Reflective films from the manufacturer 3M™ are available in three product lines with different performance levels in terms of luminance.
STRUCTURE | The Diamond Grade DG³ reflective film is a further development of the High Intensity film. While the latter is based on conventional microprismatic technology ( reflectivity class RA2/C), Diamond Grade films have a more powerful technology: full cube technology ensures greater efficiency and therefore brighter reflection.
As 100% of the film surface is equipped with optical components in Full Cube technology, almost twice as much light is reflected back to the source as with High Intensity Prismatic film.
This ensures better visibility of traffic signs, information signs, traffic guidance systems and vehicle markings. Conclusion: Safety is increased for all road users.
Another type of film from 3M™ is Engineer Grade, where the retroreflective film in older 3M Engineer Grade series is made of glass beads (e.g. 3200, 3210). Films with a glass sphere structure correspond to reflectivity classes RA1 or RA2 and are significantly weaker in their reflective performance. In 2016, a new generation of microprismatic films was introduced with the Advanced Engineer Grade Prismatic and glass bead technology was largely phased out of this 3M™ product line.
Features of the 3M film classes at a glance:
| Open PDF in separate windowIllustration of the microprismatic elements of the reflective films
The film classes from 3M™ in practice to demonstrate the different reflective strengths:
