05. Plate Shop Specification.pdf

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative brand bid for each item on the response sheets and provide specifications equal or better.

Plate Shop Specification(s)

18‐IND‐7516‐PLATESHOP

Specifications listed within the RFR and this specification document applies to all Bidders unless bidders not responding to items listed below. The responses, as submitted, must meet or exceed all of the mandatory specifications contained within the RFR and specification document. This does not constitute an all‐inclusive list of specifications for items to be purchased under this contract. MassCor will provide additional specifications within a scope of work as needed to awarded prequalified vendors for additional items.

Section A: (Provide 3 samples no larger than 8 ½” x 11”)

Type 1 Pre‐Cleared License Plate Security Material – Equal or Better * *3M™ Preclear Reflective License Plate Sheeting Series 4770T, Equal or Better

Section B: (Provide 3 samples no larger than 8 ½” x 11”)

Type 2 High Definition License Plate Security Material – Equal or Better * *3M™ high Definition Reflective License Plate Sheeting Series 6700, Equal or Better

Section C: (Provide 3 samples no larger than 8 ½” x 11”)

Dry Roller Coat Foils – Equal or Better * *KURZ Foils: Blue foil (B720923) , Red foil (B721180) and White Glossy foil (B720486)

Section D: (Provide 3 samples no larger than 8 ½” x 11”)

Validation Materials – Equal or Better * *3M Validation Security Sheeting, Ensure Custom Image , Series VP5560

Section E: (Provide 3 samples no larger than 8 ½” x 11”) Coated Aluminum Materials – Equal or Better * Auto and Motorcycle Plate

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative

Section A

TYPE 1 PRE‐CLEARED LICENSE PLATE SECURITY MATERIAL

*3M™ Preclear Reflective License Plate Sheeting Series 4770T Equal or Better

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative

Section A: Type 1 Pre‐Cleared License Plate Security Material *3M™ Preclear Reflective License Plate Sheeting Series 4770T Equal or Better

SPECIFICATION FOR PRE‐CLEARED LICENSE PLATE SHEETING

SECTION I ‐ GENERAL

This specification shall cover the materials, performance characteristics, quality, and testing of retroreflective sheeting and support services necessary to produce finished license plates.

A. DESCRIPTION:

1. The retroreflective license plate shall consist of retroreflective (hereinafter referred to as “reflective” only) sheeting laminated to a specified aluminum substrate that is then embossed and message dry‐roll coated according to the sheeting manufacturer’s recommendations.

2. The reflective sheeting shall consist of lens elements enclosed within a transparent resin and shall have a pre‐coated pressure sensitive adhesive backing protected by a removable liner. The pre‐printed design, in the reflective sheeting, shall be buried below the sheeting surface to insure reliable long‐term durability.

3. The reflective sheeting, when applied to the license plate substrate and blanked to finished size, shall contain:

a. Identifying marks for purposes of on‐vehicle traceability, warranty enforcement and anti‐ counterfeiting in accordance with these specifications. The warranty marks shall be buried below the sheeting surface for durability and shall incorporate the manufacturer’s production run number that designates the source of manufacture, year of manufacture, and specific lot from which the material was supplied. The warranty marks shall not interfere or detract from the graphic design or reduce sheeting brightness and shall be durable for the service life of the license plate.

b. Three‐dimensional security marks that the virtual security thread shall be durable for the service life of the license plate.

4. Pre‐printed reflective sheeting shall conform to the design, colors and sheeting type as approved by the state and reflective sheeting manufacturer. When using white background sheeting, all pre‐printed and dry rollcoated graphic inks shall be transparent to facilitate the same daytime/nighttime appearances.

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative

SECTION II ‐ PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

A. LICENSE PLATE SHEETING / DRY ROLL COAT FOIL

1. Substrate

The sheeting shall be laminated to properly conversion coated aluminum substrate recommended by the sheeting manufacturer.

2. Diffuse Daytime Color

Through instrumental color testing, the diffuse daytime color of the reflective sheeting shall conform to color requirements as determined spectrophotometrically in accordance with ASTM E‐1164 and E‐1349, utilizing either 45/0 or 0/45 degree illumination/viewing conditions as described in E‐1164 and E‐1349 for retroreflective materials. Chromaticity and the Luminance

Factor based on CIE tristimulus values for the 2 observer and illuminant D65 shall be calculated in accordance with ASTM E‐308.

The color specification limits for white license plate sheeting are listed on the following chart.

(See Appendix I for other sheeting colors).

COLOR SPECIFICATION

Chromaticity Coordinates

Pairs White Corner Points

Luminance Factor x y Y%

1 .303 .287 42 min.

2 .368 .353

3 .340 .380

4 .274 .316

3. Adhesive and Protective Liner:

a. The precoated adhesive shall form a durable bond to flat conversion coated license plate surfaces as recommended by the reflective sheeting manufacturer.

b. The protective liner attached to the adhesive shall be removable by peeling without soaking in water or other solvents and shall be easily removed after accelerated storage for four hours at 150F (66C) under weight of 2.5 lbs. per square inch (1.14KG per 6.45 sq. cm). The liner shall be non‐printed to permit reuse.

