Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a beneficial material for businesses to use for its signage and display cases because of its expanded product lifespan over traditional materials such as wood and metal. Vycom, an innovative plastic solutions company, created Celtec® featuring rigid PVC material making it a great choice for designers, manufacturers, sign shop owners, and more. Here are some reasons why Celtec is easy to work with.
Weight
First, Celtec is lightweight, expanded foam PVC, which makes it very easy to manufacture and distribute. It has a mass per unit density between 0.55 – 0.7 of specific gravity, which is a ratio of Celtec’s density compared to a reference substance, or a comparable substance used as comparison. In comparison, the specific gravity for most PVC is 1.4, which is significantly heavier.
Color
Next, color is another reason why Celtec is easy to work with. Celtec comes in a variety of colors, such as red, blue, and green. With this in mind, you can use these colors or even a custom one in order to reinforce your brand or to match the aesthetics of your project.
Hassle-Free
In addition, Celtec’s graphic and display material is hassle-free. It doesn’t require chemicals and cleaning products to maintain its integrity throughout its product lifespan. On the other hand, products such as wood preservatives and aerosol paint sprays cause volatile organic compound (VOC) emission. VOC emission is harmful to people’s health, and it can have both short-term and long-term effects. Moreover, these products need to be applied several times throughout a product’s lifespan. Luckily, products that use Celtec don’t need the same treatment.
Workability
Celtec has a very small cell structure, which allows increased workability for designers. A designer can shape Celtec into their desired form by using hand tools (such as a utility knife or router), saws (band or table), or milling machines. Celtec’s small cell structure provides designers with the ability to produce a smooth finish by varying the speed in which the material is cut and how quickly it is fed to the cutting device. Also, because Celtec can be joined using many adhesives and fasteners, it can be used in many different shapes and sizes.
Linear Thermal Expansion and Contraction
Celtec’s composition allows it to be manipulated through different temperatures. Similar to all plastic materials, increasing or reducing the temperature makes Celtec expand or contract. This allows for easily installing Celtec in a variety of forms.
Quality
With proper storage, Celtec’s quality is ensured because of its design. Its low flammability (its oxygen index exceeds 26%, which means it will not continue to burn after the flame source is removed) and chemical resistance allow for it to be used indoors and outdoors. Also, Celtec is a closed cell foam that does not absorb moisture. Open cell foam has interconnected cells, which is perfect for absorption. On the other hand, closed cell foam has cells that aren’t connected. In fact, each cell is individual, and they are surrounded by plastic walls, making it very difficult to absorb moisture.
Customization
Celtec is great for customization. As an example, paint adheres to Celtec very well, and designers can use any painting method. Moreover, screen and direct Digital Printing require quality surfaces in order to evenly distribute the ink. Because of Celtec’s high quality surface, using flatbed feed technology to print is a great option. Also, Celtec is manufactured in gauges from 1mm through 30mm, which allows designers to optimize strength while also reducing production costs.
As a leading manufacturer of innovative plastic solutions, Vycom’s divisions of products such as Celtec are used in a variety of applications. In addition, Vycom products are American-made and are more environmentally friendly. Specifically, Celtec is made with tin, not lead, cadmium, barium or zinc heat stabilizers. Because of this, health and disposal problems are reduced.
It’s these reasons and more why Celtec is easy to work with.
