Multi-Wall Sheets

0 Articles

Properties of polypropylene multiwall sheets

Attributes

The PP multi-wall sheets were originally developed for use in the packaging field. Because of its compressive and tensile strength, its ability to repel water and dirt, its amenability to folding and punching as well as its high rigidity at low weight, PP is an interesting alternative to corrugated board.

Its higher price is justified by the reusability of any packaging made from polypropylene. Folds can be bent back and forth thousands of times without breaking and the sheet is less sensitive to impact and moisture than corrugated board.

Applications

In addition to its use as a versatile and rugged packing or display material or as an advertising medium for short-term outdoor use, these multi-wall polypropylene sheets have many other applications. In architectural model making, the large dimensioned versions can be used to represent glass construction elements, profile glass or other translucent shapes used in construction.

The overall possibilities for its use are only limited by your imagination: its ability to transmit light predestined it for use as a ceiling cover with lighting behind it; it can be the basis for a simple, lightweight, translucent room divider; the 5 mm thick version can be used as a pinboard or presentation board; the 5 mm version can also be used to construct a solid and inexpensive shower cabin; basic furniture can be made with it by employing a plug-in system, or a display case can be made to display your wares. Gardeners use the multi-wall board to cover a seedling hotbed or as the basis for a greenhouse construction because of its excellent heat insulation as compared to glass and its good light resistance and transmission.

Proof of the durability of PP multi-wall sheets can be seen in their being the chosen material for diverse portfolios and file folders as well as for boxes and suitcases which are available for purchase at reasonable prices. When the sheets are being used structurally please pay attention to the structural configuration of the sheets, i.e. whether the connector bars between the two “walls” of the sheet run lengthwise or crosswise.

Treatment

If the PP multi-wall sheets are to be screen printed, care must be taken that the sheets have been corona treated. This process consists of a bombarding of the material’s surface with energy-rich ions in a high-voltage field in order to create a polarized surface. If the sheets are not corona treated, they can only be screen printed after being seared with a butane or propane flame. Printing should only be done with colouring that is designed for use with PP. In the case of digital flatbed printing with many colours, PP sheets that have not been corona treated can also be used!

You yourself can create 3 dimensional objects out of PP multi-wall sheets with the use of basic tools. The sheets can be cut using a cutter, they can be joined with staples or grommets as well as rivets but do not take well to gluing.

When engaged in such work please refer to the tips given in the introductory text for the section on polypropylene (in catalogue only, not yet in English).

For more information please visit our Material Library.