Installers have always looked for a quick and efficient way to perfect a rivet application. Most trailers have thousands of rivets, and every one that is covered with a graphics program requires detailed attention. Therefore, each installer likely will have their own preferred installation methods.

The standard method of application typically is for the installer to apply the graphic over the rivets, which seals off a large pocket of air around each one. The applicator pokes a hole through the graphic and removes the air with a squeegee. Finally, the applicator seals the graphic tightly around the rivet by heating up the area and applying pressure with a rivet brush.

These steps must be repeated thousands of times. Although this method is time consuming, it can provide a lasting impression. If the rivets aren’t heated and brushed properly, road grit and other contaminates will filter behind the graphic and cause it to lift, crack and often tear.

The widespread use of air egress technology (channels in the adhesive that allow air to escape) in most premium vinyl films have made rivets much easier and faster to install. Arlon’s digital vinyl for fleet applications is specifically designed for rivets to be applied using a method called ‘heat and roll’. With this method, applicators first install the vinyl between the rows of rivets. It leaves a vent over the line of rivets that begin at the bottom of the trailer and continues unbroken to the top.

Beginning at the bottom, the applicator simply heats up the vent they have created in the graphic and applies firm pressure with a foam roller to seal three or four rivets at a time. These rivets are perfectly sealed and will not lift, making it the most effective and consistent method to complete a rivet application.

Visit Modagrafics.com to request a list of films, data sheets and ordering options.

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