4. Inventory Control

a. To assist the license plate tag shop with inventory control problems, the sheeting manufacturer shall mark the sheeting with an integral, directional image that incorporates the lot number so that the tag shop can employ first in/first out principles.

B. FINISHED LICENSE PLATES

Test panels shall be prepared in accordance with Section III, Para. A.

1. Retroreflective Characteristics

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative

a. The coefficient of retroreflection for the sheeting shall be measured on flat, clean, finished license plate test panels prepared per III.A and shall have the following minimum values at 0.2 observation angle, expressed as candlepower per foot‐candle per square foot (candelas per lux per square meter) of material. Measurements shall be conducted in accordance with ASTM E‐810, “Standard Test Method for Coefficient of Retroreflection of Retroreflective Sheeting”. Measurements on reflective sheeting with a preprinted graphic design shall be taken in an unprinted sheeting area.

Color Entrance Angle

‐4 40 White 50 16

Yellow 25 10

Orange 25 10

Lemon‐Yellow 25 10

Gold 25 10

Green 18 7

Blue 18 7

Red 9 3

2. Resistance to Accelerated Weathering.

a. The sheeting shall be weather resistant and show no appreciable discoloration, crazing, cracking, blistering, lifting or dimensional change and the surface shall continue to be essentially smooth to provide direct application of validation stickers, determined after the following accelerated weathering tests:

b. Laboratory testing – 2,000 hours in Xenon arc weatherometer using ASTM G 155 ‐Type

BH, Method A. Samples shall maintain 70% of retroreflective table values shown in II, B.

1.

c. Outdoor accelerated testing – Samples shall be placed in a 24 month unprotected outdoor exposure, facing the equator and inclined 45 degrees from the vertical.

Retroreflective measurements, taken after cleaning, shall result in 70% or more retention of the table values shown in II, B. 1.

3. Rainfall Performance

a. The Coefficient of Retroreflection of the same finished license plate test panels, measured on the same flat area of the test panels, totally wet by rain, shall not be less than 90 percent of the values specified above. The photometric performance during rainfall shall be determined as follows:

1) Test set‐up for rainfall performance:

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative

2) Place the test panel in an upright position 6 inches (15.2 cm) below and 4 inches

(10.1 cm) in front of the nozzle as shown below:

3) Apply sufficient water pressure so that the upper surface of the spray envelope strikes the top of the panel.

4) With water falling on the panel, measure the coefficient of retroreflection. Wet performance measurements shall be conducted at 0.2 observation and ‐4 entrance angles in accordance with ASTM E‐810.

4. Daytime/Nighttime Color

a. To assist in positive daytime/nighttime identification of license plates, the color of the reflective background of the sheetings, including any pre‐printed design, shall be similar in daylight and by illumination at night.

5. Flexibility ‐ Embossing

a. The sheeting shall, when correctly applied to treated aluminum, conform to the minimum/maximum tolerances for embossing and/or debossing dies as used by the manufacturing facility that supplies finished plates to the state and as recommended by the sheeting manufacturer.

b. Finished, embossed/debossed license plates shall show no appreciable wrinkling, cracking, or squirming at or around embossed/debossed areas.

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative

6. Cold Temperature Resistance

a. The reflective sheeting, when applied to the license plate substrate per III.A, shall show no evidence of cracking, pitting, blistering, edge lifting or curling after cold weather testing with an impact apparatus such as a Gardner Model IG‐1120 Impact tester fitted with a 2 lbs. standard weight and dropped from a height of 20 inches to impact or from 40 inch lbs. (ASTM D 5420‐96).

b. The panel shall be tested from both the front and rear sides. The impact panel

“indenter” shall have a hemispherical head radius of 5/8 inches. The panel support is a 0.64‐inch cylindrical hole centered under the indenter for supporting the test panel.

Test panels shall be conditioned at 0°F. for a 12‐hour period prior to testing. Panels removed from the 0° freezer shall be immediately tested, one impact test per panel.

The 2 lbs. standard weight is dropped from the “40” inch lbs. position on the Gardner Impact Tester.

7. Cleanability

a. Finished license plates, manufactured in accordance with the recommendations of the reflective sheeting manufacturer, shall be easily cleansed of normal dirt accumulation by washing with water and mild detergent. A test panel shall be sprayed with water‐ suspended soils collected from the underside of vehicle fenders, mixed with water in the proportion of five pounds (2.27 kg) of soil to one gallon (3.78 liters) of water, and poured through a paint strainer.

b. The mixture shall then be sprayed onto the panel while particles are in suspension.

After the panel is thoroughly dry, it shall be cleaned by washing with a mixture of water and mild detergent, rinsed with clean water and wiped dry for examination. The panel shall show no appreciable difference when compared to a new clean panel.

8. Solvent Resistance

a. License plate panels prepared per III.A shall be sufficiently solvent resistant to withstand exposure to mineral spirits, turpentine, toluene, xylene, and methyl alcohol without dissolving, wrinkling, puckering, blistering or edge lifting.

b. Test panels shall be 1” x 6” strips cut from license plate blanks. Strips of the license plate shall be immersed in a container with 4 inches of each solvent separately, at room temperature. Solvents and immersion time shall be as follows:

1) Mineral spirits and turpentine ‐ immersed for 10 minutes.

