Upright Board Inside: why side bend survives letter curves

Inside a side-bend tube the LED board stands upright along the profile wall, so a left–right curve flexes the silicone body instead of creasing the board — the failure mode you get forcing a flat-laid strip around a tight letter bend. Silicone aging behavior and the co-extruded build are documented with test data on the LC-NT top bend range page: the same silicone compound and extrusion line feed LC-NS. Order side bend whenever the artwork curves; never force a straight section around a stroke.

Every section carries a minimum bending diameter — curve tighter than rated and the warranty voids, whatever the profile. Send letter drawings with the inquiry and the factory confirms the smallest stroke each section can hold before cutting. The drawing check is free; a cracked board mid-project is not.

Side Bend vs Top Bend: order by plane, not by brightness

Side-bend LC-NS tubes swing left and right in the horizontal plane for flat wall lettering, logos and fascia lines that never change height; top-bend tubes flex across the lit face in the vertical plane for perimeters that rise and fall. Flat artwork orders side bend, stepped facades order top bend. Where the run climbs a facade, the LC-NT top bend range with 18 profiles takes over.

Size the section to the artwork, not to the reel. Hairline strokes need the extra-slim 4.5mm tubes, standard channel letters sit on the 6–12mm mid sections, and landmark letters and column wraps take the tall and jumbo sections. Sign outlines read best against washed surroundings from the garden lighting solution for layered night scenes so the sign and its setting light up as one scene.

• Fine strokes and small letters — LC-NS-4.5x11.6, LC-NS-4.5x11 and LC-NS-5x8 extra-slim tubes
• Channel letters and logo contours — LC-NS-6x12 through LC-NS-12x25 mid sections, LC-NS-5x12-E seats into channels
• Landmark letters and column wraps — LC-NS-16x16 and LC-NS-20x20, the 20x20 runs 180 LEDs per meter with a 2700K option
• Color-changing letters — 7 profiles with -RGB versions, 96-LED on 6–12mm sizes and 5050 60-LED on the 16x16
• Feed voltage — outdoor runs default to DC12/24V (24V stretches farther between feeds); AC220V versions trade fewer injection points for mains-voltage handling rules — high, unreachable, electrician-installed, IP67-sealed
• Mounting and accessories — flat-wall clips and channel-mounted -E edges with shared end caps and feed kits — see Accessories & Techniques with install diagrams