Fluorosurfacing with Polyvinyl Fluoride Film: Performance in Selected Applications

摘要

Polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) has been in commercial production and use for over forty years. It is a member of the DuPont FluoroSurfacing Business that also includes PTFE, FEP, PFA, and ETFE. These materials are available under the product tradenames of Tedlar~R, Teflon~R and Tefzel~R. PVF is predominantly used as a clear or pigmented film to protect and decorate a variety of surfaces. Owing to its durability and low surface energy, it provides a dirt resistant, easily cleaned surface whose ultraviolet light resistance, gloss and color retention allow a product to stay new looking longer. It has found wide use in aircraft interiors, electronics, communications, public transportation, commercial vehicles, automobiles, etc. In this presentation we will examine the performance attributes of two application areas that have drawn a great deal of attention in the past few years. The first case study examines the use of PVF film as a top finish for architectural fabric and compares its durability to PVDF and acrylic topcoats in both accelerated and natural weathering tests. In the second case study the ability of this fluoropolymer film to protect and preserve the installed beauty of wide format digital graphics is observed. The film's clarity, conformability, built in UV protection, and graffiti resistance all serve to add an extra dimension to applications from billboards and fleet graphics to labels and decals and we will again examine performance in accelerated weathering studies and evaluate its cleanability and ease of graffiti removal.