Like companies in many industries, plastics fabricators and decorators are searching for ways to be more environmentally friendly. They’re doing so not only to avoid fines or scrutiny from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or to comply with California’s Prop 65, but also to reduce operating costs, create a safer workplace for employees and achieve corporate sustainability goals.
From unique rubber compounds to varying tread patterns, tire producers focus on a number of areas on the tire to set themselves apart and perfect the look of the finished tire. Although not a primary focus of tire designers, the brightly colored identification marks around the tread play a key role in tire building as well as the aesthetics of the finished product. APV Engineered Coatings has been developing and commercializing vibrant, long-lasting stripes for decades by optimizing the ink formulation and application equipment for tire makers and can attest to the importance of engineering the perfect tread stripe.