2) Toluene, xylene and methyl alcohol ‐ immersed for 1 minute.

c. At the end of the immersion time remove the samples from the containers and allow to dry before examining for any wrinkling, puckering, blistering, edge lifting or dissolving of the sheeting and adhesive. Failure of samples shall be cause for rejections.

9. Gasoline Resistance

a. Finished license plates shall be sufficiently gasoline resistant to withstand exposure to gasoline when tested as follows.

b. Test panels shall be immersed in a commercially available unleaded gasoline for a period of one minute. After removal from the gasoline the test panels will be air‐dried.

The test panels shall show no evidence of dulling, whitening, softening, puckering, blistering, crinkling, or dissolving of the exterior film, inks, or adhesive, or separation from the aluminum substrate.

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative

C. Product Performance

1. Vendor must supply references in at least 2 jurisdictions to show 3 year on vehicle durability that includes:

a. No fading or cracking

b. Good graphic colors retention

c. Night time/day time color similarity

2. Laboratory Testing: All test results must be submitted by an independent lab. This certification will be required for each vendor submitting a response.

a. 50% retention of specification retroreflectivity (1) after 2,000 hours in Xenon arc Weather‐o‐meter

b. 90% wet rainfall retention

c. Good graphic ink color retention after 2,000 hrs. Xenon arc WOM

3. Accelerated Outdoor Testing

a. Samples will show 50% of spec brightness retention after 24 months of outdoor accelerated exposure as follows,

i. Arizona 45Es (open)

ii. Florida 45Es (open)

b. Certified date will be provided by the vendor upon request.

SECTION IV ‐ PERFORMANCE LIFE & WARRANTIES

A. PERFORMANCE LIFE

1. Reflective sheeting and dry roll coat foil applied and processed into finished license plates according to the sheeting manufacturer’s instruction shall be considered to perform effectively for the service life specified (excluding those plates showing mechanical damage) if:

a. The plates show no fading, cracking, blistering or peeling which will significantly impair the intended visibility or legibility of the plate, and if

b. The clean rear plate retains at least 9 candlepower per foot‐candle per plate (.84 candelas per lux per plate) for the length of the intended issue being bid. (up to a period of 5 years). 2

2. Measurements shall be conducted at 0.2 observation angle and ‐4 entrance angle. Coefficient of Luminous Intensity shall be measured using the test method outlined in ASTM E‐810 except that the coefficient of luminous intensity shall be determined in accordance with ASTM E‐808‐01 Para. 3.2.2 and ASTM E‐809‐02 Para. 12.3. Note: Reflective license plates with a graphic preprinted design may not meet this requirement as large graphic printed areas may affect the reflectivity levels of the finished license plates.

1 Assumes white sheeting background 2 Assumes white sheeting background

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative

B. WARRANTY PROVISIONS

1. The sheeting shall be imaged with a directional, integral warranty mark, so as to be traceable to the specific manufacturer’s production run numbers from which the material originated. If at any time during the specified performance life of the reflective material provided, a one half of one percent sample of clean, rear plates produced from a given production run (identified by the integral warranty mark) reveals that 10 percent or more of that sample are found to be defective in visual or brightness performance requirements as defined herein, the vendor shall be responsible for replacement of all plates manufactured from that specific lot of material.

2. The sheeting manufacturer shall be responsible for all replacement costs associated with a specific lot; a maximum liability assessment of $5.00 per plate will be invoked for failed plates associated with a specific lot. Reimbursement of the State shall be in dollars and/or materials equal to the assessed damage, at the State’s discretion.

3. To assure effective identification, the warranty marks shall be approximately 1.125 inches in diameter on standard 6” x 12” plates and shall be of a design mutually agreed upon by the State and the sheeting manufacturer. The manufacturer may vary the number, design and placement of the marks for motorcycle or smaller license plate sizes.

4. The warranty marks shall be verifiable on a license plate once properly affixed to the vehicle’s designated mounting area, from an approximate head‐on distance of six (6) feet; warranty marks shall not be observable at 2 feet or 20 feet or when the viewer steps to one side from the head‐ on viewing position so as not to compete or conflict with vital plate information.

5. The warranty marks shall be verifiable under both ambient light and retroreflected light at night, shall not interfere or conflict with the plate design or aesthetics, and shall not alter sheeting colors or reduce sheeting brightness below specified levels.

C. Three‐dimensional Security Mark

1. The retroreflective sheeting shall also have a three‐dimensional security mark that the virtual security thread shall be durable for the service life of the license plate.

2. The three‐dimensional security mark shall be verifiable under both daylight and retroreflected light, shall not interfere or conflict with the plate legibility, and shall not reduce sheeting brightness below minimum specified brightness levels when measured in accordance with ASTM E 808 and ASTM E 809.

