| HS Code | 896855 |
| Material | Polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayer film |
| Optical Clarity | High transparency with low haze for clear laminated glass |
| Printability | Designed for high-resolution digital inkjet printing on the interlayer surface |
| Adhesion To Glass | Forms strong autoclave-bonded lamination with glass |
| Uv Protection | Blocks over 99% of harmful ultraviolet radiation |
| Impact Resistance | Provides high energy absorption and toughness |
| Post Breakage Safety | Holds glass fragments in place after breakage |
| Sound Insulation | Supports acoustic damping through the interlayer's viscoelasticity |
| Moisture Resistance | Low water absorption and stable in humid conditions |
| Thickness | Available as 0.38 mm standard layers or multiples thereof |
| Dimensional Stability | Maintains flatness and low shrinkage during lamination |
| Weathering Resistance | Resists yellowing, aging, and UV-degradation over time |
As an accredited Trosifol Printable Interlayers factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | Trosifol Printable Interlayers are supplied as rolls, individually sealed in moisture-resistant packaging, each carton containing one 50-meter roll. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | Trosifol Printable Interlayers are loaded in a 20′ FCL, secured on pallets, protected from moisture and damage. |
| Shipping | Trosifol Printable Interlayers are shipped as rolled or sheeted interlayers on spools, wrapped in moisture-barrier packaging with desiccant to prevent humidity absorption. Pallets are secured flat and edge-protected to avoid creasing or deformation. Transport is temperature-controlled when required, ensuring clean, dry delivery suitable for lamination processing. |
| Storage | Store Trosifol Printable Interlayers in their original, sealed packaging in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area. Maintain temperatures between 5°C and 30°C (41°F–86°F), avoiding direct sunlight, heat sources, and moisture. Keep rolls horizontal and supported to prevent deformation. Follow manufacturer’s shelf-life guidelines and use first-expired, first-out inventory practices. |
| Shelf Life | Shelf life is typically 6 months when stored in original packaging, cool, dry conditions. |
When printed interlayer laminates are specified for tenant demising partitions, the primary functional requirement is not graphic registration but retention of glass fragments after an impact that would otherwise shatter a monolithic lite. The engineered stack uses a 0.76 mm Trosifol® Printable PVB ply interleaved between two 6 mm heat-strengthened soda-lime float glass lites, producing a 5.9 vol% interlayer fraction in the 12.76 mm composite and retaining a mass-loading of approximately 30.8 kg/m². Safety glazing compliance is verified to ANSI Z97.1, CPSC 16 CFR 1201 Category II, and EN 12600 class 1B1/2B2, with the laminate cut into test blanks of 610 mm × 610 mm for pendulum impact. Printing is performed on the PVB surface before layup using solvent-based inkjet chemistries qualified for PVB plasticizer resistance; the sheet is conditioned at 18–22 °C and 20–40% RH until residual moisture is below 0.4 wt%. The downstream lamination process consists of nip-roller de-airing with roll surface setpoints of 180–220 °C, followed by autoclave consolidation at 135–140 °C and 12–14 bar for 60–90 min. Production-scale observations on continuous lines record edge print distortion in the first 8–12 mm when vacuum bag films are reused beyond 20 cycles or when cool-down is initiated above 45 °C laminate surface temperature, because residual plasticizer mobility is still sufficient to shift printed dot gain at the perimeter. Terminal finished products include full-height office partition panels, frameless door lites, and transom infill panes in which the printed layer is fully encapsulated between two glass surfaces and is not exposed to mechanical abrasion or cleaning chemistry.
