Glitter,Sparkle,Holographic, Sequin and Gemstone Vinyl

DECORATIVE SELF ADHESIVE VINYL

The Vinyl Corporation has being supplying Sign Supplies and Sign Making Vinyl to the automotive, marine and exhibition markets for over thirty five years, clearly in that time the production methods and products available have changed dramatically, now sign makers can obtain Holographic, sequin glitter self adhesive vinyl or Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV) in a full gamut of colours and shades.Sign Vinyl is sourced from many countries around the World, However, The Vinyl Corporation always endeavours to source as much sign Making Vinyl as possible from UK manufacturers, some of the most eyecatching and innovative materials are still designed and produced in the USA, with many also being imported from Europe, which at the moment with the uncertainty surrounding BREXIT the confidence and currency can fluctuate on a daily basis , but The Vinyl Corporation has put measures in place to give our clients stability in pricing and supply chain fulfilment, so when a large ongoing project is embarked upon the customer is confident that the whole contract will be able to be fulfilled at the correct price and with the same materials.

SPECIALITY GLITTER AND SEQUIN FILMS

The demand for speciality metallized vinyl film has grown exponentially over the past ten years, with increasing demand from the TV and film production industry to the clothing customisers and the shop fitting designers for high impact point of sale display graphics. The Vinyl Corporation gets requests on a regular basis for unusual designs and specific corporate shades of Vinyl film. Speciality Vinyl , mainly the metallised colours are becoming a popular alternative to the previously used polyesters as it is softer to cut, weed and process through a vinyl plotter,as a substrate vinyl is much more receptive to Solvent, eco solvent, UV and Latex inks than polyester.

HOW IS SPECIALITY VINYL MADE?

There are many different types of material that can be metallised Polyproylene, poly carbonates, acrylic and Vinyl these can be used for a variety of purposes from wrapping paper to crisp bags, shampoo bottle labels or even Window Tint. The main choice for Sign Making Materials is between Vinyl or Polyester to carry the speciality metallised finish or GLITTER VINYL effect that is so popular. Vinyl is a Thermoplastic which is a solid mass that is heated and extruded and formed into a film by engraved rollers. However, polyesters are a totally different kind of plastic, they are not thermoplastics they are known as thermosets which start their journey on the production line as a liquid and are cured with heat.When Vinyl is being extruded and embossed the Vinyl Film colourant is added so it is an integral part of the material, known as the “Resin mix” this preserves the colour fastness and therefore the life of the vinyl as it is less prone to fade or show discolouration from scratches or wear. Whilst the Vinyl is still in a semi-moulton state the underside is “Coined” or embossed with a textured pattern to assist the metallised layer to key on and bond to the vinyl film.

SPECIALITY VINYL AND THE MAGIC

The magical part of the process comes next, the “CORONA” treatment, to improve the bond between the metal layer that has been coined onto the vinyl and the desired facefilm a pre treatment of corona increases the surface energy of the plastic and and makes it easier for the aluminium to form a smooth and even layer, therefore creating a better bond with the facefilm of the Vinyl, a very strong bond is required between the three elements of this SPECIALITY VINYL – 1) The facefilm; 2) The aluminium reflective strip and 3) The adhesive coating.To achieve the strongest bond possible between all three elements the preferred production method is “Vacuum Metallisation” this is a two stage process of evaporating aluminium in a vacuum chamber then allowing the metal vapour to condense on the VINYL FILM , this is carried out at the, hotter than Dubai, temperature of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The second stage is the condensing, directly above the vapourisation of the aluminium is a cooling drum and the Vinyl film is passed around the cooling drum as the vapour condenses on the embossed textured underside of the Vinyl facefilm, this metal layer is extremely thin, this is the reflector that actually creates the “Special Effects”and throws the light around in a myriad of directions and causes the human eye to see different patterns and colours in a deep, three dimensional reality, with microscopic prisms diffracting and deflecting various light beams at many different angles and shapes so the human eye sees a Kaleidoscope of colours and shapes that interest and excite the brain to notice and admire, this is the reasoning behind advertising agencies employing these products for point of sale displays and eyecatching stands at exhibitions, where the bright lights really bring these specialty metallised Vinyl films to life!

SPECIALITY VINYL FILM WARNING!

Not ALL speciality Holographic, Sequin or Glitter films are manufactured on Vinyl, some are still produced on Polyester, which is a lot harder and nothing like as receptive as a Solvent printing substrate as vinyl is, to be absolutely sure that you have a product which is a CAST VINYL then be advised to use the GEMSTONE CAST VINYL with a ten year external life from The Vinyl Corporation.

HEAT TRANSFER VINYL – HTV

Garment, T-Shirt or heat press vinyl is available in Glitter, Sparkle or holographic vinyl options, if you check the HOT FLEX ULTRA pages of the website you will be directed to the correct area, Also there is a dedicated HELPDESK available to our customers on 0115 944 1774 here the very best advice will be available free of charge