Wholesale Vinyl - Bulk Laminate
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) July 08, 2014
Cast films are very popular in the graphics industry; it has always been believed to be the best product for vinyl applications. According to Instant One Media, a manufacturer of wholesale vinyl, calendered vinyl film has taken over this position. Calendered films possess qualities similar to those of a cast film - with an added advantage of being economical. With the use of modern technology, calendered film has been improved to overcome challenges in the market, even those that seemed unsolvable.
Unlike in the past when the production of calendered film resulted to a cheap but thick material that could only be used on flat surfaces applications, modern calendered film is thinner, shinier and of better quality that resists shrinkage but still maintains the cost effective feature. Modern calendered film is so good that even sign makers use it in various applications.
Different Components of Calendered Vinyl:
The process of manufacturing calendered film involves mixing polyvinyl chloride with plasticizer. This results in a flexible film that is mixed with other additives, such as oils, stabilizers, dyes and processing aids, to get the desired physical attributes. Each of these additives is essential in producing the desired properties of the calendered film.
Production Process of Calendered Vinyl Film:
The raw materials used in the production process depend on the film to be formulated. The necessary raw materials are mixed together before being fed to an extruder. The extruder blends the mixture together to form a liquid substance that is transported to the refinery using conveyer belts.
The refinery is made of two rotating rolls that roll on opposite directions creating heat and pressure that flattens out the liquid mixture, making it uniform. The uniform mixture is then scanned for any metal using a metal detector before being sent to calendered rolls.
Once in the calendered rolls, the mixture is passed through the first slit that flattens it forming a film. It is then passed through several other gaps and with each gap the uniformity and temperature of the mixture increases, making it even thinner and wider. The number of gaps the mixture passes through is dictated by the customer's specifications.
Once the desired size is achieved the film is then passed on to an embossing station. Here, the film is decorated using special rolls to apply different patterns and sheen on its surface. The film is then allowed to cool before it is taken through the last stage known as "winding." During winding, the thick edges are trimmed of to acquire a uniformly thick film. It is then cut and stored for quality control and shipping.
Urbane Production and Process Technology:
Modern calendered vinyl producers continue to refine and improve the production procedures. The source of this development came after the improvement of the basic additives that resulted to higher performance and increased the lifespan as well as the color evenness of the film. The introduction of new equipments and technology has also greatly enhanced the production process. The quality of a film is also dependent on several considerations on both the mixture and the machines used during production. The control systems used to measure the necessary considerations are highly effective thus improving the quality of the film manufactured. For instance, by controlling thickness, gloss and color during production, there is increased uniformity hence improved quality. This has resulted to thinner and glossier film hence boosting the performance of the calendered vinyl greatly.
Although the calendered film cannot be used to completely substitute cast films, they have made remarkable advancements and taken over applications that were purely set aside for cast films. The calendered film is thus no longer the cheaper and inferior option. For more information on printable vinyl visit instantonemedia.com or call 480-228-6329.