3. The three‐dimensional security mark shall be visible in the unprinted areas of the plate from within a standard police vehicle under high beam headlight illumination, as well as outside of the vehicle, on a license plate properly affixed to the vehicle’s designated mounting area, from an approximate distance of 0 to 50 feet (0 to 15 meters) at a head‐on viewing angle. The three‐ dimensional security marks shall be visibly distinct from an approximate distance of 0 to 20 feet (0 to 6 meters) and shall not be visible when viewed at an angle greater than 45 degrees from the head‐on viewing position.

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative

SECTION V ‐ SUPPORT SERVICES

A. PLATE DESIGN SERVICE

1. The reflective sheeting and dry roll coat foil manufacturer shall maintain a full‐time professional design service to assist the state in creating a license plate of high legibility, recognition and desired aesthetics.

2. Consistency of printing must be maintained throughout the contract period. The vendor must provide for and maintain a compatible color match to existing and/or selected designs by the state. The sheeting manufacturer will be required to furnish sheeting based on the current license plate design/format or any approved state design. Failure to match and maintain colors in accordance with this section will be cause for contract cancellation.

3. To ensure proper consistency with current pre‐printed graphic designs, the sheeting manufacturer, unless already prequalified by the State, may be required to provide a sample 300 foot roll of each existing general issue and each specialty design in use by the State on finished plates. Supply of these sample rolls is required with a bid submission or bid will be disqualified.

4. Special‐plate‐category designs shall be provided in standard roll form so that they can be manufactured into finished plates by the same process and on the same machinery as used for the basic design(s) covered by this contract. The successful bidder must be able to provide these designs in quantities as limited as one 300‐ft. roll of material. Any variance in price related to volume or the number of colors used in a particular design must be noted in the vendor’s bid.

5. The state reserves the right to redesign any or all of the plates required under these specifications during any resulting contract period.

B. TECHNICAL SERVICE

1. License Plate Materials and Manufacturing Equipment

a. The reflective sheeting supplier shall, without additional cost, provide the license plate manufacturing shop with expert technical service and product information until the shop operating personnel are able to manufacture quality license plates to the satisfaction of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, MassCor Industries. A list of expert technical service personnel, their qualifications and experience must be provided.

b. To ensure continued quality license plate manufacture, the sheeting manufacturer shall provide the state license plate manufacturing facility with on site technical service.

c. On‐site technical service shall be available within 48 hours of notification by the manufacturing shop of production difficulties

2. License Plate Materials and Manufacturing Equipment

a. The dry roll coat foil supplier shall, without additional cost, provide the license plate manufacturing shop with expert technical service and product information until the shop operating personnel are able to manufacture quality license plates to the satisfaction of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, MassCor Industries. A list of expert technical service personnel, their qualifications and experience must be provided.

b. To ensure continued quality license plate manufacture, the dry roll coat foil manufacturer shall provide the state license plate manufacturing facility with on site technical service.

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative

c. On‐site technical service shall be available within 48 hours of notification by the manufacturing shop of production difficulties

C. EQUIPMENT

1. The reflective sheeting supplier shall provide the necessary equipment for the intended contract period to laminate unprinted or pre‐printed sheeting to the substrate inclusive of, but not limited to, the graphic reflective sheeting applicator including stretch control mechanism, and corresponding registry feed controls. The sheeting manufacturer shall certify and show proof that the above equipment is performing as required in a minimum of five other license plate manufacturing sites.

2. To minimize interruption to license plate manufacturing operations, all required training shall be completed and equipment installed and operational within fifteen (15) days of notice of award of contract. Installation and training shall be acceptable upon consistently running the required line(s) at representative speeds not to exceed 100 strokes per minute with a rejection rate of 2% or less. The acceptability of the blanks shall be determined by the issuing agency in conjunction with the license plate plant management.

3. If the application and registry control equipment is not installed in the time and manner as specified above or if any sheeting or dry coat roller foil fails to meet specifications, the entire order is subject to cancellation and the agency reserves the right to purchase all sheeting and dry coat roller foil covered by the order from an alternate source, with the defaulting contractor reimbursing any cost differential.

4. The vendor shall provide a list of available stocked parts to the license plate manufacturing shop.

In event of equipment failure the vendor shall ship stocked replacement parts by express carrier within 12 hours of notification.

5. The successful vendor will reimburse the cost of any waste materials, including metal, sheeting and foil generated because of installation and testing of application and registry equipment to the state. Any salary costs generated because the successful bidder requested to work during other than the normal scheduled work hours of the license plate plant employees will be borne by the vendor.

6. Upon expiration of the existing contract, the existing vendors’ equipment shall be removed within thirty (30) days unless an extension of the sheeting contract has been negotiated with the sheeting supplier.

D. DRY ROLLERCOATING FOILS (KURZ MACHINE)

1. The state uses dry rollercoating Kurz machines for their finished plate processing requirements.

The vendor must provide support for Kurz machinery as well as loaner Kurz machine(s) to be provided on‐site to MassCor within seven (7) days after receipt of request by MassCor.

2. A dry rollercoat foils will be used to color the embossed alphanumeric characters on the plate.

The alphanumeric color will be a pigmented foil applied to the embossed legends via a dry rollercoating machine. Once the aluminum license plate substrate has been dry rollercoat finished, the license plate will be ready for immediate packaging without the need for additional subsequent oven drying and/or curing of any type.

