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g r a p h i c • a l ™ [ h p ]

h i g h p e r f o r m a n c e

g r a p h i c • a l ™ [ l t ]

l i g h t & t o u g h

g r a p h i c • a l ™ [ d p ]

d i r e c t p r i n t

g r a p h i c • a l ™ [ o r ]

o r i g i n a l

The GRAPHIC•ALs have landed, and the signs are spectacular,

with the most perfect selection of light weight, flat panels for

signage this earth has ever seen! The exceptional workability

and durability of GRAPHIC•AL™ LT offers virtually limitless options

for POP, freestanding displays, kiosks, interior and exterior

signage, billboards and more. The ten-year finish warranty

backing up GRAPHIC•AL™ HP makes it great for canopies, fascia,

signage and more. Lightweight and durable, GRAPHIC•AL™ HP

is also a fabricator’s dream. GRAPHIC•AL™ OR offers excellent

flatness and superior smoothness with the rigidity of an Alu-

minum Composite in a super light weight with thinner aluminum

skins (0.005” thick) and a foamed plastic core. Easily cut with

a saw, substrate cutter or router this unique material delivers

stellar performance over a wide range of applications.

GRAPHIC•AL™ DP delivers the same impressive qualities in a sub-

strate ideal for flatbed printers. Durability and performance are

crucial for all types of signage, and the fact that GRAPHIC•AL™

is by Mitsubishi Plastics, certainly doesn’t go unnoticed.

LT

GRAPHIC-AL™ LT offers exceptional workability, durability

and virtually unlimited options to designers and fabri-

cators of POP, free-standing displays, kiosks, interior

and exterior signage, billboards and more. It is a versatile

and reversible aluminum composite material that offers

an excellent flatness, high rigidity and lightness of

weight in a variety of colors. GRAPHIC-AL™ LT is also

available in a brushed metal finish.

A P P L I C A T I O N S• Indoor signage and displays

• Outdoor signage and displays

• Alternative of coated aluminum sheets

• Painted and brushed colors available

HP

GRAPHIC-AL™ HP is a flat and rigid aluminum composite

material (ACM) coated with a high performance polyester

paint. Combined with this high performance polyester

coating, GRAPHIC-AL™ HP is an ideal ACM for outdoor

canopies and fascia signs for corporate identity

applications and retail shops. GRAPHIC-AL™ HP has a

special 10-year coating warranty.

A P P L I C A T I O N S• Outdoor signage for corporate identity

applications and retail shops, including

canopies, fascia signs, columns and accents.

OR

GRAPHIC-AL™ OR has the rigidity of an aluminum composite

material, in a super light weight with thinner aluminum

skins (0.005”) and a foamed plastic core. It offers

excellent flatness and superior smoothness. Easily

cut with a saw, substrate cutter or router, this

unique material delivers stellar performance over a

wide range of applications.

A P P L I C A T I O N S• Indoor and outdoor signs

• Indoor and outdoor displays

• Alternative of coated aluminum sheet

DP

GRAPHIC-AL™ DP offers the same impressive qualities

as GRAPHIC-AL™ OR, but delivers the added benefit

of a substrate suitable for flatbed printers and UV

curable ink. You’ll get out-of-this-world results with

GRAPHIC-AL™ DP.

A P P L I C A T I O N S• Perfect for direct printing with UV ink

• Indoor graphic signs and displays

• Outdoor graphic signs and displays

P R O C E S S I N G M E T H O DCutting/Saw

All GRAPHIC-AL™ products can be easily

cut using standard woodworking saws

(i.e. circular hand saw or panel saw). A

carbide tip blade made for aluminum and

plastic is the most suitable.

Cutting/Substrate cutter

All GRAPHIC-AL™ products can also be

cut using substrate cutters such as FSC

(Fletcher Substrate Cutter) equipped

with the Aluminum Composite Tool and

Foster’s Keencut SteelTrak equipped

with the Twin Wheel Cutting Head.

Contour cutting

For contour cutting, using a CNC

router can produce a clean cut with

high precision. An 1/8”–1/16” straight

bit is suitable. A Fret saw, hand router

or hand jig saw can also be used for

contour cutting.

Folding after Grooving

To fold GRAPHIC-AL™ LT and HP, make a

groove in the backside of the material.

Then fold with a folding jig. GRAPHIC-AL™

OR and DP are not suitable for folding

after v-grooving because the skins are too

thin for folding properly.

Curving

GRAPHIC-AL™ LT and HP can be curved

by means of roller benders and press

brakes. GRAPHIC-AL™ OR and DP are not

suitable for curving with press brakes

or roller benders, because the foamed

core does not accommodate the pressure.

Joining

When threaded fasteners or rivets

are used for joining GRAPHIC-AL™, use

those made of aluminum or stainless

steel. Proper consideration should be

given to the thermal expansion charac-

teristics.

Adhesion/Adhesive, sealant and

double-faced tape

Various types of adhesives can be used,

including Epoxy (Araldite), Chloroprene

(Contact Cement), etc. But some adhe-

sives may corrode aluminum and may not

work well with GRAPHIC-AL™ products.

