Measuring vinyl durability
There’s a story attributed to Henry Ford and the development of the Ford Motor Co.’s blue oval logo that speaks volumes about the importance of long-lasting graphics. Ford reportedly told a designer he wanted the end result – Ford’s signature, blue oval – to not only look great on a late-model car on the road, but even after it reached its final destination – the junkyard. Ford knew graphics that were initially attractive might not remain so during a product’s lifetime. He also knew it wasn’t just a blue logo; it represented his name and the company’s brand image, and he wanted it to appeal for years.
Today, customers still want durable graphics. Like any other graphic substrate, vinyl endures gradual beatings from sunlight, heat and moisture, which trigger such problems as color and gloss fade, cracking, chipping and delamination.
However, graphics applied outdoors aren’t the only ones at risk. For example, indoor malls often feature graphics subjected to sunlight or fluorescent lighting, which can also affect appearance and performance.
Weathering performance
How do you know graphics will maintain long-term color consistency and color matching? And, what methods can determine how long graphics will look good outdoors?
First, always use reputable suppliers, and ask about weathering data available for their products. If your graphics will be installed outdoors, ask how and where weathering was done, and if a complete graphic was tested or just a film sample.
Outdoor-weathering tests involve placing film samples on a substrate and leaving them outdoors for years to see how well they retain their color and resist sunlight, heat, moisture, mold and mildew, pollution (mostly acid rain), freeze/thaw cycles, hail, snow, blowing sand or debris. Although every material degrades with time, the resistance to such changes varies greatly.
Ideal tests occur at multiple sites under multiple climactic conditions, such as those encountered in Florida (hot and moist conditions), Arizona (hot and dry conditions) and Minnesota (hot and cold extremes). The results reveal how materials perform amidst a climate cross-section.
Nothing replaces outdoor weathering test data to determine films’, inks’ and adhesives’ useful lives. However, indoor testing can be conducted in laboratories using machines that mimic and artificially accelerate weather conditions to provide solid data about product performance more quickly.
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