3. Once applied to a finished license plate, the dry rollercoat will not peel crack, fade or be easily removed from the license plate for the performance life as detailed in this specification as detailed in Section II Performance Standards.

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative

4. The bidder shall provide the foils in the color, roll size and other dimensions as specified by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

5. The bidder shall warranty the performance of the foils on finished license plates for the duration of the performance life of the license plate as described in this specification as detailed in Section IV Performance Life & Warranties.

6. The bidder may be required to provide a demonstration of their dry roller coat application systems capabilities at a site mutually agreed to by the evaluators. The demonstration should be constructed to both clarify and verify the bidder's response. Travel expenses incurred by the bidder and the evaluator shall be the bidder’s responsibility.

SECTION VI ‐ PACKAGING AND SHIPPING

To ensure easy access and proper inventory control, the reflective sheeting / dry roll coat foils shall be shipped in bulk packages. To prevent roll damage, each pallet of bulk packages shall be designed to prevent double stacking by the shipper. Production run sequence numbers shall be affixed to the outside of each shipping package that corresponds to the materials contained therein. Each roll shall be additionally designated by a core identifier stamped or affixed with a permanent label to the inside of each roll core. A shipping or packaging list shall be affixed to one box on a pallet identifying all production runs contained within the shipment.

SECTION VII ‐ DELIVERY SCHEDULE

All deliveries shall be provided F.O.B. to the state’s designated point of delivery. The first expected delivery of reflective sheeting / dry roll coat foils shall be not later than 30 days following official notification of contract award, initial order and receipt of state approved artwork. All subsequent orders shall be F.O.B. destination with expected delivery within 30 days after receipt.

SECTION VIII ‐ ACCOUNTABILITY

The supplier shall be accountable for all sheeting / dry roll coat foils from the place of manufacture to the point of delivery. All over‐run materials remaining in the supplier’s possession after discontinuation of any design or the contract’s cancellation, shall be destroyed and used for no other purpose. All over‐runs can be presented to the state and offered as a discounted rate (see vendor response sheet).

SECTION IX – PROCESSING

A. The reflective sheeting and dry roller coat foil processing shall be in accordance with the recommendations of the manufacturer. All processing procedures for reflective material, dry coat roller foils, thinners, solvents and inks must be compatible, or made compatible at the vendor’s expense, with equipment and procedures currently employed by the state.

B. The vendor shall periodically properly remove all waste, thinners, and roll coat inks. In addition, the vendor shall remove wastes from other consumables used in the production of license plate.

C. The contractor will be required to deliver, free of charge all thinner and inks on an “as needed” basis.

Delivery in the amounts required must be completed within fifteen (15) days after receipt of order.

D. The contract shall be for projected volumes, which are estimates only. The contract shall be for actual amounts ordered during the selected contract production period. Delivery schedules and quantities must be coordinated with the state’s designated vendor.

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative

APPENDIX I

COLOR SPECIFICATION

Chromaticity Coordinate

Color Corner x Points y

Luminance Factor Y%

1. White .303 .368 .340 .274

.287

.353

.380

.316

42 Min.

2. Yellow .498 .557 .479 .438

.412

.442

.520

.472

28‐38

3. Lemon Yellow .455 .514 .440 .395

.455

.485

.558

.508

40‐50

4. Orange

.505

.550

.600

.478

.354

.412

.360

.385

14‐24

5. Blue .181 .270 .230 .103

.069

.220

.250

.246

11‐20

6. Green .210 .280 .180 .080

.275

.385

.520

.310

15‐25

7. Red .613 .636 .558 .708

.297

.364

.352

.292

5‐10

8. Gold .435 .475 .420 .385

.465

.420

.370

.420

15‐35

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative

Section B

TYPE 2 HIGH DEFINITION LICENSE PLATE SECURITY MATERIAL

*3M™ High Definition Reflective License Plate Sheeting Series 6700

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative

Section B: Type 2 High Definition License Plate Security Material *3M™ High Definition Reflective License Plate Sheeting Series 6700 Equal or Better

SPECIFICATION FOR HIGH DEFINITION LICENSE PLATE SHEETING

SECTION I ‐ GENERAL

This specification shall cover the materials, performance characteristics, quality, and testing of retroreflective sheeting and support services necessary to produce finished license plates.

A. DESCRIPTION

1. The retroreflective license plate shall consist of retroreflective (also sometimes referred to herein as reflective) sheeting laminated to a chemically treated or conversion coated aluminum substrate that is then embossed and message roll coated or roll coated with KURZ Dry Roll Coat foils or ribbons according to the sheeting manufacturer's recommendations.

2. The reflective sheeting shall consist of microreplicated prismatic elements and a pre‐coated pressure sensitive adhesive backing protected by a removable liner. The preprinted design, in the reflective sheeting, shall be buried below the sheeting surface to help ensure reliable long‐term durability.

3. The license plate sheeting should include a range of tamper‐resistant retroreflective security marks that can help authorities assure authenticity, defend against counterfeiting, and provide production traceability.

