3m Innovative Properties Company

Reema Chatterjee

Stephen A Johnson

Bimal V Thakkar

Jeffrey A Peterson

Christopher P Gerlach

Robert F Watkins

David W Meitz

The present application generally relates to retroreflective articles and methods of making retroreflective articles. Some embodiments include a body layer having an elastic modulus of equal to or greater than 1750 MPa, a plurality of truncated cube corner elements, and a polymeric layer between the body layer and the cube corner elements, the polymeric layer having an elastic modulus of less than 1750 MPa.

Retroreflective sheeting including a low elastic modulus layer

The present application generally relates to retroreflective articles and methods of making retroreflective articles. The retroreflective articles include a substantially amorphous polymeric layer between the body layer and the discrete truncated cube corner elements. The substantially amorphous polymeric layer absorbs, dissipates, and/or accommodates at least some of the stress forces placed on the retroreflective article during processing. As a result, discrete truncated cube corner elements with increased fidelity can be formed. Consequently, retroreflective sheeting including a substantially amorphous polymeric layer has increased brightness compared to similarly made and composed sheeting lacking the substantially amorphous polymeric layer.

Retroreflective sheeting including a substantially amorphous polymeric layer

Growing community of inventors

Woodbury, MN, United States of America

Reema Chatterjee