Glossary of custom inflatable structures

Inflation: what do constant air, sealed air and helium mean?

An inflatable keeps its shape with air blown in continuously, with air sealed inside or with helium, a gas lighter than air; the constant-air vs sealed vs helium guide compares these methods.

Constant air: an electric blower pushes air in non-stop to replace the air lost through the seams, and the inflatable deflates as soon as it stops. For the WAY agency moons, Digital Inflatables quotes a blower of just 120 watts (inflation methods guide).

Sealed air: the inflatable is filled once, closed with a valve, and stands without a power socket or blower noise. The Haut-Bugey Agglomération totems inflate this way with a small 12 V pump, without a 220 V socket (inflation methods guide).

Helium: a gas lighter than air that makes the inflatable float; one litre of helium lifts 1.02 g, envelope included (inflatable projection sphere guide).

Pressure: the push of blown or sealed air that tensions the fabric and gives the inflatable its shape; too low and the shape sags, too high and the seams and welds are strained (inflation methods guide).

Captive balloon: a helium balloon held to the ground by tethers; in Switzerland, the OACS forbids flying one of up to 40 m³ within 3 km of an aerodrome’s runways, unless an exception is granted (guide to permits in Switzerland).

Fabrics: what do PVC, coated polyester, denier, ripstop and TPU mean?

The fabric depends on the inflation method, indoor or outdoor use and the fire rating required; the inflatable fabrics and printing guide compares the options.

PVC: a fully waterproof plastic, used as a film or as a coating on a polyester base, which may contain fire-retardant and anti-UV additives; nylon, by contrast, is only water-resistant (fabrics guide).

Coated polyester: a polyester fabric with a layer of PU or PVC that makes it water- and airtight; at Michelin Inflatable, a PU-coated polyester certified M1 weighs 150 g/m² (fabrics guide).

Denier (D): the mass in grams of 9000 metres of yarn; a 300D polyester is light, a 600D heavy, but denier says nothing about airtightness or fire rating (fabrics guide).

Ripstop: a weave with crossed threads in a grid; if the fabric tears, the small squares contain the tear and stop it spreading (fabrics guide).

TPU, or thermoplastic polyurethane: a flexible material that resists abrasion and wear, with some grades as clear as glass (fabrics guide).

Drop stitch: a dual-wall fabric whose two woven layers are joined by drop yarns that keep it flat when inflated. Digital Inflatables has tested a mass-production drop-stitch fabric on an inflatable cube (fabrics guide).

Printing: what do dye sublimation, UV printing and Pantone mean?

Printing gives the inflatable its colours, lettering and logos, usually on the flat pieces before assembly; the inflatable fabrics and printing guide explains each process.

Dye sublimation: ink is printed on transfer paper, then heat-pressed onto a polyester fabric with no pre-treatment, and the print does not crack. The ZSC lion tunnel and the GSHC eagle tunnel were printed this way (fabrics and printing guide).

UV printing: an ink cured by UV light, dry as it leaves the printer and printable on PVC; the LE CHAT replica received a high-definition UV print (fabrics and printing guide).

Pantone: a colour reference system that reproduces a brand colour when the reference is supplied during design; a CMYK file also works, but the printed colour may differ from the screen (briefing guide).

Vector file: an SVG, AI, EPS or PDF file that keeps sharp outlines at any size; a JPEG or PNG image needs at least 150 dpi at full scale (briefing guide).

Velcro panel: a removable banner fixed with Velcro, which lets you change the visual from one event to the next, while a full print covers the whole surface (fabrics and printing guide).

Production: what do 3D model, proof, pattern and laser cutting mean?

These terms describe the path from idea to object: 3D model, sign-off, flat pieces, cutting and assembly, explained step by step in the guide to how custom inflatables are made.

3D model: the digital model of the object, showing shape, proportions and colours before production; for the ZSC lion tunnel, Digital Inflatables presented 3 proposals in 3D after 2 weeks (production guide).

Proof: the version the client approves before production; for the LE CHAT replica, design and the 3D proof took 3 days (production guide).

Pattern or digital template: a fabric piece unfolded flat from the 3D model; for the Spellbound monsters, the workshop created digital production templates (production guide).

Laser cutting: a laser beam cuts each piece and seals the edge of polyester fabrics, which then do not fray; the giant cat for a DJ club in Miami was cut on a plotter instead, a machine that follows the pattern (production guide).

High-frequency welding: a high-frequency field melts the plastic from the inside, between electrodes, to join materials such as PVC or PU; seams are enough for shapes kept inflated by a blower (production guide).

Safety and standards: what do M1, B1, AEAI RF1, EN 13501-1 and NFPA 701 mean?

Indoors, the fabric often has to prove its reaction to fire with a classification report, and each country has its own classes; other standards cover play equipment, tents or wind. The inflatable fire rating guide compares the classes.

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M1: in France, a non-flammable but combustible material under the NF P92-507 standard, which runs from M0 to M4 (fire rating guide).

Classification report: the document from an approved laboratory that proves a fabric’s fire class; in France it is valid for five years for the tested product, and a test report does not replace it (fire rating guide).

B1: in Germany, the class of flame-retardant materials under DIN 4102, required for decorations in places of assembly (fire rating guide).

AEAI RF1: in Switzerland, the AEAI/VKF fire protection directive 13-15 ranks materials from RF1, no contribution to fire, to RF4, unacceptable contribution (fire rating guide).

Standard EN 13501-1: the reaction-to-fire classification, with classes from A1 to F, smoke from s1 to s3 and flaming droplets from d0 to d2 (fire rating guide).

NFPA 701: the NFPA standard for fire tests on textiles and films, with one method for materials up to 700 g/m² (21 oz/yd²) and another above that weight (fire rating guide).

Standard EN 14960: the standard for inflatable play equipment for children fourteen years and under, used for bouncing and sliding; it covers play, not advertising or art inflatables (fire rating guide).

Beaufort scale: the scale of wind force; force 5, a fresh breeze, runs from 29 to 38 km/h, or 19 to 24 mph (inflatables and wind guide).

Object types: what do replica, mascot, tunnel, arch and dome mean?

Custom inflatables are grouped by shape and use; each type has its own page with Digital Inflatables projects.

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Product replica: a giant copy of a product or packaging, like the 1.3 m LE CHAT bottle placed in 100 supermarkets for Henkel (giant inflatable product replicas).

Mascot or character: a giant figure, animal or brand character, like the 7.5 m mascot of Busan’s bid, set on a boat on the Seine (giant inflatable mascots and characters).

Player tunnel: a tunnel inflated by an external blower, usually 3 to 9 m (10 to 30 ft) long, through which players enter the pitch or the ice (custom inflatable sport tunnels).

Arch: a gateway that marks a start, a finish or an entrance; the canton of Graubünden lends one 8 m wide and 6 m high that needs a 230 V connection (custom inflatable arches).

Dome or tent: a shelter whose structure is held up by air; the EN 13782 standard covers mobile tents with more than 50 m² of ground area, and the 20 m dome of the Fondation PlanetSolar has a dual pressure system (inflatable event domes and tents).

Sphere or balloon: a round shape, standing, hanging or filled with helium, that can be lit from inside, like the backlit Astra Festival moon (giant inflatable spheres).