How are zips and Velcro fitted into clear PVC panels?
Video length: 1m 44s
This video shows how Velcro strips and a metal zip are fitted to our clear screens — and the reinforcement technique behind it that makes them far more durable.
What the video covers
We can fit Velcro to clear screens, as well as durable zips. Velcro can be supplied in 50mm and 25mm widths, and the zips are a durable number 10 metal zip.
The key detail is exactly how they're fitted. Glass-clear PVC is what we call an unsupported fabric — it doesn't have a reinforcement layer sandwiched in the middle, which is exactly what makes it so clear. However, stitching zips or Velcro directly into an unsupported fabric like this means there's a greater risk of them tearing out.
To get around this, we first stitch the zip or Velcro into a reinforced coloured PVC — a supported fabric. We then heat-weld that panel into the clear PVC. The result is a much stronger, more durable screen that stands the test of time.
Frequently asked questions
Why not stitch the zip straight into the clear PVC?
Clear PVC has no internal reinforcement (that's what keeps it glass-clear), so a zip stitched directly into it is much more likely to tear out.
What sizes of Velcro and zip can you fit?
Velcro in two widths — a 50mm strip and a 25mm strip — plus a durable number 10 metal zip.
Full transcript
In this video, I wanted to show you quickly how we fit the Velcro and the zips into our clear PVC panels. So, on the right side here, you'll see we have a Velcro strip — in this case a 50mm Velcro. We do also supply a thinner 25mm Velcro. And on the left side we have a number 10 metal zip, nice and durable, and that is inset into, as I say, the Ultra clear 50 PVC material.
Now, specifically what we're doing here is we are stitching the zips into a reinforced coloured PVC, which you can see here. And there's a very good reason for that. If we were to stitch these zips directly into the clear, unsupported PVC — and when I say unsupported, what I mean is it doesn't have any reinforcement in the centre of it, and it simply can't, because it is pretty much a glass-clear PVC, so it can't have any reinforcement — when we stitch a zip directly into this fabric, it has a far greater likelihood that it's going to tear out. And it's a similar situation as well with the Velcro here.
So what we do instead is we stitch the zip or the Velcro first into this reinforced coloured PVC, and then we weld that into the clear PVC, which is what you can see we've done here, and the reinforced Velcro here. Now ultimately this is going to give a far more durable screen that is going to stand the test of time.
Downloads
Download the PDF guide
Download the JPG guide
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