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Choosing the Best Vinyl

Vinyl Film Construction

Vinyl film can be manufactured in two ways, calendering or casting.

Calendering - The calendering process uses heat to melt a ‘monomeric’ vinyl resin. The molten resin is then squeezed between rollers to finally produce a monomeric calendered vinyl film, generally 100 microns thick. Calendered vinyls are highly versatile and can be specified for virtually any interior application. Although prone to shrinkage when used outdoors, they can fulfill many ‘short term’ exterior requirements. However, the shrinkage of calendered vinyls can be reduced by using a polymeric vinyl resin. Polymeric calendered vinyls offer extended exterior durability, but even with a reduced face film thickness (generally 80 microns), polymeric calendered vinyls tend not to lend themselves to uneven surfaces such as corrugations, rivets, etc. (Calendered Vinyl Films.)

Casting - The casting process uses chemical solvents to liquefy a vinyl resin, which is then floated onto a highly polished substrate. The resultant films (generally 60 microns thick) are extremely stable and highly resilient and can therefore be used for many diverse, ‘long term’ exterior applications. (Cast Vinyl Films)

Adhesives

There are two types of adhesives that are commonly used- rubber based, and acrylic based. Rubber based adhesives are affected by ultra-violet light and cannot be recommended for use in certain applications. Consequently, acrylic based adhesives are more widely used, and furthermore, will adhere to a wider variety of surfaces.

Adhesives can be formulated to offer varying degrees of life expectancy but are generally formulated to be compatible with the life expectancy of the vinyl face film itself.

Colors

The expected life of vinyl cannot be judged solely on the construction of the vinyl face film and adhesive alone. A further consideration is color fastness. Some color pigments, because of their chemical formulation, can be more prone to fading than others. Hence, within certain manufacturer’s ranges, there may be a life expectancy spread specified for each type of vinyl: the shorter life figure relating to colored vinyls, the longer life figure relating to black and white vinyls. It should be stressed, however, that these figures represent minimum guaranteed outdoor life expectancy, and in many applications outdoor life will greatly exceed that which is specified.

Temperature Ranges

Vinyls have varying working temperatures which are categorized as follows: minimum application temperature, the minimum temperature at which the vinyl can be applied to a surface, intermittent service temperature (the minimum/maximum temperatures that vinyl can withstand for short periods, constant service temperature (the minimum/maximum temperature that the vinyl can withstand on a constant basis throughout its life’s duration.

Monomeric Calendered Vinyls

Monomeric calendered vinyls offer an extremely economical solution to many interior lettering applications. POS and interior signing programs are just some of the applications where this range can be used. Outdoor life is normally restricted to three years for black, white, and colors, and therefore monomeric calendered vinyls should only be considered for short-term, temporary, outdoor use on smooth surfaces. (Monomeric Calendered Vinyls)

Polymeric Calendered Vinyls

As with monomeric calendered vinyls, these films have virtually unlimited life when used indoors. Offering an exterior life of five years for black, white, and colors, polymeric calendered vinyls satisfy a large number of outdoor requirements when applied to smooth surfaces. For example, polymeric calendered vinyl are not recommended for the marking of vehicles with riveted panels. (Polymeric Calendered Vinyls)

Cast Vinyls

Because of their method of manufacture, cast vinyls are extremely durable and will withstand considerable variations in temperature and humidity. Their dimensional stability makes them particularly suited for application to compound curved and uneven surfaces, e.g. corrugations, rivets, etc. Cast vinyls have a guaranteed minimum outdoor life of seven years for black and white, and five years for colors. They are therefore ideal for virtually all long term applications including vehicle liveries and striping, military, aviation, marine, and industrial markings, and many types of exterior signing. Indoor applications include reverse window graphics where extremes of temperature and humidity require utmost stability. (Cast Vinyl Films)

Most recent revision November 15, 2003