Raw film manufacturing plays a critically important role in the development of the vinyl materials used extensively as printable substrates in the graphic arts industry. Indeed, the companies that manufacture these vinyl films are often leaders in the advancement of polymer science to support new capabilities and applications.
原材料制造广泛应用在打印上，对可打印基材的乙烯基材料的开发发挥着至关重要的作用。 事实上，制造这些乙烯基薄膜的公司往往是聚合物科学发展的领导者，他们都在不断致力支持新的功能和应用。

Film fabrication
薄膜的制作
There are essentially two types of vinyl films that are used for a wide range of graphic art applications: cast and calendered.
基本上，有两种类型的乙烯基薄膜用于广泛的图形应用：铸造和压延。
The terms ‘cast’ and ‘calendered’ refer to different manufacturing processes. These processes, along with varying constituents added to the raw materials, render very different qualities to the films.
铸造和压延是指薄膜不同的制造工艺，这些工艺以及添加到原材料中的不同成分，能造成薄膜的质量不同。
In cast manufacturing, a liquid is poured onto a carrier sheet, which is then heated in ovens. No stress is involved in the process, so the sheets suffer no shrinkage.
在铸造制造中，将液体倒入载体片材中，然后在烘箱中加热，这个过程没有压力，纸张不会产生收缩的问题。
Calendered vinyl, on the other hand, is produced in a continuous process, which enables high-volume, low-cost manufacturing. On the calendering line, the raw materials are mixed together, extruded and then flattened out into a thin film by passing them through a series of heated rollers.
另一方面，压延乙烯基是以连续工艺生产的，这使得大批量、低成本的生产成为可能。在压延生产线上，将原材料混合在一起，然后通过一系列加热辊将其压平成薄膜。
Historically, these two types of films have differed markedly in terms of their quality, including both durability and flexibility. Cast films have traditionally been considered the industry’s premium option, as they are more suitable for applications that require greater strength, resilience and superior handling, particularly for longer-term outdoor graphics. Calendered films, meanwhile, were largely relegated to short-term outdoor graphics and indoor applications, due to their less robust nature.
在过去，这两种类型的薄膜在质量上的差异显著，其中包括耐用性和灵活性。传统上，流延薄膜一直被认为是行业的优质选择，因为它们适合需要更高强度，以及弹性和操作性更好的应用，特别是对于长期使用户外图形。与此同时，压延薄膜由于特性不强大而被行业降级，只作为短期户外图形和室内应用的选项。

Today, however, the discrepancy between cast and calendered film quality is not nearly as great. Ongoing improvements in both the manufacturing process and the selection of ingredient additives have allowed the development of much higher-performance calendered films than in the past.
然而今天，铸造和压延膜质量之间的差异并不是很大。在制造工艺和成分添加剂选择方面的持续改进，开发出了比以往性能更高的压延薄膜。
While cast vinyl has long been the preferred choice for graphic applications involving wrapping and stretching, calendered vinyl has now undergone sufficient improvements, to the point where it can now compete with cast vinyl.
一直以来，铸塑乙烯都是包装和拉伸图形应用的首选，但是，在压延乙烯改进之后，现在充分的可以与铸塑乙烯相竞争。

