How To Install Polycarbonate And ETFE Roofs - Tuflite Polymers

1
How To Install Polycarbonate And ETFE Roofs
Tuflite Polymers
One of the most important considerations while
building a roof is which material to use. When
transparency or semi-transparency is the
requirement on the cards, the two best materials
one can use are polycarbonate and ETFE, both
because of their amazingly unique properties,
strength, durability, long life span, and ease of
maintenance. Another very significant quality of
both polycarbonates and ETFE is their ease of
installation. ETFE is very easy to install, but
requires professional assistance due to the usage
of machinery, but polycarbonate is so easy to
install that one could set up the roof on their
own, without any help from professionals or
additional machinery/tools. Let us take a look at
how these roofs can be installed.
Installing polycarbonate 1) First and foremost,
you need to have the right measurements in hand
to install the perfect sized roof. So, take a
measuring tape and measure the size of the roof
that you require. You can either have the
polycarbonate sheets cut to your size before
having them delivered to you, or you can easily
cut the sheet on your own with the help of
sharp-toothed scissors or circular saw. Whatever
you choose to do, remember to keep the size such
that there is some space left in between the
sheets to let them expand and contract with
temperature changes. If you dont leave space
between the sheets, it will result in buckling of
the sheets.
2

• Next, you need to have support rafters in place,
  which will decide upon the thickness of the
  sheet you require. Wider apart the rafters,
  thicker the sheet. But remember, narrower widths
  always result in stronger roofs. The standard
  choice is 980 mm, with the maximum being 1050
  mm.
• You now need to select your glazing bar for every
  joining, and close the sheets with aluminum stop
  bars. Another main element is the sealant that
  attaches the bars to the bottom edge of the
  roof. You need to choose a non-hardening sealant
  that is safe to use with polycarbonate.
• Now that everything is ready, its time to fix
  your sheets. Make sure that the channels run
• vertically to help water to run down in case of
  rain. Also, make sure that the polycarbonate
• resistant layer faces the sun to reap the
  benefits. Make drills into the sheets and fix
  them with the help of screws. Again, leave some
  space between the holes and screws to allow for
  expansion and contraction.
• Installing ETFE
• The first thing here is that you need to choose
  what kind of ETFE you would wish to install
  ETFE film or ETFE cushion. ETFE film is a simple
  sheet just like any other, while ETFE cushion is
  layering of sheets with insulation in between.
  The cushions provide amazing insulation, but
  require good amount of maintenance to keep the
  air in between intact. Any kind of reduction in
  air will deflate the cushion. However, in case of
  any damage or any other reason why you would
  want to replace the roof, you neednt replace the
  entire roof. You can only remove and install the
  single ETFE cushion that is damaged, leaving the
  rest of the roof intact, which is not the case
  with a film.
• Once decided, you can start with your
  installation, which begins by placing an aluminum
• profile on the construction. Next, the fabric is
  assembled by being laid on the net. This results
  in an ETFE installation before being inflated
  with air pressure.
• Once done, the machinery and installation
  required for inflation is set up. Some final
  checks are made before inflating the structure.
  Once verified, the inflation procedure is
  executed.
• Lastly, the air pressure is checked and balanced
  well between every section of the ETFE roof. Any
  kind of air leakage is checked for and
  controlled.
• Whether you plan to choose polycarbonate or ETFE
  for your roof, remember that Tuflite Polymers is
  always available for help. This is because they
  have been the leading polycarbonate
  manufacturers since more than a decade, and the
  best ETFE suppliers in India, ever since they
  have joined hands with Vector Foiltec, the global
  ETFE leader!