Limelight Signs are a leading UK road traffic sign manufacturer specialising in the design and manufacture of permanent and temporary road signage.

As part of a major motorway improvement project Limelight Signs were approached to design and manufacture the motorway gantry signs as well as more than one hundred Advance Direction Signs (ADS) and directional signs for placement on the M56.

The challenge

The M56 is a busy motorway, particularly with heavy goods vehicles which use the road at all times of the day and night. Drivers of heavy goods vehicles view traffic signs from a higher road position than car drivers, and with less light from vehicle headlights ‘hitting’ gantry signs, it is critical to use the most efficient reflective sheeting available.

Class R3C materials are the most efficient of all the UK classes. In fact, class R3C was introduced for this very reason – to ensure these types of signs could be seen by drivers of all vehicle types. Accordingly, National Highways specify R3C class materials should be used for overhead gantry signs.

The specification for the gantry signs on the M56 also includes a dew resistant protective overlay. Studies have shown that beads of dew scatter light rather than sending it back to the source/driver which can temporarily reduce the retroreflective performance of a traffic sign by up to 87%.

The challenge with dew resistant overlays is that many products available on the market have a relatively short lifespan (5 to 7 years), which therefore reduces the overall warranted life of the traffic sign.

Limelight Signs needed to source an R3C class reflective sheeting and a premium dew resistant overlay which would not compromise the warranted lifespan of the sign.

The solution

As a long-term supplier to Limelight Signs and a specialist in reflective materials for traffic signage we were able to offer advice to find the right combination of quality products to meet the specification.

Avery Dennison T-11500 OmniCube™ is an R3C class omni-directional micro prismatic film that incorporates tiles of full-cube micro prisms arranged in multiple orientations.

The full-cube design offers 100% light return which is typically twice as much as traditional prismatic sheeting. These impressive statistics make Avery Dennison T 11500 OmniCube™ one of the most efficient retroreflective materials available on the market.

T-11500 OmniCube™ is also approved for use on the TrafficJet™ digital sign shop printer used by Limelight signs to create CE accredited traffic signs.

When it came to the dew resistant overlay, we recommended Avery Dennison OL-1200 dew resistant overlay film. OL-1200 has hydrophilic properties meaning when droplets or beads of dew form on the face of the sign, the moisture is drawn across the sheeting creating a film of water. This enables light to enter and return on the same plane (i.e. retroreflect) to the source, ensuring that the sign functions and is legible at night.

After considerable research and development Avery Dennison brought OL-1200 to market at a time when the dew resistant properties could more closely match the lifespan of the reflective sheeting. This means that in contrast to the typical 5-7 year lifespan of many dew resistant overlays, OL-1200 offers 10 year dew resistant properties and 12 year UV protection, ensuring that materials continue to provide exceptional performance throughout the life of the sign.

Customer feedback

“Lakeside Group were professional, supportive and friendly. We value their ongoing support and access to bespoke products and we would recommend them to other traffic sign manufacturers.”
Paul Styles, Director, Limelight Signs

To download this case study as a PDF click here. If you would like to know more about Avery Dennison T-11500 OmniCube™ or Avery Dennison OL-1200 get in touch with our friendly team today.