Plasticizer performance
增塑剂的性能
While the difference between cast and calendered films is most frequently expressed in terms of their respective manufacturing processes, it is also a question of the particular ingredients added to the raw materials during manufacturing.
尽管铸造和压延薄膜之间的差异，是以各自制造工艺所表现，但是，在制造过程中，添加到原材料中的特定成分也是重要的因素。
Most printable graphic films are made from the same basic raw material: polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In its unadulterated state, however, PVC is hard and inflexible. To provide the flexibility required for wraps and other graphic applications, a plasticizer must first be added to the PVC resin.
大多数可打印图形的薄膜由相同的基本原料制成——聚氯乙烯（PVC）。然而，在它纯粹的状态下，PVC非常硬，且不灵活。为了提供包装和其他图形应用所需的灵活性，必须首先将增塑剂添加到PVC树脂中。
There are two primary types of plasticizer: monomeric and polymeric. The selection between the two will significantly affect the properties of the film.
有两种主要类型的增塑剂：单体增塑剂和聚合物增塑剂。两者之间的选择将显著影响乙烯基薄膜的属性。
Monomeric plasticizers consist of relatively simple, linear molecular chains, with a low molecular weight. They are considered the ‘economy-grade’ option, providing pliability for the film’s handling, but offering less durability than with polymeric plasticizers. Polymeric plasticizers are more complex, with a higher molecular weight, which leads to greater viscosity and better stability.
聚合物增塑剂较为复杂，具有高分子量、粘度和稳定性。单体增塑剂由相对简单的线性分子链组成，具有低分子量，为薄膜的处理提供了柔韧性，虽然与聚合物增塑剂相比，耐久性稍差，但它们依然被认为是最经济的选择。
In the past, calendered vinyl was often associated with monomeric plasticizers, while only cast vinyl used polymeric plasticizers. Today, however, a new generation of calendered vinyl has been produced using polymeric plasticizers. As a result, the attributes and performance of calendered films have become closer to those of cast vinyl, including durability for several years, even though their manufacturing processes remain completely different.
过去，压延乙烯通常与单体增塑剂紧密相连，并且使用铸塑乙烯聚合物增塑剂。然而今天，使用聚合物增塑剂已经生产出新一代的压延乙烯基，即使制造工艺完全不同，压延薄膜的属性和性能也更接近于铸塑薄膜的属性和性能，包括耐用属性。

Supporting sustainability
持续性
Another differentiator between vinyl films is their sustainability. Traditional plasticizers are now recognized to be less than environmentally friendly, so many raw film manufacturers have sought to use alternative ingredients, such as non-phthalate plasticizers, in the production process.
乙烯薄膜之间的另一个区别在于可持续性，传统增塑剂现在被认为不太环保，所以许多原料薄膜制造商已经在生产过程中，尝试使用替代成分，例如非邻苯二甲酸酯增塑剂。
Used primarily to soften PVC, phthalates are easily released into the air and pose health problems when ingested, particularly by children. By offering phthalate-free films, manufacturers are proactively taking steps to meet customers’ needs with a commitment to sustainable development and responsibility toward the environment.
在软化PVC时，邻苯二甲酸酯很容易释放到空气中，尤其是儿童摄入时，会造成健康问题。 通过提供不含邻苯二甲酸盐的薄膜，制造商积极采取措施满足客户的需求，致力于可持续发展和对环境的责任。
Following years of research and development (R&D) and testing, phthalate-free films can now comply with industry regulations, such as Europe’s Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), while providing the same quality and reliability as existing phthalate-based films.
Consistency control经过多年的研发和测试，非邻苯二甲酸盐薄膜现在符合了行业法规，例如，欧洲的化学品注册、评估、授权和限制法规，提供与现有产品相同的质量和可靠性。
As with higher-quality calendered films using polymeric plasticizers, these new options are helping transform the market.
与使用高分子增塑剂的高质量压延薄膜一样，这些新的选择正在改变市场。

一致性
Manufacturing advancements over the last few years have also allowed vinyl, both cast and calendered, to be held to higher specification standards. Working together, software and hardware can hone in on microscopic features and control them from batch to batch, to help ensure a high level of uniformity.
过去几年,制造业的进步也使得乙烯基材料（无论是铸造还是压延）均符合更高的规格标准,软件和硬件一起工作，可以细化显微特征,并将它们逐批控制，以确保高度的一致性。
Intelligent control systems measure and monitor a number of parameters relating to both the machinery and the materials as they are manufactured. Film properties like thickness, colour, width and gloss level, all of which are crucial to overall quality, are constantly controlled. With greater uniformity throughout the whole manufacturing process, the films can be specified to even tighter standards without sacrificing consistency.
智能控制系统可以监测许多与机器和制造材料相关的参数，并不断控制厚度、颜色、宽度和光泽度等所有对整体质量至关重要的薄膜属性。在整个制造过程中具有高度的一致性，乙烯基薄膜可以在严格标准的基础上不失一致性。
Just as designers drive the creativity behind today’s striking and decorative wide-format graphics, so too do vinyl film manufacturers use knowledge of the latest science to turn technological innovations into reality.
正如设计师展现当今引人注目的装饰性宽幅图形的创造力一样，乙烯基薄膜制造商也使用最新的科学知识将技术创新变为现实。