What Are Aircraft placards?

Placards are usually made of the aerospace approved ranges of GE Lexan, 3M Aluminium Foil Sheet 7940 or Makrofol Polycarbonate substrates. A substrate can be polyester, vinyl or polycarbonate.

The placard is protected by a protective layer of a UV curable ink. Placards are reverse silk screen-printed, a process that combines excellent image definition with durability and longevity, by protecting the finished image.

This printing process allows accurate colour matches to be made to cabin interior colour schemes or Pantone or RAL references, vital when refurbishing aircraft interiors. Placards are supplied with a Scotchcal 468 high bond adhesive backing. Quality product offers abrasion resistance, colour fastness and accuracy, and resistance to most chemicals and a very harsh operating environment. 

Aircraft nameplates.  

Nameplates or identification panels are used on every aircraft where there is a need for data or instructional information to be forever legible even when the aircraft has been destroyed by fire, or significantly damaged by a chemical spill or mechanical failure. They have been traditionally manufactured from stainless steel which is then engraved with the required information, them attached to a substantial piece of aircraft structure by mechanical means, rivets, screws or bolts as opposed to an adhesive, as is the case with the placards.

These plates often reflect the owners of the aircraft and the engines fitted to that aircraft. Nameplates can be manufactured from other metals such as aluminium, and can be digitally printed and not engraved, and can also be attached using a self adhesive film. These nameplates provide an added level of protection for the printed information especially in areas susceptible to various operating fluids that may quickly degrade to illegible with other types of placards.

Decals and self-adhesive vinyl graphics. 

Decals and self-adhesive vinyl graphics include self-adhesive aircraft registration decals, fuselage and under-wing.  They can be a revenue stream for operators, aircraft external digitally printed aircraft approved self adhesive film graphics, and aircraft internal advertising products such as overhead locker advertising placards and self adhesive film passenger tray table advertising placards.  

Cabin interior placards and decals.  

Aircraft signs help you find your seat, stow your luggage, wash your hands, lock the lavatory door, and get a meal. In addition they help the cabin personnel to find emergency equipment and make the coffee, they help the cockpit crew with their routines, and they help the maintenance personnel know when the seats were modified and upgraded.

Emergency placards for example, door opening instructions, can be interior or exterior. Interior placards are often in kit form, galley placard kits, lavatory placard kits and custom placard kits. Whether you are AOG or just buying one or two for stock, refurbishing the interior of the aircraft, complete kits are available, giving you savings over buying the parts individually. Seat placard kits are for seat re-configurations.