Red Prismatic Plastic Sheet Manufacturers
How do I determine the best retroreflective sheeting for my signs?
Many traffic signs, parking signs, and safety signs have the option of reflective aluminum as a sign material. Reflective aluminum, like coated aluminum, will not chip, crack, or rust, and also adds increased visibility at night and in low light situations.
Retroreflectivity describes the efficiency of a material to redirect light back to its source, which when applied to signs, makes seeing the message easier. All regulatory traffic, traffic warning, guide signs, and object markers are required by the Federal Highway Administration to be retroreflective.
With the benefit of increased visibility, it’s good to know about the different types of retroreflective sheeting that Dingfei Reflective offers on our signs before selecting one for your needs.
There are three types of retroreflective sheeting that Dingfei Reflective uses: engineering grade, high intensity prismatic, and diamond grade. Each type of sheeting provides a different level of reflectivity and durability.
High Intensity Prismatic Retroreflective Sheeting
High Intensity Prismatic (HIP) retroreflective sheeting is also referred to as ‘encapsulated lens’ sheeting. It consists of two layers: an outer translucent pigmented layer and an inner reflective layer with glass beads. The two layers are connected by a ‘lattice,’ which gives the sheeting its distinctive honeycomb appearance.
HIP sheeting is made up of prismatic cells. When a light beam lands on a sign with HIP sheeting, the light hits the sides of the prismatic cells and reflects back at a wider angle than it came. This means more light is reflected back towards the source of the light.
This type of sheeting is typically used for highway signs and when applied properly can last up to 12 years. Visibility of signs with HIP sheeting is from 800 to 1,200 feet away.