Dynamic Security Script Technology

Sheeting with Dynamic Security Script Technology can include a range of very secure, tamper ‐ resistant retroreflective security marks that can help authorities assure authenticity, defend against counterfeiting, and provide production traceability. Under retroreflection, some elements of the security mark will appear slightly brighter than the general background sheeting while other elements will appear slightly darker than the background sheeting. This property remains but shows a reversal of contrast under daylight viewing conditions. This property also allows the security mark to be seen from larger distances (greater than 20 ft.) with a light source (i.e. headlights or flashlights). The marks shall be integral to the reflective layer of the sheeting and shall only be introduced at the time of sheeting manufacture. The security marks shall be buried below the sheeting surface for enhanced durability, therefore, modifying security mark shall damage the sheeting. Sheeting may be provided with no mark, a standard mark, or a customized mark. Marks shall have a repeat pattern in the roll direction.

4. Pre‐printed reflective sheeting shall conform to the design, colors, and sheeting type as approved by the state and reflective sheeting manufacturer. When using white background sheeting, all graphic inks shall be transparent to facilitate similar daytime/nighttime color perception.

5. In addition to a square‐foot price for pre‐printed reflective sheeting, each bidder shall include pricing of unprinted white reflective sheeting and any colored sheeting offered. The specifications contained herein shall apply to all standard size plate classifications and are inclusive of all special category plates issued by the state wherein reflective material is requested.

B. PREQUALIFICATION

Before any bid is considered, the sheeting manufacturer shall meet the following criteria:

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative

1. To assure high quality license plate performance, durability, and service, the successful sheeting manufacturer shall provide the state with proof of successful license plate manufacturing in other states. The sheeting manufacturer shall:

a. Show evidence of successful manufacture and application of preprinted license plate sheeting, thinners, thermal transfer ribbons, protective clear overlaminate, and roll coat materials as parts of a totally integrated license plate system.

b. Provide state‐of‐the‐art application equipment at no charge, as a fundamental component of a totally integrated license plate system. The successful bidder shall show manufacturing experience in other states

c. Provide a list of equipment and flow diagrams with the bid.

d. Provide a list and qualifications of experienced, full‐time graphic design, customer service, technical service, and sales service personnel.

e. Provide expert installation service; provide immediate toll‐free calls to technical service and, if required, on‐site technical service at no charge.

f. Provide next day delivery of stocked equipment parts and provide customer with a detailed list.

g. Ship sheeting rolls via "bulk‐pack" configurations of multiple rolls, for example, 9 rolls per layer, for ease of handling in the tag shop.

h. Conform to all performance requirements of this specification as specified in Section II and as tested by the state‐designated testing lab.

i. Provide quality warranty bond for the value of the contract for the duration of this issue.

j. Supply one 300‐ft. roll of sheeting printed with a graphic design used in the state to demonstrate the sheeting manufacturer's production capability in providing special graphic designs.

k. Supply a minimum of one finished license plate sample for each license plate design for regular and special issue plates, currently used by the state, to ensure compatibility with color, print resolution, and other visual aspects. The incumbent sheeting manufacturer may use samples previously manufactured for distribution to the state's motorists.

l. Supply evidence of successfully supplying reflective sheeting and equipment to another state of a comparable motor vehicle population in a total license plate reissue.

m. Prior to contract award, install application and registry equipment at the license plate manufacturing location and demonstrate, over a period of 60 days and using reflective sheeting provided by the sheeting manufacturer, that the equipment meets these specifications.

2. The sheeting manufacturer shall provide all necessary samples for the agency or their designated testing facility to certify the material compliance with these specifications. At the request of the agency, the sheeting manufacturer may also be required to compensate the agency or their testing agents for the cost of any material testing.

3. Ensure that all plants that manufacture license plate sheeting and roll coat inks purchased by the state are certified to meet ISO 9001‐2008.

4. The sheeting manufacturer shall submit technical data exhibiting characteristics of all materials proposed. Information submitted shall include detailed processing conditions for each phase of license plate manufacture. Such information shall also include times and temperatures required for curing roll coat pastes used in the production of completed license plates.

5. Sheeting manufacturers failing to conform to any of these prequalification requirements shall be disqualified.

C. PREQUALIFICATION

The state reserves the right to periodically evaluate the performance of materials. Samples for periodic evaluation of performance shall be selected at random from materials submitted on state purchase orders. Failure of materials to comply with the requirements of this specification shall be cause for removal of the sheeting manufacturer.

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative

D. TECHNOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS

The existing sheeting manufacturer may, with agreement of the state, incorporate technological improvements that better optimize the license plate production process and/or license plate performance.

SECTION II ‐ PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

A. LICENSE PLATE SHEETING

1. Substrate

The sheeting shall be laminated to properly conversion coated aluminum substrate recommended by the conversion coating material manufacturer.

2. Daytime Color

Through instrumental color testing, the daytime color of the reflective sheeting shall conform to color requirements as determined spectrophotometrically in accordance with ASTM E‐1164 and E‐1349, utilizing either 45/0 or 0/45 degree illumination/viewing conditions as described in E‐1164 and E‐1349 for retroreflective materials. Chromaticity and the Luminance Factor based on CIE tristimulus values for the

2 observer and illuminant D65 shall be calculated in accordance with ASTM E‐308.

