Panel Thickness And Installation Guide

CHPL INSTALLATION AND FABRICATION FUNDAMENTALS:
• Thickness: .028” – .048”

When fabricating with Laminate Grades, the following techniques will produce a quality application.

1. STORAGE: Panels must be stored horizontally and ideally all components should be conditioned at 70° F to 75° F and 45% to 50% relative humidity for 48 hours prior to assembly.
2. CONDITIONING & EXPANSION: Thermal expansion should always be considered in designs using CHPL. When fabricating or mounting panels, proper conditioning of all components minimizes the negative effects of warping, shrinking and expansion of assembled panels. The coefficient of expansion for unlike materials should be considered in joint design. Due to the organic composition of CHPL, environmental factors that cause expansion, contraction and warping are natural, as such these tendencies can not be warrantied.  Choosing the appropriate thickness of CHPL and proper installation will minimize these natural forces.
3. CUTTING, DRILLING, NAILS and SCREWS: All saw blades and router bits used for cutting should be carbide or diamond tipped. Feed rate should be slow and tool speed should be high. Before cutting, protect the panel surface from scratches by using a peel coat or painters tape. It is recommended that laminate edges be protected by lubricating them with a wax stick prior to tooling. Inside corners of cutouts should have a minimum radius of 1/8” and be filed smooth. This reduces the likelihood of stress cracks. When nails or screws are used, it is advisable to first drill an oversized hole through the laminate. This reduces the likelihood of stress cracks.
4. BONDING, FASTENING and SUPPORT: Bonding FOSSIL laminate panels to substrate materials should be done according to the proven principles of veneering. Typically the material is glued to the desired substrate, and then trimmed to final dimensions. Always bond laminate to a suitable substrate such as medium to high-density fiberboard, particleboard, or metals. It should not be glued directly to plaster walls, gypsum wallboard, plywood or concrete. When requested, Fossil will ship materials untrimmed. Recommended adhesives include solvent or water-based contact cement, white glue (PVA), epoxy, and hot melt glue. Consult your adhesive supplier for your specific application requirements. More information contained in “ADHESIVES FOR CHPL” section below.
5. WASHERS: When mechanically fastening an exterior panel to a sub-surface, place a metal washer beneath the screw or bolt head. Immediately below the washer, incorporate a locking or rubber washer to protect the panel’s anti-graffiti layer against undue tightening or rotation. Alternatively, countersinking the screw or bolt can eliminate the need for any washers.
6. EDGES: All edges of laminate should be filed smooth with file direction towards substrate to help prevent stress cracks and to minimize chipping.
7. EXTERIOR or HUMID USE: When used outdoors or in humid conditions, edges must be sealed with a water proof material, such as silicone. Fossil panels are extremely resistant to water on the top surface and in extreme water conditions, although not covered under our warranty, care must be taken to assure that the substrate does not allow water to penetrate to the back surface of the CHPL.

CHPL INSTALLATION AND FABRICATION FUNDAMENTALS:
• Thickness: .090” – 1/10” – 1/8″; 1/4″

The following techniques will produce a quality application.

