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help with reflective vinyl
Hi all,
I am assuming the vinyl used on ambulances is diamond grade reflective vinyl. if so, i was wondering where this can be bought and how much would it cost? also can it be cut on my versacamm?
thanx
Phil
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7 Replies
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Diamond grade vinyl would kill your versacam.
it also needs to be edge sealed, if its for a specific emergency vehicle, it can be bought in kit form from people like william smith.
an alternativem which can be cut on a normal plotter is the daybright range from hexis, which is even more expensive than their diamond grade.
What do you need it for?Peter
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Hi Phillip,
any relation to Liam?
what is the ambulance for? if private off road ‘horsey’ type event cover it doesn’t have to be diamond grade, regulat yellow and green engineering grade will be fine.
if it is to be used on road with blue, then really it needs to be chapter 8 (what Peter mentions above). check William smith’s website for more details on that. or google it!
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I have a mate who is going to be recommending my services at the place he works. they want about 5-6 kits a week. they do bodywork and vehicle livery for various commecial vehicles. Phil what do you mean by edge seal?? also would 3-4 cut passes not do the trick on my versacamm?? I’m trying to consider all my factors here before i do any work as i am just to supply the reflective and not fit it. they will be wnating green, yellow and possibly red.
ive heard the yelow and green are quite thick.
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Phillip all diamond grade is quite thick, but it is not normally used on non emergency vehicles. Engineering grade is the norm for most utility works vehicles etc.
If you are fitting to emergency vehicles it is far easier to buy in the kits as they fit perfectly. same goes for rear chevrons etc on works vehicles, easier and quicker to buy in and just fit. Only if I were doing a large quantity, I would consider making my own kits. Diamond grade vinyl when cut leaves the "edge unsealed" it is a laminated material, so if left unsealed, after a short period of time it will start to discolour and delaminate with water ingress.
not many roller type cutters will cut diamond grade. normally its done on a flat bed and ultra sonic edge sealed at the same time.
I would not use your versacam with multiple passes, the material will not track very well.
What type of vehicles, and what usage would be the first thing to find out.
If its to supply only, I doubt if you will be able to compete with the firms that offer the kits anyway, and already have the proper machinery to do the job 🙁Peter
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Philip,
I agree 100% with Peter, I supply a number of these kits and usually get them through William smith, if engineering grade I will make them myself. if you held a piece of diamond grade film you would soon see why it’s not put through our normal cutters, most films are measured in microns, diamond grade in mm!
Hugh
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Please do not take this wrong mate, meant with best intentions, but body swerve this.
yes we all have to start some place, but this is not something you can produce in-house. the materials are expensive, fitting is not easy, and as it is emergency services you must offer a quality finish/job.Wm Smiths offer creation of vehicle kits. their machines automatically edge seals their diamond grade pieces as they are cut. they come numbered with layouts etc and all… pricing is very competitive too.
regardless to who you use, you "might" need to have a kit template created if it is not a standard one, or if the supplier doesn’t have it on their own system.
If you still fancy giving it a go, give them a call for advice. but if you are going to. my suggestion is to buy some off-cut practice templates much smaller than you would get on a vehicle and try applying a kit perfectly to a vertical sheet of metal, to get a feel for what your up against. this stuff is high tack and must be fitted dry. -
Rob. A customer of mine has a contract to fit diamond grade kits to county ambulances, he has done it for the last 10 years, he has always done them wet, and has never had a problem 😕 not sure on the make though, but presume 3m
Peter
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