Spandrel infill panels built with printed PVB interlayers enter service behind a pressure-equalized cavity, where the printed layer is subjected to condensation cycling, solar back-bleed, and diffusive water vapor ingress. Compliance for this segment is anchored to EN ISO 12543 for laminated glass and to ASTM C1172 for edge stability, with the completed spandrel panel tested under ASTM E283 air infiltration and ASTM E331 water infiltration at 720 Pa differential pressure in the glazing system mock-up. Accelerated weathering is conducted according to ISO 4892-2 Xenon-arc conditions for 2,000 h; after exposure, the printed film must exhibit no visible delamination beyond 2 mm from the edge and no color shift greater than 1.5 ΔE*ab. The interlayer addition ratio for spandrel units typically uses a 0.76 mm printed PVB sheet between an 8 mm heat-strengthened exterior glass and a 6 mm interior glass, yielding a 5.1 vol% interlayer fraction; when the spandrel must provide a fully opaque backside, an additional 0.38 mm white PVB opacifier ply is laminated behind the printed layer. The production sequence begins with multi-pass inkjet printing on the PVB roll or sheet, followed by forced-air drying at 30–35 °C until solvent retention is below 0.2 wt%. Layup is performed in an ISO Class 7 cleanroom to keep particulate inclusions below 50 µm, after which vacuum-bag de-airing and autoclave lamination at 135 °C and 13 bar are used to reach final optical clarity. Manufacturing personnel observe that ink coalescence defects appear when the PVB sheet is exposed to ambient RH above 60% for longer than 4 h between printing and layup; therefore, climate-controlled staging is treated as a critical control point. Terminal products in this segment include unitized spandrel panels, shadow-box infill behind vision glazing, and opaque decorative facade elements that replace back-painted ceramic frit glass where large-format graphic reproduction is required.
Balustrade infill laminates require the printed PVB interlayer to hold fractured glass in place across a fully exposed edge, because the absence of a frame means the polymer layer is the only continuous membrane after glass breakage. The interlayer addition ratio is determined by post-breakage deflection limits rather than print adhesion; two 0.76 mm plies are laminated to yield a 1.52 mm total interlayer between two 12 mm heat-strengthened glass lites, creating a 6.0 vol% interlayer fraction and a laminate thickness of 25.52 mm. Impact classification is established under EN 12600 1B1/2B2 and the laminate is evaluated for residual strength in accordance with EN ISO 12543; railing system tests may also require a horizontal line load of 1.5 kN/m under the local building code, with the laminated panel supported on a 40–60 mm edge bite. Production begins with printing on the first 0.76 mm PVB ply, followed by assembly of an unprinted 0.76 mm cap ply on the tensile face to prevent ink migration into the structural interlayer. The stack is de-aired through a vacuum ring system at 0.2 bar absolute pressure for 30–45 min, then autoclaved at 140 °C and 14 bar for 90 min. A known processing conflict occurs when the vacuum ring is released before the laminate reaches 40 °C surface temperature during cool-down; the edge region then develops separation between the printed ply and the unprinted cap ply because the plasticizer-rich interface remains soft. Terminal finished products include staircase and terrace balustrade infills, gallery guardrails, and mall atrium screens where the printed design is visible from both sides through the full glass thickness.
| Application | Glass / PVB / Glass stack | Interlayer volumetric fraction | Primary test designation | Typical lamination plateau |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interior partitions | 6 mm / 0.76 mm / 6 mm | 5.9 vol% | ANSI Z97.1, CPSC 16 CFR 1201 | 135–140 °C, 12–14 bar |
| Spandrel infill | 8 mm / 0.76 mm / 6 mm | 5.1 vol% | EN ISO 12543, ASTM C1172 | 135 °C, 13 bar |
| Balustrade | 12 mm / 1.52 mm / 12 mm | 6.0 vol% | EN 12600 1B1/2B2 | 140 °C, 14 bar |
Printed PVB interlayers in elevator car enclosures are qualified under EN 81-20 safety requirements, which force the glazing to remain in place after impact and reject any panel that releases glass particles into the hoistway or cabin interior. The addition ratio in this segment is driven by the car weight budget, so a thin stack is selected: 4 mm glass / 0.38 mm printed PVB / 4 mm glass, giving a 4.5 vol% interlayer fraction and a laminate mass of approximately 20.4 kg/m². The specified interlayer is 0.38 mm rather than 0.76 mm for this application, and this reduction heightens the risk of print bleed during autoclave. Process control therefore uses a lower plateau of 130 °C and 11 bar for 60 min, with heating rate limited to 1.5 °C/min to prevent ink-dot spreading. Before lamination, the printed sheet is held for 24 h at 18–22 °C and 20–30% RH to reach 0.35 wt% maximum residual moisture; higher moisture creates bubble clusters near the printed perimeter. After lamination, the panel is cut on a five-axis waterjet to produce cutouts for call-button arrays and ventilator louvers, exposing the PVB edge. The exposed edge is then sealed with a neutral-cure silicone or moisture-resistant edge seal to prevent wicking and delamination during elevator maintenance cycles. Terminal products include elevator car interior wall panels, sliding door lites, control panel faceplates, and ceiling diffuser covers. Fire-related testing for vertical transport interiors is normally performed on the complete car assembly, with glass or glass-metal composite panels evaluated under EN 13501-1 rather than on the interlayer alone; published data for the fire response of 0.38 mm printed PVB alone is limited.
