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Like all plastic materials, vinyl results from a series of processing steps that convert hydrocarbon-based raw materials (petroleum, natural gas or coal) into unique synthetic products called polymers. The vinyl polymer is unusual, however, because it is based only in part on hydrocarbon feedstocks: ethylene obtained by processing, or cracking, natural gas or petroleum. The other half of the vinyl polymer is based on the natural element chlorine.
Chlorine gives vinyl two advantages. First, chlorine is derived from brine -- a solution of common salt and water, and a readily available, inexpensive commodity. Thus, vinyl is less sensitive to fluctuations in the world oil market than are totally oil dependent polymers.
Second, chlorine has excellent inherent flame retardant properties. These properties are passed on directly to vinyl end-products, making vinyl an excellent choice for applications such as electrical conduit and wiring that require high resistance to ignition and flame spread.
Through a chemical reaction, ethylene and chlorine combine to form ethylene dichloride which, in turn, is transformed into a gas called vinyl chloride monomer (VCM). A final step, called "polymerization," converts the monomer into vinyl polymer, a fine-grained, white powder or resin known as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or simply "vinyl."
Vinyl resin, however, is still one step away from being a usable material: it must be combined with selected chemical additives and modifiers to achieve the various properties desired in vinyl end-products. Once these are added, the resulting material -- vinyl compound -- can be converted into an almost limitless range of applications.
This versatility is yet another reason why vinyl claims such a large share of the plastics market. It is the only plastic that can be made thin and flexible enough for wall coverings, yet rigid and tough enough for siding on buildings. Depending on the additives and modifiers used, vinyl compound can be used indoors or outside, be crystal clear or opaque, and matched to virtually any color in the rainbow.
PVC was first produced in a laboratory in 1872. In the 1930s, vinyl siding began to be produced commercially. Techniques for mixing it with plasticizers became known and PVC emerged as a substitute for rubber. During World War II, German scientists developed PVC pipe for water supply systems when material shortages limited conventional pipe supplies
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The world's most versatile plastic had a rather humble beginning: A rubber scientist during the early 1920s stumbled onto a new material with fantastic properties during his search for a synthetic adhesive. Waldo Semon was intrigued with his finding, and experimented by making golf balls and shoe heels out of the versatile material called polyvinyl chloride, or PVC.
Soon after his discovery, PVC-based products such as insulated wire, raincoats and shower curtains hit the market. As more uses for vinyl were discovered, industry developed more ways to produce and process the new plastic.
Plants manufacturing PVC began to spring up during the '30s to meet demand for the versatile material. Just a decade after its conception, PVC - commonly known as vinyl - was sought for a variety of industrial applications including gaskets and tubing.
Joining industries across the nation during the '40s, PVC manufacturers turned their attention to assisting the war effort. Vinyl-coated wire was widely used aboard U.S. military ships, replacing wire insulated with rubber. Vinyl manufacturers were working in high gear as World War II wound down, and they quickly found new markets for the durable plastic. Following the war, news of vinyl's versatility and flame-resistant properties spread, leading to dozens of commercial uses.
Five companies were making PVC at the century's midpoint, and innovative uses for vinyl continued to be found during the '50s and '60s. A vinyl-based latex was used on boots, fabric coatings and inflatable structures, and methods for enhancing vinyl's durability were refined, opening the door to applications in the building trades.
Vinyl products quickly became a staple of the construction industry; the plastic's resistance to corrosion, light and chemicals made it ideal for building applications. PVC piping was soon transporting water to thousands of homes and industries, aided by improvements in the material's resistance to extreme temperatures. Twenty companies were producing vinyl by 1980.
Today, vinyl is the second largest-selling plastic in the world, and the industry employs more than 100,000 people in the USA alone. Vinyl's low cost, versatility and performance make it the material of choice for dozens of industries such as health care, communications, aerospace, automotive, retailing, textiles and construction. Rigid as pipe or pliable as plastic wrap, vinyl is a leading material of the 21st century.
Vinyl is often referred to as the "infrastructure plastic," and with good reason. More than half of all vinyl produced annually in the USA is used to manufacture construction or furnishing products, and more vinyl is used in construction than any other plastic. Vinyl is used so widely in the construction industry because of its durability, easy installation and cost-effectiveness.
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Vinyl siding was first introduced to the exterior cladding market in the early 1960s and steadily grew in popularity over the next four decades because of its durability, versatility and ease of maintenance. The product is manufactured primarily with polyvinyl chloride, a material that gives it impact resistance, rigidity and strength.
Today, for example in USA, vinyl siding is the number one choice of exterior cladding. The statistics show twice as many homeowners side their homes with vinyl than with any other material. The facts are that vinyl siding is available in a broad palette of colors, profiles and trims to assist architects, builders and homeowners in customizing their new construction and renovation designs, and can complement historical restoration projects.
