Traffolyte
Encyclopedia
Traffolyte, sometimes spelled Traffolite, was a brand name for multi-layered phenolic plastic sheets suitable for engraving
. Each layer was a different colour so engraved letters or shapes would be a different colour from the unengraved portions. Thus it could be used for name tags, labels and signs.
Electrical Ltd. at their Trafford Park
factory in Manchester
, UK for transformer
labels. The complete business was sold to De La Rue Insulation Ltd in 1945; De La Rue went out of this business in the early 1960s. There are a large number of companies manufacturing bi- and tri-layer phenolic engraving stock and it has become a generic term; no record of its having been a registered trademark
in the US or UK has been found.
:
Cost wise it is a very economical product to use and was very popular in the past but has proved a health hazard if precautions are not taken.
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
. Each layer was a different colour so engraved letters or shapes would be a different colour from the unengraved portions. Thus it could be used for name tags, labels and signs.
History
The material dates back to 1927, when it was first produced by Metropolitan-VickersMetropolitan-Vickers
Metropolitan-Vickers, Metrovick, or Metrovicks, was a British heavy electrical engineering company of the early-to-mid 20th century formerly known as British Westinghouse. Highly diversified, they were particularly well known for their industrial electrical equipment such as generators, steam...
Electrical Ltd. at their Trafford Park
Trafford Park
Trafford Park is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Located opposite Salford Quays, on the southern side of the Manchester Ship Canal, it is west-southwest of Manchester city centre, and north of Stretford. Until the late 19th century it was the...
factory in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, UK for transformer
Transformer
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled conductors—the transformer's coils. A varying current in the first or primary winding creates a varying magnetic flux in the transformer's core and thus a varying magnetic field...
labels. The complete business was sold to De La Rue Insulation Ltd in 1945; De La Rue went out of this business in the early 1960s. There are a large number of companies manufacturing bi- and tri-layer phenolic engraving stock and it has become a generic term; no record of its having been a registered trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
in the US or UK has been found.
Manufacturers
Traffolite is manufactured by (among others) PG Bison in Alrode, South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
:
- Sizes: 2440x1010x1.5mm
- Colours:
- Aluminium/Black/Aluminium,
- White/Black/White,
- Yellow/Black/Yellow,
- Black/White/Black,
- Red/White/Red,
- White/Red/White,
- Blue/White/Blue,
- Green/White/Green.
Cost wise it is a very economical product to use and was very popular in the past but has proved a health hazard if precautions are not taken.