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Quality - reflAktive

To ensure that users can really rely on the quality of reflective articles, the legislator has - and rightly so - established firm rules for their production.

Unlike many manufacturers from the Far East, we use only high quality, non-harmful and generally TÜV GS-approved materials. This affects the safety factor and of course the durability of our products.

Every material used by us – eg. foils, glue or steel – was selected by our specialists for this special use. Most of them have proven their quality for many years (ORAFOL®, 3MTM ScotchliteTM). Of course, this also applies to the printing inks.

Depending on the requirements, we print by screen, digital or offset printing. The latter method offers the option of using color photographs, screens and color gradients. The image to be printed is transferred directly to the press and printed on an intermediate foil. This has the advantage that in this case the entire reflection surface is maintained.

Translucent printing inks in yellow, red, green and blue are a hit – and an idea developed by us! With these colors we achieve the reflection values required by EN 13356, even with full-surface printing. Nobody else can do that! For this procedure, we have registered a utility model protection with the German Patent Office (DPA).

Also possible is the so-called shadow printing, in which the color is printed over the entire surface underneath the film.
Thanks to light-storing pigments, we can also print with a after glowing ink. The previously stored energy of the light is released gradually.

Many of our products are certified. Further information – certificates and test reports – can be found here.

Films

Classic – Foils

Most of our reflectors are produced from material, which is 100% free from potentially hazardous phthalates. We have a strict environmental policy and have implemented a stringent health and safety system. The reflective materials consist of micro prisms, which are applied onto a flexible, UV-stabilized polymer coating. The materials can be connected with compatible textiles by sewing procedures or using special welding.

The films used in the production for our reflective products are from ORAFOL® or 3M. Orafol offers for pure promotion products which do not EN 13356.

The following film colors are available for this purpose:

  • yellow (approx. Pantone 381)
  • white (approx. Pantone 428)
  • dark red (approx. Pantone 485)
  • illuminating red (approx. Pantone 172)
  • blue (approx. Pantone 286)
  • pink (approx. Pantone 806)
  • illuminating orange (approx. Pantone 1505)

Certified Films

We use two different kinds of ORAFOL® film – films which are certified according to the standard EN 13356 in yellow and white or those from the coloured Classic films series. You can identify the ORAFOL® EN 13356 film from the pattern on the surface of the tape – a kind of snow flake design. The Classic films do not have a design.

Both types of films, the films certified according to EN 13356 and the Classic films are free from potentially hazardous phthalates.

The 3M films that we use which are certified according to EN 13356 (films colours – yellow and white) have a small „M“on the surface of the film (see illustration below).

The 3M films are available free of phthalates and with phthalates. The latter will only be used if specially requested.

Steel Cores

Safe products for our customers

We only use high quality steel cores for our snap wraps (also known as slap wrap or snap band) to ensure it does not break when bending in any direction. Furthermore our steel cores are free of sharp edges, both on the sides (deburred) and at the ends (edge protection using paper covering).

The metal springs are tested in accordance with DIN EN ISO 203452 007 for bending consistency and the safety of the product has been confirmed as per the TÜV audit report no. 21139559 001 from the 05.01.2009. Production monitored by TÜV Rheinland.

In the Far East highly carbonaceous metal is used for the production of the metal cores, recognizable by the black and blue color. Inferior quality cores break and split easily if you bend or twist them in an unusable manner. These steel cores have razor-sharp edges which present a major hazard if someone removes the steel core from the snap wrap. Metal cores from Far East are available at lower prices than products made with high quality steel cores from German production facilities.

However, as we want to provide the maximum standard of safety possible, we only use metal cores sourced from German suppliers.

Velour

We only use velour material from European suppliers for the reverse side of our products. This material does not contain plasticizers (softeners) that contain potentially hazardous phthalates.

The following colors are possible:

  • Light grey – standard
  • dark red (approx. Pantone 7631C)
  • dark blue (approx. Pantone 539C)
  • light red (approx. Pantone 201C)

Silkscreen

Silkscreen

under and on the reflective foil.

Screen printing is a process in which the colors are pressed onto the material to be printed with the aid of a doctor blade through a fine-meshed fabric / screen. All our products can be printed with up to 5 print colours depending on the design.

All our products can be printed on the foil. Depending on the print motif and feasibility, up to 5 colors are possible on the foil.

For each color is a screen created.

Backprint

We offer a back print (in the prisms of the reflective foil) for our badges. By this printing technique the imprint is protected against abrasion or similar and therefore much more durable.

Note: With a yellow reflective foil, the black text appears dark green!

Afterglowing ink

Light-storing pigments are the secret of afterglow products. The afterglow effect is generated during excitation by a light source. In this case, energy is stored which is released again over a long period of time. We combine reflex power with luminescent pigments.

Thus, in two ways respects, the carrier becomes visible to the other road users.

Neon Printing

With neon colors we pick up new color trends.

Available in:

  • pink (approx. Pantone 806C)
  • green (approx. Pantone 802C)

Translucent Ink

colors yellow, red, green and blue

The translucent printing method is an idea, which was developed by reflAktive and has been registered at the German patent office. For translucent colors, we achieve the required reflection values according to EN 13356, even under full surface pressure.

The translucent print is available in four basic colors:

  • yellow (approx. Pantone 803C)
  • red (approx. Pantone 1925C)
  • green (approx. Pantone 346C)
  • blue (approx. Pantone 638C)

Digital Printing

Digital printing / Off-set printing (under the foil/ shadow print)

These printing processes are suitable for the implementation of color photographs, screens and color gradients. The print image is transferred directly to the printing machine and printed on to the intermediate film. This allows the total reflection surface to be maintained.

Smaller print runs are usually printed in digital printing, larger runs in offset printing.

Shadow Printing (Printing beyond the slide)

With this method the print is located beneath the reflective film. The benefit of this printing technique is that the reflective properties of the material are not impacted by the print. The logo/advertising message is produced using either silk screen printing, offset printing or digital printing. Using offset or digital printing, it is possible to produce complex designs.

Printing on the Surface of the Foil

This printing technique is only possible with our snap wraps and jogging wraps. (4-colored/Euroscaling)

Personalization

We print with names and numbers according to your supplied Excel file *

* Specifications on request

Glue

Standard Gluing

Stickers with the standard adhesive backing hold on many materials, surfaces very well. The sticker is mounted on a white backing paper. Since there is a great variety of materials and surfaces, there is no definition possible to tell how long the adhesives durability is on the various materials. When the stickers are detached, adhesive residue may occur.

Care instructions are printed on the enclosed paper labels. (Clean only with damp cloth, use only with water, do not use sharp cleaners, do not store behind glass in bright sunlight, do not cover the reflective side of clothes etc.) According to our suppliers, the label raw materials can withstand temperatures of up to -20°C.

Textile Gluing

The textile gluing of our stickers is combined with the
textile material after 24 hours. Thereafter, at least 30°C washing is possible, depending on the textile material. The adhesive forces decrease after each wash. The textile adhesive gaps can be seen visually on the transparent carrier paper. Since there is a great variety of materials and surfaces, there is no definition possible to tell how long the adhesives durability is on the various materials. When the stickers are detached, adhesive residue may occur.

Care instructions are printed on the enclosed paper labels. (Clean only with damp cloth, use only with water, do not use sharp cleaners, do not store behind glass in bright sunlight, do not cover the reflective side of clothes etc.) According to our suppliers, the label raw materials can withstand temperatures of up to -20°C.

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