Modern Manufacture
Today, vinyl siding is manufactured by coextrusion. Two layers of PVC are laid down in a continuous extrusion process; the top layer is weatherable capstock, which comprises about a third of the siding thickness. This capstock includes about 10% titanium dioxide, which is a pigment and provides resistance to breakdown from UV light. Vinyl siding, like paint, will inevitably fade over time, but the fade rate is somewhat slower with vinyl, and in any house cladding (vinyl, paint or others) the intensity of the color is in direct correlation to the rate of fade. For example, two currently popular colors are "barn red" and "clay". In reaction to sunlight, the barn red will fade faster than the very neutral clay color whether paint, vinyl siding or other composition. The lower layer, known as substrate, is typically about 15% ground limestone (which is largely calcium carbonate). The limestone reduces cost, and also balances the titanium dioxide, keeping both extrusion streams equally fluid during manufacturing. A small quantity of tin mercaptan or butadiene is added as a stabilizer to chemically tie up any hydrochloric acid that is released into the PVC material as the siding ages. Lubricants are also added to aid in the manufacturing process.
Read more about this topic: Vinyl Siding
Famous quotes containing the words modern and/or manufacture:
“Tried by a New England eye, or the more practical wisdom of modern times, they are the oracles of a race already in its dotage; but held up to the sky, which is the only impartial and incorruptible ordeal, they are of a piece with its depth and serenity, and I am assured that they will have a place and significance as long as there is a sky to test them by.”
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