Question What makes an illuminated sign cabinet "extruded"

[TXFB.INS]

While on lunch break, me and another staffer started discussing the differences between EXTRUDED & NON-EXTRUDED internal illuminated cabinets.

long story short, we both have different opinions and definitions. So here I am to see what the "experts" have to say / how y'all define the difference(s)

 

[Billct2]

Extruded means the aluminum squeezed through a "mold" to create the profile. The way we used to make most boxes was by bending .040 sheets on the brake in our shop.
Now they're mostly done with purchased extrusions that get cut to size and joined at the corners

 

[James Burke]

One advantage of extrusions is that their cross sectional profiles can be fine tuned so they're stronger than boxes of a similar gage made on a brake. Ribs and other geometric features can add significant rigidity to otherwise flimsy material.

JB

 

[TXFB.INS]

Thanks for the insight,
we were both partially right

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

I wonder what the wind load calculations are on an extruded playdoh sign. Might be a decent alternative with the price of metal going up. And you get to pick your color...save $ on paint.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Can confirm, my 8 and 4 year olds have left plenty of shapes out on the table overnight, still harden to a quikrete like state.
We may be onto something here, though I think the printers that extrude quick drying concrete are using an even cheaper medium.
The real question is, how do we go about monetizing legos left on the floor? Perhaps skipping the caution tape and dropping a line of legos around your working perimeter is a better approach. Hell, at least maybe somebody would notice then...

Pick them up and build your next sign out of it. Sell it to a hipster who will think it's retro. No permit needed because it's legos!