Dilophane in English?

Dgoward

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Jan 14, 2000, 3:00:00 AM1/14/00

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Instructions for labelling machinery in a French document:

Different items of equipment in an industrial installation are to be identified
by 1 mm wide, 10 mm high black characters on a white "dilophane" plate at least
30 mm in height.

This is probably some sort of plastic. Any ideas for the English name?

Thanks.

David

Benoit Evans

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Jan 14, 2000, 3:00:00 AM1/14/00

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Dgoward <dgo...@aol.com> a écrit dans l'article
<20000114135205...@nso-fo.aol.com>...

This probably refers to a rigid plastic laminate, usually composed of 2
layers of different colours. In this case, the upper layer is white and the
bottom layer is black. The plastic is engraved to selectively reveal the
bottom layer. The result in this case would be black letters on a white
plate.

Dilophane was probably (and may still be) a trademark for a specific
plastic, but nowadays it is used generically to refer to any rigid plastic
laminate commonly used for engraved signs, tags, and nameplates.

Today, most of these articles are made of one of two plastics: ABS
(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) or phenolic (any of several phenolic
resins). To the untrained eye they appear to be identical and have similar
properties. One of the most widely used, both in Europe and in North
America is an ABS plastic sold under the tradename "Gravoply".

I would suggest that you say "white rigid plastic plate" unless you need to
make the same error that I suspect has been made in French (using a proper
name as a common name). In that case the exact equivalent in North America
and England would probably be a "white Gravoply plate".

--
Regards,

K.-Benoit Evans
Traducteur agréé / Certified Translator (OTIAQ)
Régie des rentes du Québec
Québec, Canada

Ceci n'est pas un texte officiel | This is not an official text
du Gouvernement du Québec, ses | of the Gouvernement du Québec,
organismes ou mandataires. | its institutions or mandataries.

John Woodgate

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Jan 14, 2000, 3:00:00 AM1/14/00

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<01bf5ed3$3271ea60$9d4b...@w2586.rrq>, Benoit Evans

<benoit...@rrq.gouv.qc.ca> inimitably wrote:
>In that case the exact equivalent in North America
>and England would probably be a "white Gravoply plate".

'Trifolite' (or maybe 'Trefolite'), with three layers, blue-white-blue,
used to be the most-used material in Britain, AFAIK.

I agree that 'Dilophane' is a trade name.
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only. Phone +44 (0)1268 747839
Fax +44 (0)1268 777124. http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk
I wanted to make a fully-automated nuclear-powered trawler,
but it went into spontaneous fishing.

Dgoward

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Jan 15, 2000, 3:00:00 AM1/15/00

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Thanks for your extremely detailed reply, Benoīt.

David

Dennis Poulter

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Jan 17, 2000, 3:00:00 AM1/17/00

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I think the name is "Traffolyte"

Regards
Dennis Poulter

John Woodgate <j...@jmwa.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:nYb5PPAV...@jmwa.demon.co.uk...

John Woodgate

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Jan 17, 2000, 3:00:00 AM1/17/00

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<38830...@news.tm.net.my>, Dennis Poulter <dpou...@tm.net.my>

inimitably wrote:
>I think the name is "Traffolyte"
>
>Regards
>Dennis Poulter
>
>John Woodgate <j...@jmwa.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
>news:nYb5PPAV...@jmwa.demon.co.uk...
>> <01bf5ed3$3271ea60$9d4b...@w2586.rrq>, Benoit Evans
>> <benoit...@rrq.gouv.qc.ca> inimitably wrote:
>> >In that case the exact equivalent in North America
>> >and England would probably be a "white Gravoply plate".
>>
>> 'Trifolite' (or maybe 'Trefolite'), with three layers, blue-white-blue,
>> used to be the most-used material in Britain, AFAIK.
>>

Any advance towards 'Trofalite' or 'Trufflelite'? (;-)