Sintra

Sintra PVC board
Credit: Laird Plastic

Description

Sintra Construct
Credit 3A Composites

[3A Composites USA] A registered trademark for a lightweight rigid, expanded Polyvinyl chloride board with matte PVC film on each surface. Sintra® was introduced to North America in 1980. It has been used for the construction of signs and exhibits, screen painting, and as a substrate for mounting photographs.

Four grades of Sintra® are available:

Sintra: standard product; Bright white, lightweight, low gloss (satin), printable on both sides
Sintra Eclipse: two layer: Bright white face over black; both with same characteristics as standard Sintra
Sintra Vers (formerly called ePVC): lighter weight, general purpose, low-gloss finish
Sintra Construct: Designed for machinability with extra rigidity and screw retention; available in thick gauges

Synonyms and Related Terms

PVC Board

For comparison with alternates, see

Personal Risks

Sintra: [Safety Data Sheet]

Collection Risks

Research by Greg Smith and Michael Samide report that some rigid, unplasticized PVC construction boards give off a sulfur containing heat stabilizer (2-ethylhexyl thioglycolate [2-EHTG]) that can tarnish silver [1]. However, they also reported finding several specific brands of PVC construction board, namely Komacel (Kommerling) and e-PVC (now renamed as Sintra Vers, 3A Composites) are safe for use in exhibition casework as they do not contain 2-EHTG.

Links to Oddy Test results posted on AIC Wiki Materials Database Pages for individual materials below
See also Polyvinyl chloride for additional test result information

° 3A Sintra Tested in 2016

° 3A Composites or Vycom Sintra or Celtec tested in 2014

° 3A Composites Sintra tested in 2012

° White Sintra tested in 2012

° 3/4" Sintra tested in 2012

° Laird Plastics 6mm "Sintra" tested in 2011

° Laird Plastics PVC tested in 2009

Working Properties

Sintra: Fabrication guide

Resources and Citations

[1] Assessing the Suitability of Unplasticized Poly(Vinyl Chloride) for Museum Showcase Construction, Michael J. Samide and Greg Smith, 2020 Link

Sintra Material website

CCI Technical Bulletin 32 - Products Used in Preventive Conservation Link