Visiting Qinyuan Production Base of Traffic Signs, the ingenuity and perseverance behind a road sign

Speaking of traffic signs, you may see them on the road every day, but rarely think about where they came from. "Stop" with white characters on a red background, indicator arrows with white characters on a blue background, warning signs with black characters on a yellow background... These seemingly simple signs actually have a whole set of signs hidden behind them. Let’s not talk about the knowledge from design, production to installation. Let’s follow the author’s footsteps and get into the somewhat “mysterious” traffic sign production base in Qinyuan, Shanxi, to see how these “silent traffic police” who protect our road safety were born.

You may not imagine how many hurdles a qualified traffic sign has to go through from being an ordinary aluminum plate or steel plate to standing firmly on the roadside. The scale of this base in Qinyuan is not particularly exaggerated, but when you walk in, the orderly and busy atmosphere immediately makes people feel the word "professional".

first step: Drawings are not paintings, and they are not even one millimeter off.

The life of all signs begins with an extremely rigorous drawing. In the design room of the base, there are no imaginative artists. They can only stare at the national standard (GB 5768 "Road Traffic Signs and Markings") Engineers who compete with computer screens have strict regulations on the size, corner radius, font style (usually a special traffic sign font, such as bold or authoritarian highway font), and stroke thickness. The color is not randomly selected. The national standard color card number is, it must be adjusted to be exact. The old masters here often say: “What we draw is not a picture, but a responsibility. Drivers on the road only take a glance for half a second. The information must be absolutely accurate and transmitted instantly. ”After the design draft is confirmed, the blanking and cutting process will begin.

Step 2: Blanking and forming, “cutting and shaping” of steel”

When you walk into the workshop, the smell of noise and metal hits you. The huge CNC cutting machine is following the computer instructions to cut the rolls or plates into the required shapes. Round prohibition signs, triangular warning signs, rectangular guide signs...the edges are neat. The smooth, burr-free, cut boards will be sent to the folding machine as needed, where the four edges will be folded to enhance the structural strength and make the later installation stronger. Seeing the thick steel plates in the hands of the machine as obedient as origami, I have to marvel at the power of modern industry.

Step 3: Cleanse and prime to lay the foundation for makeup application

This is one of the most critical and easily overlooked links. After cutting and bending the plate, if there is oil stain and oxide layer on the surface, how can it be spray painted directly? That is absolutely not possible. The adhesion is poor and the skin will peel off in a short time. Each board must undergo strict cleaning, pickling, and phosphating treatment, which is equivalent to a deep cleaning and "roughening" of the metal surface so that the primer can "bite" the metal. After spraying with a special epoxy zinc-rich primer or galvanized layer, and then drying, this can be considered a perfect "base makeup".

Step 4: Silk screen printing and reflective film make the logo “bright”

Here comes the core link - printing graphics and text. Now the mainstream high-end practice is to use Engineering grade, high strength grade or diamond grade reflective film , this kind of film is not an ordinary plastic paper. It is filled with tiny glass beads or prism structures, which can reflect the light of the car lights back at night, making the sign clearly visible in the dark. The workers carefully attached the large reflective film to the primed board like a mobile phone film, without any bubbles or wrinkles.

After attaching the base film, it’s time for screen printing. Each color needs to be plated and printed separately. For example, a sign with a blue background and a white arrow turning left is first covered with blue reflective film, and then the arrow area is “leaked” through the screen plate, and then painted with white reflective paint or affixed with white Color reflective film must be aligned between layers, and the precision requirements are extremely high. There are also more advanced digital printing technologies that can print directly on the reflective film, which is suitable for complex patterns, but the cost is also high. At the Qinyuan base, the master craftsmen still trust the stability and durability of traditional screen printing.

Step 5: Inspection and packaging, the “ultimate trial” before leaving the factory”

Do you think it’s done after printing? Not even close! Every sign must pass the keen eye of the quality inspector. Is the color correct? Are there any flaws in the text pattern? Is the reflective effect up to standard? They will use special instruments to measure the retroreflection coefficient (that is, reflective brightness), and use flashlights to simulate car lights in the darkroom. If they are even slightly unqualified, they will be mercilessly sent back to be redone. For signs that pass the inspection, the corners will be wrapped in protective covers to prevent bumps during transportation, and then they will be properly packaged like works of art, waiting to be shipped to all parts of the country.

In Qinyuan, feel the craftsmanship of "slow work produces careful work"

In this era of pursuit of efficiency and speed, the Qinyuan production base feels untimely "slow" and "axial". There is no assembly line-style crazy rush to work here. In key processes, we still rely on the touch and judgment of experienced masters. Master Wang, who is responsible for silk screen printing, has worked here for almost twenty years, he said: “This business is not going fast. If you fool it, it will fool you on the road. A sign will stand there, exposed to wind, sun, and rain. It has to be effective for many years. You have to keep in mind the people driving on the road. ”

This "axis" is a reverence for standards and a responsibility for safety. Traffic signs are the materialization of regulations and the guidance of life. Behind them are not only aluminum plates, paints and reflective films, but also the careful consideration of designers, the rigorous craftsmanship of producers, and the precise positioning of installers.

When I left the production base, I looked back at the neatly stacked signs about to go into battle. I felt completely different. They were no longer cold roadside objects, but "soldiers" who were about to take root in the earth and shoulder the mission of guidance and protection. Every line and every touch of color embodies the sweat and ingenuity of these ordinary craftsmen in the Qinyuan base.

Next time you see a clear and eye-catching traffic sign on the road, maybe think for a second. It may come from an inconspicuous but crucial place like Qinyuan. It has gone through dozens of processes, crossed mountains and rivers, and finally stood in front of you, just to give you an accurate and safe direction at the moment you are driving. This is the extraordinary story behind an ordinary traffic sign.