While vinyl siding was initially sold almost exclusively for remodeling, today, in USA more than a third of vinyl siding is used in new construction.
‘‘Thin siding improves”
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| Conventional siding max. 1 mm. thickness |
Conventional vinyl siding ended up in a hard fight against fiber cement because of some strategic mistakes by siding makers. They competed fiercely among themselves, constantly stripping out cost and making thinner, cheaper products, without realizing that a lot of customers didn’t want thin, cheap siding. PVC siding producers also misjudged the competition from fiber cement, which is itself far from a perfect material. It’s brittle, heavy, and hard to install—requiring gas masks to guard against silicosis—but that doesn’t affect homeowners.
Under competitive pressure from more wood-like fiber cement siding, conventional “thin” PVC siding manufacturers are being forced to change their thinking and have taken cosmetic routes to make their products look more like fiber cement without reformulating or changing their process. They have added more colors of co-extruded acrylic cap layers and added new heat-reflecting pigments to allow darker colors. Manufacturers have also designed PVC profiles with deeper panel indentations to make them look thicker and added foam backing for stiffness.
Although, the idea of high-end cellular and/or wood-filled PVC siding isn’t new. Such products have been predicted to take over the market for over a decade. In the mid-1990s, premature announcements that foamed siding had arrived were so common that one market study reported it was growing rapidly—though no commercial products were actually to be found.
A number of building-products companies have developed promising cellular and/or wood-filled vinyl siding products, which were installed on test houses, patented and trademarked, and then for some reason (usually production problems or cost) discontinued without ever making a commercial debut. Cellular PVC siding has been successful for years in other regions, notably the U.K., but not in USA.
However, there’s a new sense of urgency about the need for innovation, as the big companies exit the rigid PVC siding business. In the late 1990s a company in USA developed the first EPS foam-backed siding, the EPS panels, which are shaped to be glued behind siding. Other siding producers rapidly followed suit, and today virtually all big siding companies offer some foam-backed products. If siding is made thicker by foaming, thermal expansion makes overlapping, interlocking, and ventilation much trickier.
The point of foamed and/or wood-filled siding is to compete directly with fiber cement on stiffness and low thermal expansion. What fiber cement has over conventional thin vinyl siding is that it’s thick, stiff, and has a clearly embossed “woodier” surface texture and straight “shadow lines” under panels. Conventional PVC siding is typically only 1 mm. thick, so it reveals any unevenness in the substrate, which can leave it looking flimsy. |
 Fiber cement claddings sales have been increased far more rapidly than PVC over the past decade. But, something else is different now. Since, cellular PVC trim boards have become a runaway success and foamed siding seems like a natural extension of cellular PVC trim. This year, the first cellular PVC siding appeared commercially in the U.S.A.
With the great honor of being a pioneer company, CEBECİ launched once more the newest and earliest product in Turkey, cellular PVC-UE based, self-insulated, acrylic coated Foam Panel claddings, to the market at the same time with multinational leader producers.
CEBECİ celluar PVC FOAM PANEL is ideal for construction because of its lightness, strength, formability and long life span.
• Thermal efficiency superior to timber
• Working life equals to building life
• Does not require painting, attractive and easy to maintain.
• Low maintenance provides significant long term savings
• It is durable, with the ability to withstand high winds and a composition that resists heat, cold and moisture; it retains its great looks over time.
• It never needs paint and maintaining, it cleans itself by rain.
• Installation costs less than timber
• The CEBECİ application system from top to bottom speeds up installation times and reduces installation waste.
• The cellular PVC profiles are easily recovered and recycled.
In addition...
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According to the announcement of The Voluntary Commitment of the European PVC Industry VINYL 2010 that the European PVC and substance producers are obliged to stop the usage of Lead containing stabilizator and replace it with Ca-Zn stabilizator until the year 2015, CEBECİ has had decided to use the said stabilizator beforehand in order to leave a uncontaminated environment to the children. |
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CEBECİ is committed to improving the environment for its customers. |
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Non-Lead based ( Ca-Zn ) stabilizers are used in PVC for environmental and health reasons. |
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CEBECİ Foam Panel meets or exceeds the testing requirements specified in the industry standard for quality — DIN and BSI. |
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CEBECİ Foam Panel is also in compliance with Construction Products Directive ( 89/106/EEC ) |
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CEBECİ Foam PANEL adds value to homes and contrary to a common misperception, is the most popular choice for exterior cladding, and also, is being recognized for its environmentally friendly benefits. |
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When evaluated on attributes such as global warming impact, environmental and economic performance, transportation issues, recyclability, resource and manufacturing efficiency and durability, CEBECİ Foam PANEL is concluded to be a sustainable product that leaves a small environmental footprint. |
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