1. STORAGE: Panels must be stored horizontally and ideally all components should be conditioned at 70° F to 75° F and 45% to 50% relative humidity for 48 hours prior to assembly.
2. CONDITIONING & EXPANSION: Thermal expansion should always be considered in designs using CHPL. When fabricating or mounting panels, proper conditioning of all components minimizes the negative effects of warping, shrinking and expansion of assembled panels. The coefficient of expansion for unlike materials should be considered in joint design. Leave 1/8” space around CHPL panels thicker than .048” and do not overtighten the hardware to allow for expansion and contraction. Due to the organic composition of CHPL, environmental factors that cause expansion, contraction and warping are natural, as such these tendencies can not be warrantied.  Choosing the appropriate thickness of CHPL and proper installation will minimize these natural forces.
3. CUTTING, DRILLING, ROUTING and COUNTERSINKING: Panels can be sawed, routed, drilled, and tapped with conventional wood-working equipment. Saw blades and router bits should be carbide or diamond tipped and kept sharp to produce chip free edges. Feed rate should be slow and tool speed should be high. Before cutting, protect the panel surface from scratches by using a peel coat or painters tape. Edges can be finished by sanding with coarse sandpaper (80 grit) followed by a fine sandpaper (180 – 220 grit). This will remove saw striations and provide a smooth appearance to the edges. A final edge treatment using a polymer car wax or Thompson’s® Waterproofing Wood Protector will further enhance and protect the edge aesthetics. Inside corners of cutouts should have a minimum radius of 1/8” and be filed smooth. This reduces the likelihood of stress cracks. Self-tapping screws or nails can be used in predrilled holes. Do not screw into or use splines in the edges of panels. Panels can be joined using metal brackets or clips, although it is sometimes necessary to use shims to level out the joint. Mitered edges should be avoided. We do not recommend countersinking screws or bolts on panels thinner than 1/2″.
4. FASTENING and SUPPORT: Panels must be enclosed in a frame with back support or mechanically fastened and bonded directly to a surface. Panels to be bonded, must have their backs slightly sanded to remove their gloss using a coarse sandpaper (80 grit) followed by a fine sandpaper (180 – 220 grit). Depending on the climate conditions and adhesive used, you may choose not to use mechanical fasteners on panels (0.090” and 1/10”), but the results are not warrantied by Fossil.
5. WASHERS: When mechanically fastening an exterior panel to a sub-surface, place a metal washer beneath the screw or bolt head. Immediately below the washer, incorporate a locking or rubber washer to protect the panel’s anti-graffiti layer against undue tightening or rotation. Alternatively, countersinking the screw or bolt can eliminate the need for any washers.
6. ADHESIVES: To achieve reliable bonding, it is imperative to follow the adhesive manufacturer’s application instructions. Care must be taken in the selection of an adhesive regarding the thermal expansion of the materials to be joined. Where significant thermal expansion can occur (i.e. exterior applications) adhesives should be of medium or low modulus materials to allow for movement without shear or loss of bond. For interior applications where thermal expansion is less of a consideration, high modulus adhesives an be used to join materials. Cure time is generally a consideration in the choice of adhesives. Silicones take a good deal of time to cure before a load can be applied whereas the faster curing adhesives do not have the movement capabilities to meet the long term thermal expansion needs. In these instances, a combination of Double Sided Foam tape or VHB tape & adhesive can be used. Example: A strip of Double Sided Foam tape or VHB tape (approx. 3/4” wide) will be applied next to a bead of silicone adhesive. For the near term, the tape holds the ACG. For the longer term, the silicone adhesive will cure and relieve the load applied to the tape.

CHPL INSTALLATION AND FABRICATION FUNDAMENTALS:
• Thickness: 1/2″ – 3/4” – 1”

The following techniques will produce a quality application.