FABRICATION

LT

OR D P LT H P

OR D P LT H P

OR D P LT H P

LT H P

LT H P

OR D P LT H P

For example, vinyl acetate which is widely

used for timber and styrene foam corrodes

aluminum and is not suitable. Adhering

GRAPHIC-AL™ to a dissimilar material may

cause a deflection on the panel due to

thermal expansion. Some adhesives may

cause a distortion on the panel due to

hardening. Check these potential problems

by pre-testing before use. Various types of

sealant can be used, including Silicone,

Modified Silicone, Polysulfide and Polyure-

thane. Double-faced tape can also be used

for GRAPHIC-AL™ OR or DP.

Screen printing

Screen printing can be done with an epoxy

base or urethane base two-part type ink.

After drying at 175°F for 30 min and

curing at room temperature for 24 hrs,

these inks will show a normal adhesion.

Keep the temperature on or under 175°F

and hold the GRAPHIC-AL™ panel

horizontally.

UV direct printing

Basically all GRAPHIC-AL™ products are

compatible with UV direct printing. But our

tests with GRAPHIC-AL™ OR, LT and HP

show that some printers’ ink adhesion does

not work as well as others’. Check the ink

adhesion by pre-testing. For perfect ink

adhesion, we recommend GRAPHIC-AL™ DP.

I N S T R U C T I O N F O R U S EProtective film

All GRAPHIC-AL™ products come with factory

applied transparent protective films.

GRAPHIC-AL™ OR and LT have films on both

sides. GRAPHIC-AL™ DP and HP only have it on

the front side. Remove them after fabrication.

Coating direction

In metallic and brushed colors, a slight color

difference will be noticeable between the panels

arranged in different directions. Arrange

panels in the same direction.

Prevention from edge corrosion

In outdoor use or when using the panel in a

humid environment, design the panel to allow

its edge to be kept dry, in order to prevent

edge corrosion and ensure long-term

durability. If the edges will be exposed to

stagnant water, make a drain hole to remove

the water.

Note: UV direct print example, produced by

Gandinnovations’ jetti UV flatbed printer

P r o d u c t O u t l i n e *

t o ta l t h i c k n e ss

c o m p o s i t i o n :

– a l u m i n u m

t h i c k n e ss

– c o r e

pa n e l w e i g h t

pa n e l s i z e

f i n i s h e s

f l a m m a b i l i t y

c h a ra c t e r i s t i c s

Fa b r i c a t i o n O u t l i n e *

c u tt i n g / s a w

c u tt i n g / s u bs t rat e

c u tt e r

c o n t o u r c u tt i n g

f o l d i n g a f t e r

g r o o v i n g

c u rv i n g / b e n d e r

s c r e e n p r i n t i n g

u v d i r e c t

p r i n t i n g

•

•

•

•

••

l i g h t & t o u g h h i g h p e r f o r m a n c e

– i ndoor & outdoor

s i gnage and d i s p lays

– a lt ernat i v e o f

coated a l um inum

sheet

– outdoor canopy

and fasc i a s i gns

f or corporate

i d ent i t y and

r e ta i l shops

•

•

•

•

••

2 , 3 , 4 m m 3 m m

0 . 0 1 0 ”

p o ly e t h y l e n e

2 m m 0 . 5 7 p s f3 m m 0 . 7 6 p s f4 m m 0 . 9 5 p s f

4 8 ” x 9 6 ”

w h i t e / w h i t eb l a c k / w h i t e

s i lv e r / b r o n z er e d / y e l l o wg r e e n / b l u e

b r u s h e d s e r i e s

0 . 0 1 0 ”

p o ly e t h y l e n e

3 m m 0 . 7 6 p s f

5 1 ” x 1 2 2 ”

w h i t eb e i g eb l a c kb l u e s

r e d

u l 9 4 v - 0 a n d u l 8 7 9 a p p r o v e d c l a s s 1 o r c l a s s a

f i r e r a t e d

n o t a p p l i c a b l e

d i r e c t p r i n t

•

•

•

•

•

3 m m

0 . 0 0 5 ”

f o a m e d p o ly e t h y l e n e

3 m m 0 . 5 1 p s f

4 8 ” x 9 6 ”

w h i t e

– p er f ect for

d i r ec t pr i n t i ng

w i th uv i n k

– Indoor & outdoor

graph ic s igns and

d isplays

* n o t e : f o r d e ta i l s , s e e “ p r o d u c t i n f o r m at i o n ” f o r e a c h p r o d u c t

* n o t e : f o r d e ta i l s , s e e “ fa b r i c at i o n n o t e ” f o r e a c h p r o d u c t

s u g g e s tp r e - t e s t i n g

s u g g e s tp r e - t e s t i n g

o r i g i n a l

•

•

•

•

3 m m

0 . 0 0 5 ”

f o a m e d p o ly e t h y l e n e

3 m m 0 . 5 1 p s f

4 8 ” x 9 6 ”

w h i t e / w h i t eb l a c k / w h i t e

s i lv e r / s i lv e r

– indoor & outdoor

signage and

displays

– alternative of

coated aluminum

sheet

s u g g e s tp r e - t e s t i n g

DISTRIBUTED BY:

for more information call1.800.422.7270

401 Volvo Parkway Chesapeake, VA 23320

©2011 Mitsubishi Plastics Composites America, Inc. All Rights Reserved.Graphical™ is a registered trademark of Mitsubishi Plastics, Inc.

LITAP1027 Rev. 3

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