The color specification limits for minimum daytime luminance factor (Y%) for white license plate sheeting shall are listed on the following chart.

CIE DAYTIME COLOR

Color CoOrd. 1 2 3 4 Min. Daytime Luminance factor

(Y%)

White x 0.355 0.305 0.285 0.335 y 0.355 0.305 0.325 0.375

3. Nighttime Color

a. To assist in positive daytime/nighttime identification of license plates, the color of the reflective background of the sheeting, including any pre‐printed design, shall be similar in daylight and by illumination at night.

b. When illuminated with CIE Standard Illuminant A at an entrance angle of 5° and an observation angle of 0.33°, the color of the retroreflective surface shall be located within the area defined by the chromaticity coordinates that follow.

CIE NIGHTTIME COLOR

Color CoOrd. 1 2 3 4

White x 0.450 0.548 0.417 0.372 y 0.513 0.404 0.359 0.405

4. Adhesive and Protective Liner

a. The precoated adhesive shall form a durable bond to flat conversion coated license plate surfaces.

b. The protective liner attached to the adhesive shall be removable by peeling without soaking water or other solvents and shall be easily removed after accelerated storage for four hours at 150 Fͦ (66 ͦC) under weight of 2.5 lbs. per square inch (1.14kg per 6.45 sq, cm.).

c. The liner shall be non‐printed to permit reuse.

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative

5. Thermal Transfer Printing

a. The reflective sheeting shall be printable with thermal transfer ribbons supplied by the sheeting manufacturer.

b. The sheeting manufacturer shall provide a complete line of thermal transfer ribbons, in process and spot colors, that allow the license plate shop to print the graphic designs and variable information required by the state.

6. Protective Clear Overlaminate

The sheeting manufacturer shall provide a protective clear film that will be laminated to the sheeting in‐line with the thermal transfer printing process. Printed sheeting with the protective clear film shall pass all performance tests as delineated in Section II.B.

7. Roll Coating

a. The reflective sheeting shall be roll coated and compatible with transparent and opaque colors manufactured by the sheeting manufacturer.

b. The sheeting manufacturer shall supply roll coat inks that meet state and federal VOC regulations.

8. Inventory Control

To assist the license plate tag shop with inventory control, the sheeting manufacturer shall mark the sheeting roll core with necessary information so that the tag shop can employ first in/first out principles.

B. FINISHED LICENSE PLATES

Test panels shall be prepared in accordance with Section III, Para. A.

1. Retroreflective Characteristics

The coefficient of retroreflection for the sheeting shall be measured on sheeting as supplied and shall have the following minimum values (unless otherwise noted), expressed as candlepower per foot‐candle per square foot (candelas per lux per square meter) of material. Measurements shall be conducted in accordance with ASTM E810, "Standard Test Method for Coefficient of Retroreflection of Retroreflective Sheeting". Measurements on reflective sheeting with a preprinted graphic design shall be taken on an unprinted sheeting area. Measurements taken at orientation angles of 0 and 900 shall be taken and averaged.

Minimum Coefficient of Retroreflection

RA [cd/lx/ m2]

Observation Angle 1 Entrance Angle

White

Min Max

0.2 ͦ (0 ͦ 12’) ‐4 ͦ 150

30 ͦ 26

0.5 ͦ (0 ͦ 30’) ‐4 ͦ 45

30 ͦ 13

1.0 ͦ (1 ͦ 0’) ‐4 ͦ 20

30 ͦ 7

1 Observation Angle: The angle between the illumination axis and the observation axis.

2 Entrance Angle: The angle from the illumination axis to the retroreflector axis.

The retroreflector axis is an axis perpendicular to the retroreflective surface

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative

2. Rainfall Performance

The coefficient of retroreflection of a flat, clean, finished license plate test panel, prepared per Section III.A, measured on a flat area of the test panel, and totally wet by rain, shall not be less than the values specified below.

RA in Simulated Rainfall

Color RA (cd/lx/m²)

White 120

Test set‐up and procedure for rainfall performance can be found in ANSI/ISEA 107‐ 2010 Appendix A, Method of Measuring Wet Performance of Retroreflective Material.

3. Flexibility – Embossing

a. The sheeting shall, when correctly applied to treated aluminum, conform to the minimum/maximum tolerances for embossing and/or debossing dies as used by the manufacturing facility that supplies finished plates to the state and as recommended by the sheeting manufacturer.

b. Finished, embossed/debossed license plates shall show no appreciable wrinkling or cracking around embossed/debossed areas.

4. Daytime/Nighttime Color

To assist in positive daytime/nighttime identification of license plates, the perceived color of the reflective background of the sheeting, including any pre‐printed design, shall be similar in daylight and by illumination at night.

5. Clean ability

A test sample smeared with a mixture of lubricating oil and graphite shall be easily cleaned without damage to the reflective surface when wiped with a mild aliphatic solvent, such as heptane, followed by washing with a neutral detergent.

