You may have come across protective film in your everyday life when making a purchase. If you have bought an electronic device, appliance or a new vehicle, your item has benefited from protective film.
Protective film is a plastic coated material with a pressure sensitive adhesive backing that provides surface protection of products or applications. This material is commonly used to protect surfaces from dust, dirt, abrasions, scratches and contamination during stages of processing, shipping and installation.
Now that you have an understanding of protective film, it is time to look at the different types of plastics to consider.
A tough plastic that feels soft to the touch but is very strong. It is water-repellent, well-insulating and resistant to acids.
A stable light plastic that holds its shape and doesn’t stretch like PVC films. It has excellent transparency, toughness and odor retention. Useful for high-heat applications and well suited for industrial and automotive applications.
A chemically resistant and odorless plastic that performs very well over a range of temperatures. Works exceptionally well with glass or painted metals and is the preferred material for consumer industrial applications.
Also known as PVC, this is a thin thermoplastic versatile film available in a variety of forms and finishes. It has a higher level of elasticity and slick surface that works well with metal surface protection.
Co-extruded layers of plastic formed into a single sheet to combine characteristics of two different plastics. This provides a higher level of protection.
Protective film is widely used among multiple industries for a variety of applications. The reasoning behind the use of protective film can vary from protection during transport and assembly, UV and chemical resistance, protection from scratches and dust, or resistance from temperatures.
Protective film is common for Automotive, Construction, Industrial, Electronic, Healthcare and Aerospace industries.
Protective film is heavily used within the automotive industry. It is typically used to protect interior and exterior painted metals, smooth plastics, textured plastics, painted plastics, wheels, glass and display screens. The use of protective films on vehicles protects from damage and dirt during manufacturing and transport.
In the construction industry, protective film is mainly utilized for countertops, appliances, windows and doors. The use of protective film within construction is relied on heavily due to the debris and foot traffic that a site experiences.
Industries have a broad application use for protective film. This typically requires customized protective film pieces to fit equipment or new manufactured products.
The protection of electronics is very important to maintain the aesthetic of the product for consumers. Protective film for electronic equipment provides protection against damage during packaging, shipping and installation.
Medical devices are a common application for protective film within the healthcare industry. To ensure long-lasting performance of these expensive devices, protective film prevents wear and tear.
Protective film ensures high value aircraft parts are safe from scratches, abrasions and small impacts. Applying protective film can increase the longevity of aerospace parts that have a high replacement cost.
For your specific application, a simple roll of protective film may prove to be a monotonous task. You have to cut multiple strips at different lengths and you end up with considerable waste and time spent applying the film. Luckily, there are ways to convert protective film to increase efficiency and reduce waste.
There are multiple ways to convert protective film to fit your application needs with different benefits for each. On-roll slitting allows you to cut a master roll of protective film into different roll widths. This method is primarily used when you have multiple applications that require protective film, but all with varying sizes. This allows you to get more roll usage out of a master roll, reducing cost for the film.
Perforating can be performed on any roll width and can be used in a few different ways. One way to perforate protective film is to apply the perforation at a particular length on the roll. This allows you to easily separate the film from the roll at the desired length and quickly apply it to your product. One step further would be to include an additional perforation in the desired shape on the already perforated roll.
Die-cutting protective film is a way to maximize an exact match of film to application. This can be used for items that require complete coverage of a unique shape.
When determining how best to convert protective film to match your application, speaking with an expert can provide the right guidance to ensure efficiency and cost effectiveness.
For all materials and products that are purchased it is important to guarantee a product with no defects. Protective film provides the assurance you need to deliver your products damage free.
Selecting the right protective film for your protection specifications can be daunting. You need to consider what material you are bonding the protective film to, what film thickness is best, does it need to be UV resistant, along with multiple other factors. You can access our protective film selection guide to give you an idea of where to start. Or, simply submit a request form below to speak with our protective film experts.
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