Lark Signs
SAF: The Supreme Anodizer and Sign Supplier
Lark Signs Entrusts SAF for Reliable Quality, Consistency
As a metal sign fabricator, identifying a reliable metal supplier to provide you with the materials to produce signs likely tops your priority list. Finding a partner who can provide the materials you need on time and at a competitive price point pays dividends. The metals must also exhibit quality and consistency, two attributes that will be critical to your success as a fabricator.
Lark Signs (Wichita, KS) has relied on the expertise of SAF for decades. Lark creates a variety of identification and educational signs for cultural institutions including botanical gardens, art museums, nature centers, historic sites, and more. These signs must remain intact and in pristine shape throughout their lifespan, which is why SAF has been Lark’s sole metal supplier for the past 20 years.
The Materials That Matter
Lark Signs uses two products from SAF in sign production. The first is black anodized aluminum sheet – in both .040″ and .063″ thicknesses – for the nameplates. The second is black anodized aluminum extrusions in 1/2″, 3/4″, and 1″ widths by 1/8″ thick that are chosen dependent upon a project’s unique needs. The signs are fabricated onto these stakes that hold the imaged nameplate at reading level for guests.
Why does Lark choose SAF time and time again?
“SAF’s anodizing is pure excellence,” said Karl Miller, owner of Lark Signs.
SAF uses 5005 alloy on its anodized sheets. Therefore, when Lark laser etches it, their process results in the text and graphics turning white providing greater contrast compared to the silvery, less prominent display with other alloys.
Lark purchases full sheets of 48″ x 120″ anodized aluminum and cuts them down into an assortment of standard sizes for customers. Lark then cuts plates out of this inventory and laser images nameplates with the appropriate information.
“SAF’s anodizing is better than what we could ever hope for. It allows us to offer a 10-year warranty on our markers, and we’ve rarely ever had to replace one,” added Miller.
Case #1: Zoo Miami
Zoo Miami (also known as the Miami-Dade Zoological Park and Gardens) offers an enriching experience for guests with its 4 miles of walkways to see 2,500 animals sprawled across 750 acres of land. The zoo’s unique appeal is that it is designed as an open-air concept that provides a cageless environment for the animals, creating living spaces that feel more like their natural habitats. The zoo offers a variety of learning programs, and a portion of that learning starts with being able to identify the plant life around the zoo.
Plants offer significant landscape value to zoos, and profiling the plants around the park and the ones that the animals eat makes an interesting connection in guests’ minds. Zoos also have an educational mandate, and plant identification signs help satisfy that requirement.
Over the years, SAF has provided black anodized aluminum sheet for Lark that they have utilized to fabricate more than 1,100 signs for Zoo Miami. Among these are identification signs for Peony (Pink Hawaiian Coral), Southern Live Oak, Swiss Cheese Plant, and many others. The signs are designed to last decades in a tough outdoor environment under the hot Miami sun.
Case #2: Anodizing for the Arts
Black anodized aluminum sheet from SAF has been utilized for art exhibits throughout the country. These signs are pivotal to conveying critical information on the art piece, the artist, and insights into their creative vision or process.
For the country’s most notable art pieces, the associated signage must also remain appealing to the eyes of viewers.
Lark has been entrusted to fabricate signs for art organizations nationwide, including The Andy Warhol Museum (Pittsburgh, PA) and Fernando Botero: Botero in New York. Lark used none other than SAF anodized aluminum to fulfill the requirements for durable, long-lasting, and legible signs.
The Andy Warhol Museum, which is the largest museum in the United States dedicated to a single artist, features nearly a dozen Lark signs made from SAF black anodized aluminum sheet.
Anodizing You Can Trust
Metal sign fabricators nationwide have two primary requirements that they must meet for their customers: longevity and readability. Relying on a metal supplier and finisher to provide all of the necessary materials for sign fabricators to deliver on customer demands is crucial to their success as an organization and reputation with customers.
Top-notch materials equals repeat business.
Whether it is used for signs at an art museum, an outdoor exhibit at a zoo, or a historic botanical garden, anodized aluminum from SAF exhibits the strength, weather resistance, and quality to last for decades.
“When looking at aluminum suppliers, the quality of anodizing is the most important criteria,” said Miller. “That is why I will not buy from anyone other than SAF.”
Project Photos