In retail display casework, printed PVB interlayers are factory-laminated between two 4 mm low-iron glass lites to keep the graphic plane optically flat while meeting furniture safety glazing codes. The interlayer fraction is 4.5 vol% for a 0.38 mm PVB sheet, and the laminate mass is 20.4 kg/m²; this stack is qualified to ANSI Z97.1 and EN 12600 1B1/2B2. Printing uses low-solvent digital inkjet inks qualified for PVB plasticizer resistance, with white underlayment to maintain color consistency over dark display interiors. The production process uses a silicone membrane vacuum press for initial de-airing at 140 °C platen temperature, followed by a low-pressure autoclave cycle at 120–130 °C and 10 bar because thinner glass is prone to optical distortion above 135 °C. Edge performance is the limiting operational boundary: display case glass is frequently exposed to condensation and spray cleaners, so fabricators apply a hydrophobic edge seal and reject any panel with exposed PVB extending more than 0.5 mm beyond the glass edge. Terminal finished products include display shelves, display case doors, countertop protective laminates, and low-height partition panels for retail fixtures. Published data for repeated point-load fatigue of 0.38 mm printed PVB in shelving applications is limited; point-load deflection testing is therefore performed on the finished assembly.
High-traffic hospitality wall cladding uses printed PVB laminates as full-panel decorative finishes because the glass faces resist scuffing and cleaning chemicals, while the interlayer carries the print plane away from direct contact. The typical stack is 5 mm glass / 0.76 mm printed PVB / 5 mm glass, which gives a 7.1 vol% interlayer fraction and a panel mass of 25.8 kg/m²; for larger-format panels above 1.2 m × 2.4 m, the PVB thickness may be increased to 1.52 mm to control shear deformation during handling. The laminate is tested to ASTM C1172 and EN ISO 12543 for structural and optical quality, and where building codes classify the panel as an interior finish, the assembly is tested under EN 13501-1 or ASTM E84 as a complete panel system. Printing uses a six-color flatbed inkjet line with CMYKLcLm plus white underlayment, with inter-pass forced-air drying at 30–35 °C to reduce ink pooling in PVB surface valleys. After printing and conditioning below 0.4 wt% moisture, the layup is bagged and autoclaved at 135 °C and 13 bar; machining of mounting holes and edge notches is performed before lamination so that the final edge remains sealed. Production lines report that ambient dust particles above 50 µm trapped between the printed PVB and glass form visible halo defects in backlit panels; cleanroom layup is mandatory for backlit wall applications. Terminal products include hotel lobby wall cladding, column covers, reception desk fascia, and elevator lobby backdrop panels. Because the PVB interlayer is plasticized, bonding of panels to substrates is limited to neutral-cure silicone or mechanical clips; amine-cure epoxy adhesives are excluded because they can produce local interlayer softening and print delamination.
Competitive Trosifol Printable Interlayers prices that fit your budget—flexible terms and customized quotes for every order.
For samples, pricing, or more information, please contact us at +8615380400285 or mail to sales2@liwei-chem.com.
We will respond to you as soon as possible.
Tel: +8615380400285
Email: sales2@liwei-chem.com
Flexible payment, competitive price, premium service - Inquire now!
Trosifol Printable Interlayers are polyvinyl butyral (PVB) films in which the print-receiving layer is integrated into the interlayer surface for direct inkjet printing prior to lamination. The product family is identified within the Trosifol Digital Print trade range, with clear and translucent white print-receptive variants available. The white variant provides a controlled diffuse background for image contrast in decorative laminated glass. Thickness follows the standard PVB safety interlayer matrix of 0.38 mm, 0.76 mm, 1.52 mm, and 2.28 mm, with roll widths up to 3 200 mm. Exact grade designations and width-tolerance schedules are listed in the current manufacturer technical data sheet, which is controlling for product-specific values. The interlayer is intended for laminated safety glass used in interior partitions, printed balustrades, signage, spandrel panels, and decorative glazing where the printed layer is encapsulated between two glass lites and must comply with ISO 12543-2:2021, EN 14449:2005, and ANSI Z97.1-2015. Compared with a separate PET print carrier, which commonly adds 50–125 µm thickness and a refractive index near 1.64, the integrated printable PVB keeps the laminate closer to standard PVB construction because plasticized PVB exhibits a refractive index near 1.48. The product therefore removes one additional polymer/glass interface and reduces potential optical distortion in transparent laminated glass.
