Ancient days Vehicle branding means Painting the whole vehicle, after the invention of vinyl and digital printing, the graphics sticking in the vehicle is become very easy and more compatible. While Choosing Vinyl for Vehicle branding, we must be careful in selecting either the calendar vinyl or the cast vinyl. Calendar vinyl are strong, thicker, and used for very short span graphics. Whereas Cast vinyl is comparatively thinner, flexible and more life.
What is Cast vinyl
Cost vinyl made with melting process, Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) Plasticizers, and coloring agents are melted together and cold down through calendering rollers. Basically, the PVC is hard and bright material. It tends to break if try to bend, flex, squeeze or flex them. The plasticizers and additive make the PVC softer, durable, color and flexible.
The biggest issue of Plasticizers is migration, to avoid this we must buy high quality and migration resistant. Plasticizers stands in its original form and changes the characteristic of the film from cracking, splitting, adherence with ink and glue, and compatibility with screen printing, digital printing, and other printing processes. So, the longer the plasticizers remain the longer product will last.
Here the width, thickness and surface finish of the vinyl is decided in the calendaring machine. Then it will be winded in rolls or sheet for other process. According to the manufacturing process and the materials used in it this vinyl rolls classified to two majors.
- Monomeric Vinyl
- Polymeric Vinyl
Monomeric Vinyl
Monomeric cast vinyl is made with short chain plasticizer. These short chain plasticizers will migrate out of the film, so the film will be thicker and white in nature. Normally between. 80-100 micron and tend to have short life, basically have 2-3 years in the outdoor and tend to be cheaper and economical. This vinyl is best for the flat surfaces, walls, and floors.
Polymeric Vinyl
Unlike monomeric vinyl polymeric vinyl are made with long chain plasticizers. This long chain plasticizers gel with or bond with the film that prevent the migration of plasticizers. This gives the characteristic of smooth and thin surface, polymeric will have slight dull in whiteness and 3-5 years life and flexible. So, this makes the film costlier and able to stick in unshaped surfaces.
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Monomeric Vinyl |
Polymeric Vinyl |
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Conclusion
In Vehicle branding / fleet graphics choosing the right vinyl for printing in the digital printing machine is very important. Also using the right inks and good printing machines is play a vital role in it.
When you choose vinyl for digital printing and applying of the graphics on flat surface vehicles choose monomeric vinyl. For example, in vehicle branding, Flat Trucks, Flat Containers, Refrigerators
Whereas if your vehicle surface is more curvy and irregular shape you can choose polymeric vinyl, which give more flexible and long durable. So that you no need to change the graphics often. For example, in fleet graphics Cars, Truck bonnets and bumpers.
