Signs of the Times - August 2012 - (Page 96)

EDITORIALLY SPEAKING By Wade Swormstedt “We would certainly appreciate your comments with regard to your use of self-drilling and self-threading screws in sign fabrication including securement of covers.” (Not) Screwing Around UL 48.4.1.5.3.3 will likely be changed. 4.1.5.3.1 Screws relied upon to hold materials to polymeric materials or to sheet aluminum, copper, or aluminum- or copper-base alloys of least (sic) than 1.27-mm (0.050-in.) thickness shall comply with 5.20, Self-threading Screw Torque Test. 4.1.5.3.2 Screws, other than machine screws and nuts, relied upon to support a part weighing 3.4 kg (7.5 lbs.) or more per screw shall comply with 5.20, Self-threading Screw Torque Test 4.1.5.3.3 Self-drilling thread cutting and thread-forming screws shall not be used to secure a cover or component or be utilized as a terminal type screw that will be removed or replaced during field servicing or as a result of servicing. “As we move toward implementation of the new paragraphs in the 15th edition of UL 48, we will be reviewing these paragraphs and would certainly appreciate your comments with regard to your use of selfdrilling and self-threading screws in sign fabrication including securement of covers.” I left Lee a voicemail and email, and, as usual, he responded quickly. Turns out, Todd isn’t alone with his concerns. Lee said he’d heard from several other sign manufacturers, and one installer. Subsequently, an ad-hoc group of approximately a dozen people formed and, as of June 28, four conference calls were held. Lee further explained these were not official Standard Technical Panel (STP) discussions, although a few STP members participated, including the Intl. Sign Assn.’s Bill Dundas. Also, Lee explained, although UL 48 was published September 2, 2011, and the bulk of it was effective immediately, some of the revised portions won’t become effective until October 2, 2012. Such as the three paragraphs under “Screws.” In the third paragraph (presented in its entirety at the beginning of this column), Lee said the definition of “cover” is ambiguous, and it’s likely the scope of what it entails will be narrowed before the standard becomes official. In the first paragraph (4.1.5.3.1), Lee said the required “torque test” will likely be revised as well, even though the torque test (new in the 15th edition) was an improvement over a prior test that relied too heavily on the variable of the strength of the person wielding the screwdriver. Overall, the 15th edition (the first one was published in 1917) is a complete revision of the 14th edition, because the previous 32 subsections were reformulated into eight (see ST, November 2011, page 112). Anything changed in the published standard requires a 2/3 “yes” vote by the STP. Overall, I think the tiny sign industry is blessed with such opportunities for self regulation. Here’s a brandnew standard that isn’t quite right. Who could expect such a detail-oriented document to remain pristine following some field examination? And, to be able to remedy some glitches so expeditiously is worthy of gratitude. I wrote all of this before the Independence Day holiday. I subsequently spoke with Lee on Friday, July 6, and he said it’s most likely that these standards will revert back to what was published in UL 48’s 14th edition. n Thus states48, whose scope is “These requirements three sentences in the eight-section, 43-item UL cover all electric signs, art forms and outline lighting for use in accordance with the National Electrical Code, NFPA 70.” At the ISA Supplier/Distributor Conference in greater Chicago, held June 5-7, I had the pleasure of bowling with Todd Lashley (SignFab, Stoutland, MO) and his lovely wife, Anne. In between our acting like overgrown adolescents, he told me about his specific concerns with 4.1.5.3.3; even his local AHJ agreed with him. Todd builds wholesale channel letters. Lots of them. He should know. One of his colleagues, Brian Seibert, wrote to Lee Hewitt, the absolute go-to guy for sign-industry UL concerns: “I wanted to ask you about one of the changes in UL 48. We’ve been talking with our field rep on this as well. I don’t know of a screw under the UL 48 definitions on page 10 that can work to secure a channel-letter face to the can. All the screws either self tap, self drill, or thread cut. I don’t think there would be a feasible way to use a ‘bolt’ to fasten a face to a can. “I’m racking my brain in trying to understand how a face should be secured if not with a screw. Do you have any light you can shed on this for me?” Lee wrote back, “With regard to the new screw requirements in the UL 48 15th edition, these were put in the new edition with the support of sign-industry representatives on the Standards Technical Panel. Conceptually, the concern for the use of these types of screws without testing is that repeated removal and re-insertion of the screws, when used for applications such as maintenance covers, may eventually compromise the ability of the screws to adequately tighten down. 96 SIGNS OF THE TIMES / AUGUST 2012 / www.signweb.com http://www.signweb.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - August 2012

Signs of the Times - August 2012
ST Update
Technology Update
Vinyl Apps
Strictly Electric
LED Update
Software Update
Technology Review
Technology Review
New Products
The Value of Signs
Casino and Gaming Signage
A Commercial-Sign Company Snapshot
Business is Blowing Up
Built to Last
Industry News
Advertising Index
Editorially Speaking

Signs of the Times - August 2012