Adhesion of PVB to glass is controlled primarily by hydrogen bonding between PVB hydroxyl groups and silanol groups on the glass surface, modified by adhesion promoters and residual moisture. The printable surface places an ink layer or a modified PVB skin at this interface, making ink adhesion and interlayer adhesion interdependent. Ink drying must reduce residual solvent or water content before lay-up; the interlayer moisture content should be 0.30–0.50 wt% as determined by Karl Fischer titration according to ISO 15512:2019. Surface wetting of the print layer should remain above 38 mN·m⁻¹ when checked with dyno test inks or ISO 8296:2003; lower surface energy produces reticulation and optically visible dewetting at the ink/PVB boundary. Optical quality after lamination is quantified by haze and luminous transmittance according to ASTM D1003-21 and ISO 14782:2021. Printed areas can increase laminate haze by 1.0–3.0 % above unprinted PVB depending on ink coverage and drying uniformity; full-bleed white backgrounds should be measured separately because the diffuse reflective layer changes the transmission measurement baseline.
Conditioning of the printed roll before cutting is necessary because PVB is hygroscopic and moisture uptake above 0.50 wt% reduces glass adhesion and produces steam bubbles in the autoclave. The unprinted film should be stabilized for 24–48 h at 20–25 °C and 20–30 % RH. If storage relative humidity has exceeded 60 % for more than 8 h, pre-drying is required until the moisture content returns below 0.50 wt%. Cutting and printing should be performed in a controlled room of ISO 14644-1 Class 8 or better to prevent particulate defects between the printed surface and glass. Vacuum bag de-airing after lay-up is run at 20–50 mbar absolute pressure for at least 20 min cold, followed by heating under vacuum to 80–100 °C before autoclave transfer. The autoclave cycle for printed PVB is bounded by 130–140 °C and 1.0–1.4 MPa with a hold period of 30–60 min. Delamination risk increases below 125 °C, while ink bleed and edge webbing become measurable above 145 °C. A production autoclave with oil-heated water circulation and pressure control within ±0.1 MPa is suitable; glass washing equipment should maintain final rinse conductivity below 20 µS·cm⁻¹ to avoid soluble salts at the interface.
| Parameter | Lower bound | Upper bound | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conditioning temperature | 20 | 25 | °C |
| Conditioning relative humidity | 20 | 30 | % RH |
| Interlayer moisture content | 0.30 | 0.50 | wt% |
| Vacuum bag absolute pressure | 20 | 50 | mbar |
| Autoclave temperature | 130 | 140 | °C |
| Autoclave pressure | 1.0 | 1.4 | MPa |
| Hold time | 30 | 60 | min |
Ceramic frit is fused to the glass surface at 600–650 °C, creating a durable but comparatively low-resolution graphic layer that requires screen tooling for each design. The printable interlayer route avoids the frit furnace and allows variable-data piezo inkjet printing at native resolutions from 360 dpi to 1 440 dpi, depending on the printhead and ink system. The printed image is encapsulated inside the laminate rather than exposed to weather, so the main environmental stress is UV irradiance transmitted through the outer glass lite. UV-stabilized PVB blocks most radiation below 380 nm, but the outer glass type and interlayer UV transmittance should be confirmed for the specific build-up. Laminate-level UV durability is tested according to ISO 4892-2:2013 Cycle 1 and ISO 105-B02:2014; project specifications commonly set a colour-shift criterion of ΔE ≤ 5 after 1 000 h xenon exposure, although published data for this specific ink/interlayer configuration is limited. Exterior spandrel applications should use a heat-strengthened or tempered outer lite and a perimeter ceramic frit edge seal to reduce moisture ingress.
Compared to standard PVB interlayers, the printable grade retains the same bulk viscoelastic response because the print-receiving surface is a thin skin over the plasticized PVB core. Typical plasticized PVB films show tensile stress at break of 20–28 MPa, elongation at break of 200–300 %, and Young’s modulus of 3–10 MPa at 23 °C when measured to ISO 527-3:2018. The glass transition temperature of plasticized PVB remains in the range of 15–25 °C, so the printable film does not shift the damping behaviour of the laminated glass. By comparison, ionoplast interlayers used for structural and hurricane-resistant glazing exhibit tensile modulus above 100 MPa and higher post-breakage stiffness; printed PVB laminates are not a direct substitute for ionoplast systems in blast, ballistic, or hurricane-impact applications unless validated to ASTM E1886-23 and ASTM E1996-23. A PET-based printed interlayer adds a polyester carrier of 50–125 µm and its associated refractive-index step, while the printable PVB route keeps the stack at standard PVB thickness and avoids a separate carrier film. High ink coverage may require a reduced heat-up ramp rate; typical PVB cycles use 2–5 °C·min⁻¹ to limit flow-induced image distortion.
