Product Details: CNC Carved HDU Law Office Signs

Carved HDU Law Office Signs

What is HDU?

At LawOfficeSigns.com, HDU means superior grade Precision Board Plus High-Density-Urethane sheets from Coastal Enterprises. This environmentally-friendly board is more dense than others, which provides a smoother, stronger, more-professional sign for your firm.

HDU Material Specs

Density: Our signs use higher-density 20 lb. / cubic foot panels
Structure: Closed-Cell (will not absorb water)
Will not crack, rot or peel
Meets flammability burn test requirements of ASTM D-1692-74, Far 25.853, Mil-P-26514 & ASTM D635
Lasts up to 10 times longer than wood

An extra-strength 30 lb. version is available for signs where physical impact damage is a risk. If you need this extra protection, we will custom-quote it upon request.

Bottom Line: HDU provides the look of a traditional wood-carved sign, but lasts up to 10 times longer because it doesn't crack, rot or peel.

Why We Don't Use 15 lb. / Cubic Foot HDU

Some companies use a 15 lb. / cubic foot HDU board for signs like this. However, its less-dense composition leaves a rougher appearance. The lettering just isn't as smooth. For this reason, we use the 33% higher-density 20 lb. / cubic foot HDU. It's stronger, looks better, and therefore helps you make a much better impression.

How They're Made

The photos above show CNC routers (computer numerically controlled machines that are used to carve HDU law office signs), and a portion of the finishing department where paints and clear coats are applied. There are up to 22 separate steps involved from start to finish, depending on the complexity of the design. They are included in these basic stages:

Artwork is designed to your requirements and personal preferences.
Special software is used to create a 3D map of your sign's top surface.
A solid HDU panel is placed onto the CNC router table. Larger signs are made from panels that are 5 ft. wide by either 8 or 10 ft. long (made of 1.5 inch thick solid HDU).
The 3D map is carved into the sign. Some designs take several hours.
Signs are removed from panel, then hand-trimmed and sanded using a variety of hand tools and sanding pads.
Drilling or planing is performed as necessary.
Signs receive a final finish sanding and are fully inspected for defects.
Primer is applied, up to 8-10 coats, as necessary.
Background, trim and lettering paint is applied as required.
Finally, your sign receives UV-protective clear coatings.

Turnaround Times

Turnaround time is a somewhat loose term, and we don't like loose terms when it comes to your new law office sign, especially if you are planning any kind of special event where it's needed. Therefore, this section fully explains how our Turnaround Time is calculated.

It is the total time it takes to complete all three of the following phases:

Phase 1: Design & Approval

This is an open-ended period that basically takes as long as it takes. It covers all of your interactions with our Design Team, the creation of your design, plus any proofing and approval processes that need to take place on your end.

This time is different for every person, and can range from as little as a few minutes or hours to several days, weeks, or even months, depending on what needs to happen before you give final approval for production (final approval is the point at which you have signed off on every last detail, and your order is 100% ready for production).

Phase 2: Production

Production refers to the time between your final approval and the day your order ships. You have a choice between three levels of production:

Standard Production: Standard production is estimated at 3-5 weeks, with orders being manufactured as plant scheduling permits. If you are not on a deadline, this is your best and most-economical choice. If you are on a deadline of any kind, keep in mind that we are not able to promise specific ship dates or delivery times under standard production. Orders may or may not arrive in time for planned events. Therefore, it is recommended that you wait until after receiving your order before scheduling your event, or use one of the rush production options, below.

Rush Production: This may be available, depending on the time of year and current production workload. Please contact us if you need your sign sooner than the standard production time listed above.

Phase 3: Transit

Transit is the shipper transporting and delivering your order. The time it takes will vary by shipping company, the service level used, and your specific location.

There is a small possibility it may take longer than expected due to weather delays, mis-routed packages or other problems. After decades of shipping plaques, we can tell you this very rarely happens, but it has.

Because all of this takes place after we literally let go of your package, and it is completely out of our control, we need to mention that this portion of the overall Turnaround TIme is the shipping company's responsibility.