6. Solvent and Gasoline Resistance

a. License plate panels prepared per Section III.A.1 in this document shall be sufficiently solvent resistant to withstand exposure to mineral spirits, turpentine, xylene, methyl alcohol, and gasoline (commercially available unleaded) without dissolving, wrinkling, puckering, blistering, or edge lifting.

b. Test panels shall be 1" x 6" strips cut from license plate blanks. Strips of the license plate shall be immersed vertically in a container with 4 inches of each solvent separately, at room temperature. Solvents and immersion times shall be as follows:

i. Mineral spirits and turpentine ‐ immersed for 10 minutes.

ii. Xylene, methyl alcohol, and gasoline ‐ immersed for 1 minute.

c. At the end of the immersion time, remove the samples from the containers and allow to air dry vertically before examining for any wrinkling, puckering, blistering, edge lifting, or dissolving of the sheeting and adhesive. Failure of samples shall be cause for rejection.

SECTION III ‐ TEST PANELS AND QUALITY CONFORMANCE

A. TEST PANELS

1. Finished license plate test panels 6" x 12" (15.2 cm x 30.5 cm) must be provided for testing and evaluation within ten (10) calendar days if required by the state and shall be produced of the same materials, on the same equipment, and by the same general processes of substrate preparation, laminating, embossing or debossing, roll coating, and oven drying as the production plates, in accordance with the sheeting manufacturer's recommendations. Note the following test panel exceptions for II.B. (1, 2, 5) testing.

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative

2. Special test panels for photometric and solvent resistance testing shall be produced as above, except that they shall not be embossed or debossed (for ease of testing) and they shall not be roll coated. These test panels must be cured for a minimum of 20 minutes at 225°F (to simulate oven drying) and they must be conditioned for at least 24 hours at 72° + 4°F (22° + 2°C) and 50% + 2% relative humidity prior to testing.

B. QUALITY CONFORMANCE

Failure of the reflective sheeting to meet any requirement specified herein shall be cause for refusal to accept materials until evidence has been provided by the sheeting manufacturer that corrective action has been taken to eliminate deficiencies.

SECTION IV ‐ SUPPORT SERVICES

A. PLATE DESIGN SERVICE

1. The reflective sheeting manufacturer shall maintain a full‐time professional design service to assist the state in creating a license plate of high legibility, recognition, and desired aesthetics. This service shall include the following:

a. A minimum of three, full‐time graphic designers to provide and assist the agency with:

i. Consultation and advice concerning all aspects of license plate design including custom colors and optimizing plate message readability.

ii. The design of electronic and printed proofs for agency review and approval.

iii. Security image design.

b. A telephone response to agency inquiries within four business hours by an experienced graphic designer.

c. A standard operating procedure describing the design process from initial agency suggestions, to samples, to the production of new designs. A document verifying the existence of and adherence to this process shall be included in the bid submission.

d. The expertise and capability to design for the agency's preferred print technology (including rotogravure, thermal transfer, ink jet, and silk screening).

e. Capability, upon request, to provide customers with recommendations for optimizing OCR read.

2. Consistency of printing and roll coat inks must be maintained throughout the contract period. The sheeting manufacturer must provide for and maintain a compatible color match to existing and/or selected designs by the state. The sheeting manufacturer shall be required to furnish sheeting based on the current license plate design/format or any approved state design. Failure to match and maintain colors in accordance with this section shall be cause for contract cancellation.

3. The sheeting manufacturer shall provide samples of existing general issue designs in use by the state on finished plates and all special interest plates issued and still active in the state. The incumbent sheeting manufacturer may use samples previously manufactured for distribution to the state's motorists. Supply of these sample plates is required with a bid submission or bid shall be disqualified.

4. Special‐plate‐category designs shall be provided in standard roll form so that they can be manufactured into finished plates by the same process and on the same machinery as used for the basic design(s) covered by this contract. The successful bidder must be able to provide these designs in quantities as limited as one 300‐ft. roll of material. Any variance in price related to volume or the number of colors used in a particular design must be noted in the sheeting manufacturer's bid.

5. The state reserves the right to redesign any or all of the plates required under these specifications during any resulting contract period.

6. All artwork for graphic license plate designs given to the sheeting manufacturer by the agency in fulfillment of this contract shall be the property of the agency. Per a written request from the agency, this

*Any reference to a name brand throughout the language of this contract can be bid as an “equal or better”. The vendor must state the alternative artwork shall be returned to the agency within two weeks of the termination or expiration of the contract.

Internal artwork developed by the sheeting manufacturer to prepare the agency's graphic design for the sheeting production e.g. color changes, formatting, remains the property of the sheeting manufacturer.

B. TECHNICAL SERVICE

License Plate Materials and Manufacturing Equipment

a. The reflective sheeting manufacturer shall, without additional cost, provide the license plate manufacturing shop with expert technical service and product information until the shop operating personnel are able to manufacture quality license plates. A list of expert technical service personnel, their qualifications, and their experience must be provided.

b. To ensure continued quality license plate manufacture, the sheeting manufacturer shall provide the state license plate manufacturing facility with on‐site technical service.

c. The…