| Performance property | Test designation | Typical acceptance reference |
|---|---|---|
| Laminated safety glass construction | ISO 12543-2:2021 | As specified by thickness |
| Pendulum impact classification | EN 12600:2002 | 1B1, 2B2, or 3B3 by glass build-up |
| Boil adhesion | ISO 12543-4:2021 | No bubbles or delamination beyond 10 mm from edge |
| Optical haze | ASTM D1003-21 | ≤ 3 % in clear areas |
| UV durability | ISO 4892-2:2013 Cycle 1; ISO 105-B02:2014 | Project-specific colour shift, commonly ΔE ≤ 5 after 1 000 h |
| Moisture content | ISO 15512:2019 | 0.30–0.50 wt% |
Roll-fed piezo inkjet printing on PVB requires control of drying energy because the substrate is a plasticized thermoplastic with a low glass transition temperature. Heated platen settings above 45 °C can soften the film and cause feeding errors or stretch-induced distortion; infrared drying should be tuned to keep the web surface below 50 °C and to remove ink carrier solvents to a residual level specified by the ink supplier. Cross-cut tape adhesion of the printed layer before lamination is tested to ISO 2409:2020; printed PVB intended for lamination should show no more than 5 % coating removal in classification 0/1 depending on the ink system. Residual amine- or ketone-containing cleaning agents must not contact the printed surface because they can extract plasticizer and produce clouding at the PVB/glass interface. Solvent retention in the ink layer is a critical defect source: incomplete drying before lay-up causes bubbles that appear as a ring of small voids around image edges after autoclave. The defect is distinguished from bulk PVB moisture by its localisation to printed areas and can be evaluated by boil testing to ISO 12543-4:2021.
Edge stability after cutting is a batch-to-batch variance that affects lamination yield. The cut edge of printed PVB can pick up glass-washing air-knife moisture if the stack is delayed before vacuum bagging; exposed edges should be sealed or lamination should proceed within 4–6 h after cutting under controlled RH. Interleaf staging rolls with differential unwind tension must maintain web tension between 20 N·m⁻¹ and 60 N·m⁻¹ to prevent elongation differences between printed and unprinted regions. Lamination lines equipped with universal laminating tables and vacuum rings can process printed interlayers without additional equipment modifications, but the print side must be tracked to ensure it is placed against the glass and not against a release interleave. Failure to orient the print side correctly produces low adhesion and visible air pockets at the ink layer.
Image resolution after lamination is not identical to the printed resolution because the PVB plasticizer system undergoes viscous flow under heat and pressure. The printed dot is subjected to squeeze flow between two glass plies; dot gain depends on autoclave temperature, pressure, and local glass flatness. Printhead resolutions from 360 dpi to 1 440 dpi are reduced to an effective visual resolution that is limited by laminate transmission haze and diffusion of ink at the PVB/glass interface. For text and fine line graphics, minimum line width after lamination should be specified at 0.5 mm or greater because narrower lines may break during interlayer flow. Optical microscopy of cross-sectioned laminates can be used to measure image displacement; a lateral displacement of ≤0.2 mm is typical for properly processed laminates, but published data for this specific configuration is limited. Visual appearance is assessed by transmitted light under D65 illumination using a spectroradiometer calibrated to CIE 1931 standard observer conditions.
Interior partition applications use tempered or heat-strengthened glass and printed PVB to meet safety glazing impact classifications. A typical construction of 6 mm tempered glass / 1.52 mm printed PVB / 6 mm tempered glass can be classified to EN 12600:2002 as 1B1 depending on fracture pattern and drop height. The printed interlayer does not alter the safety classification provided the PVB thickness is maintained. For overhead glazing, laminated safety glass incorporating printed PVB must also be evaluated for post-breakage retention under the applicable building code and project-specific finite element analysis. Cleaning solvents after installation should be limited to non-amine, non-ketone glass cleaners; isopropanol/water blends at 30–50 % concentration are generally compatible but should not contact exposed PVB edges.
