Caring for Your Outdoor LCD Sign
When thinking about outdoor LCD signs first thing that comes in mind is impact of the environment. The question that arises is how can LCD totem defy rain, wind, snow and solar radiation. But signage is subject not only to the usual wear and tear, but also the human impact.
Vandal Proof Systems
Outdoor LCD signs are prone to vandalism. Therefore, their enclosure should be carefully designed to withstand this problem.
Plastic or aluminum structural elements are not well suited for outdoor use in public places. Even when they are dimensioned to meet the expected loads (vandalism), their failure modes remain suboptimal, they fracture instead of bending (these materials are not ductile).
The best material for the housing is steel (with the possibility of upgrade to stainless steel), protected with 2 layers of powder coating - ground and cover layer. If the products housing is built out of corrosive material the housing should be covered with two layers of powder coating in order to provide sufficient level of protection for the material against corrosion.
Housing Standards
To ensure that outdoor totem is suitable for public places, protection testing should be performed. Standard tests in outdoor digital signage industry are: Degree of Protection and IK rating.
Degree of Protection testing (IP testing), confirms the degree of protection an item has against the ingress of solids and liquids. The test measures the effect that the exposure has on the digital sign housing. The IP rating is defined by a code that includes two numbers, such as IP66. The first numeral indicates the degree of protection against the ingress of solids and the second numeral against the ingress of liquids. For installations in public spaces, Infinitus recommends minimum of IP55.
IK rating defines degrees of protection provided by enclosures for electrical equipment against external mechanical impacts. It provides a means of specifying the capacity of an enclosure to protect its contents from external impacts without the impacts affecting the IP rating of the housing. IK10 is the highest possible degree of protection and it is highly recommended for outdoor LCD systems to be certified in accordance to IK10 since the products will be placed in outdoor public places exposed potentially to various vandalism factors.
Security in High Traffic Areas
In public spaces is always the possibility of vandalism. While appropriate enclosure can defy physical impact, possibility of graffities remains a threat. Cleaning graffiti off buildings costs billions of dollars annually. The same can be said for outdoor digital totems.
Manufactures are addressing this problem with special anti-graffiti coating. There are two different categories of anti-graffiti coatings. The first, sacrificial coatings, are applied to a surface and then removed when graffiti is applied. The surface underneath will be left clean and a new sacrificial coating can be applied. The other type of coating are permanent coatings that prevent graffiti from adhering to a surface in the first place.
At Infinitus we use permanent coatings with special paint based on polyurethanes. The advantages are:
Good Cleaning Efficiency
Sufficient adherence without damage to substrates
Hydrophobicity (water-repellent)
UV and corrosion resistant
Environmentally safe
This type of anti-graffiti coating creates protective surface that spray paint cannot bond to. After the surface has been vandalized, all that is needed to remove the paint is a simple solvent and some manual labor. The underlying surface and the protective coating will remain undamaged.
imotion FLOW standard and antigraffiti color comparison
Cleaning and Maintenance
Outdoor LCD signs are an investment, and taking care of that investment with routine check ups, ensures your sign lasts for years to come. Smart systems, such as imotion FLOW and imotion G7 are capable of self-analyzing. They automatically notify system administrator in case of failure. Nevertheless, aesthetic of outdoor totems is based on regular cleaning. Dirt can build-up on the enclosure itself.
The best method of cleaning is regular washing of the coating using a solution of warm water and mild detergent or isopropyl alcohol. All surfaces should be cleaned using a soft cloth or sponge, using nothing harsher than natural bristle brushes. Alcohol shouldn’t be greater than 78%.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, outdoor digital signs are built to last. Enclosures are incredibly resilient, yet over time, dust, dirt can accumulate. Proper maintenance will extend the lifespan of any LCD totem and ensured that it remain a useful tool for several years.