1. STORAGE: Panels must be stored horizontally and ideally all components should be conditioned at 70° F to 75° F and 45% to 50% relative humidity for 48 hours prior to assembly.
2. CONDITIONING & EXPANSION: Thermal expansion should always be considered in designs using CHPL. When fabricating or mounting panels, proper conditioning of all components minimizes the negative effects of warping, shrinking and expansion of assembled panels. The coefficient of expansion for unlike materials should be considered in joint design. Leave 1/8” space around CHPL panels thicker than .048” and do not overtighten the hardware to allow for expansion and contraction. Due to the organic composition of CHPL, environmental factors that cause expansion, contraction and warping are natural, as such these tendencies can not be warrantied.  Choosing the appropriate thickness of CHPL and proper installation will minimize these natural forces.
3. CUTTING, DRILLING, ROUTING and COUNTERSINKING: Panels can be sawed, routed, drilled, and tapped with conventional wood-working equipment. Saw blades and router bits should be carbide or diamond tipped and kept sharp to produce chip free edges. Feed rate should be slow and tool speed should be high. Before cutting, protect the panel surface from scratches by using a peel coat or painters tape. Edges can be finished by sanding with coarse sandpaper (80 grit) followed by a fine sandpaper (180 – 220 grit). This will remove saw striations and provide a smooth appearance to the edges. A final edge treatment using a polymer car wax or Thompson’s® Waterproofing Wood Protector will further enhance and protect the edge aesthetics. Inside corners of cutouts should have a minimum radius of 1/8” and be filed smooth. This reduces the likelihood of stress cracks. Self-tapping screws or nails can be used in predrilled holes. Do not screw into or use splines in the edges of panels. Panels can be joined using metal brackets or clips, although it is sometimes necessary to use shims to level out the joint. Mitered edges should be avoided. For countersinking screws or bolts, we recommend a depth no greater than 40% of the panel thickness, and only on panels that are at least 1/2″ thick.
4. FASTENING and SUPPORT: Panels 1/2″ thick or more must be mechanically fastened and not glued,or epoxied to a surface. We recommend using a 1/8” spacer between the panel and the surface that you are mounting too. Doing so helps protect the panel from from excessive heat buildup, standing water damage and reduces ice build up underneath that could cause the panel to be forced away from the mounting surface. While Fossil panels are extremely resistant to water on the top surface, extreme water conditions although not covered under our warranty, can be minimized by applying a water resistant coating to the back and sides of the panel. When attaching CHPL panels to a mounting plate using “Threaded Inserts”, use the largest mounting plate possible to minimize warping of the panel. When using “Threaded Studs”, do not use silicone in the holes. You must use a permanent epoxy or the panel will warp and pull the studs out of the hole.
5. WASHERS: When mechanically fastening an exterior panel to a sub-surface, place a metal washer beneath the screw or bolt head. Immediately below the washer, incorporate a locking or rubber washer to protect the panel’s anti-graffiti layer against undue tightening or rotation. Alternatively, countersinking the screw or bolt can eliminate the need for any washers.

CHPL MANUFACTURING TOLERANCES:

We take great pride in our work and as such, you will find that our manufacturing tolerances are world class.

– Printing Tolerance: Less than (+/-) 0.0104 per ft. (0.125″ -12′).
– Panel Thickness Tolerance: Less than (+/-) 5% per panel (.025 for 1/2” panel).
– Panel Size (HxW) Tolerance: Less than (+/-) 0.02 per panel.

– Visual Tolerance: Less than (+/-) 0.25 panel surface or subsurface blemishes may occur.
– Fabrication Tolerance: If you are using Fossil Panels as assembly components and have critical cuts or tolerances, make us aware when placing your order so that we can achieve your desired results.

ADHESIVES FOR CHPL:

There are many factors in determining the best adhesive for your application. It is not only determined by our CHPL panel, but by the material that you are adhering it to, temperature, humidity, moisture, job site conditions etc. That being said, we have received excellent feedback in regards to 3M products. We suggest visiting their website and actually calling them at 1-800-362-3550. We have heard that bonding results are better when applying from a canister and not a can. It is important to follow the Manufactures Guidelines and to experiment with any new adhesive or technique prior to generating the final product.Please share your results with us.

Below are some links that you may find useful:
3M info on adhesives by categories of applications:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Adhesives/Tapes/

3M online resource questionnaire “Ask a 3M specialist”:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Adhesives/Tapes/Support/Contact-Us/

3M Hi-Strength Postforming 94 CA adhesive:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Adhesives/Tapes/Products/~/3M-Hi-Strength-Postforming-94-CA-Adhesive?N=5396314+3294310811&rt=rud

Avoid “3M Super 77TM Multi-Purpose Spray Adhesive”. We have heard of failures using this product.
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Adhesives/Tapes/Products/~/3M-Super-77-Multi-Purpose-Spray-Adhesive?N=5396314+3294310584&rt=rud