SR178 Indicator materials (2007)

There is potential for passive indicator or tell-tale marking technologies that can be applied to building wrap materials during the manufacturing process. These marks would respond to environmental exposure in a way that would allow building inspectors and product manufacturers to determine if the building wrap had been covered by fitting of the cladding within a prescribed period.

This project has explored the practicality of producing these markings, including an examination of existing technologies and potential barriers in regard to the pathway to use.

A number of printing ink types were identified and tested by application to a representative synthetic building wrap product. The results obtained indicated that sensitive indications of solar exposures, in the timeframe required for building wrap materials, were possible.