Thermoplastic

What is Thermoplastic Pavement Marking?

Preformed thermoplastic is a new product in today’s pavement marking market place and here at Century Traffic we are a certified installer of preformed thermoplastic pavement marking material.

Thermoplastic is a polymer material that becomes liquid plastic upon heating to 450 degrees which then bonds to the upper surface of the pavement. As it cools to the surrounding air temperature, it solidifies and this then forms a thermal bond.

The thickness of thermoplastic road marking can vary but is typically applied at a thickness of 90 to 125 mills and can be applied to different types of surfaces.

Benefits of Thermoplastics

With thermoplastic road marking still being newer to the market, the benefits might not be as commonly known, but they do stand out within the different road marking application options.

Within the formula to create the thermoplastic that is applied to the road, glass beads are mixed in which remain on the top when bonding to the surface. This increases the reflectivity and overall safety of the paths it’s applied to.

The other main benefit to choosing thermoplastic as your pavement marking material is the useful life duration and reliability of the material. Thermoplastic typically has a life expectancy of 2-4 years which is an upgrade from some of the cheaper options that are available. The reasoning behind this is that thermoplastic is oil resistant and has superior bonding strength to the pavement it is laid on.

Thermoplastic work cases

There are many different ways or applications that thermoplastic road marking material can be used for. A lot of these are important markings because of the reflectivity of thermoplastic, these are normally markings that need to be seen as much as possible.

These can be anything from intersection markings or crosswalks to bike lane symbols and arrows. The important piece is that the material used for these is durable, can be seen easily, and is sturdy in bad weather or road cleaning.

Thermoplastic Gallery