substraattipaletti

Substraattipaletti is a term used in Finnish materials science and design to describe a curated set of substrate materials selected for testing, demonstration, and specification in coating, printing, and adhesion work. The concept combines substraatti (substrate) with paletti (palette), emphasizing a representative selection that can be used to compare performance across surfaces.

Typical compositions include a mix of paper grades (uncoated and coated), polymer films (PET, polycarbonate, polyimide), glass and metal foils (aluminium, stainless steel), textiles and ceramics. Materials are chosen to span a range of surface energies, roughness levels, and chemical functionalities. Each item is characterized by key properties such as roughness (Ra), surface energy, chemical treatment state, thickness, and dimensional stability. Substrates are often labeled with standardized identifiers and tested under controlled environmental conditions.

Applications include evaluation of adhesion for coatings and inks, compatibility testing for adhesives, and demonstration of surface treatments like corona, plasma, or primer layers. In practice, a substraattipaletti serves as a common reference when developing formulations, communicating performance between suppliers and customers, and training technicians.

Development and usage vary by industry; there is no universal global standard, but many laboratories maintain internal palettes aligned with their processes or with supplier catalogs. The term is most common in Finnish technical literature and industry circles.