将根据每个人的工作量来估算最终的价格。基材的厚度、玻璃类型和图形数量都会对最终价格产生影响。每一份产品的最终定价都是不同的。
“You could take same size piece of glass, and if you were to etch one logo in the middle of it and hardly anything else around it, it would be a different price than if you were to cover whole piece with all kinds of graphics,” Dobbins says. “It’s always priced out by job.”
Dobbins说：“以两块相同大小的玻璃为例，如果你只是在其中一块玻璃的中间雕刻一个徽标，不在周围做任何其他的处理，那么它的价格与另一块用各种图形覆盖了整个部分的玻璃产品的价格是不一样的，我们将以工作量为前提来估算你的产品定价。”
Moving forward, Dobbins expects to see glass play a role in the signage industry, but it is still an application that has room for growth. While glass has a classic appeal, it doesn’t experience the same usage as other substrates, but as sign makers become more familiar with glass, that could very well change. 
展望未来，Dobbins预计玻璃将在标识行业中发挥更大的作用，它在行业的应用中拥有更大的发展空间。尽管玻璃具有优质的吸引力，但它与其他的基材相比不是那么的常用，不过随着标牌制造商对玻璃的熟悉程度越来越高，这种情况很可能会发生变化。
“Glass will always have a place for those kinds of applications, but it depends on customers and how much awareness also is being put out there for people that make signage,” Dobbins says. “They need to be made are aware that working with glass is a possibility because they usually just think about using the materials they usually see.” 
Dobbins说：“玻璃材料将永远为这些应用提供一席之地，但它取决于客户以及制造标牌的人们对它有多深的了解。他们需要意识到玻璃材料的潜能，因为他们通常只考虑使用他们平常看得到的材料。”

Etched Appearance Using Vinyl
用于保护蚀刻外观的乙烯基材料
Of course, since you may be using resist vinyl or other vinyls to protect your glass, perhaps a simple colored vinyl may work as well. If you are looking for an alternative to etching with less permanent results, vinyl manufacturers have options to create that etched-glass look with the ease of installing a wall graphic that requires the same skills used for applying cut vinyl or wrap vinyl.
当然，如果你使用的是抗蚀剂乙烯基或其他乙烯基来保护玻璃标识产品，那么一个普通的彩色外观的乙烯基就能很好地完成保护工作。如果你需要的是一个蚀刻寿命不是那么长的替代品，那么乙烯基制造商可以制作一个蚀刻玻璃的外观，并且这种材料用于安装那些需要对乙烯基进行切割或包装的墙面图形也非常方便。