New film
versions of polycarbonate resin are extending applications for the engineering
resin in automotive, appliance and IT markets.
Bayer
MaterialScience has developed Makrofol
® TP 278, which can be shaped three-dimensionally
even though it has a scratchproof coating.
"This is our
response to the recent more stringent specifications concerning the scratch
resistance of printed and decorated 3-D film components
used, for example, in car interiors, household appliances and IT
equipment," says Dirk W. Pophusen, head of business development in the
Functional Films section at
Bayer
MaterialScience.
Scratch-resistant
coating of decorated 3-D film components takes place after production, often
with a special line, and usually accounts for a major proportion of the
component's costs.
The new
technology allows design engineers to start with plastic films that have
already been given a scratchproof coating and to back-print, form, trim and, if
necessary, back-inject them with a thermoplastic by the film insert molding
process.
Bayer says
that until now, there were virtually no scratch-resistant coatings available
that could withstand the forming stage without suffering damage. "We have
now solved this problem with our DualCure scratchproof coatings. These are
pre-cured coatings, which can be formed together with the film and are then
finally cured using conventional UV lamps," says Pophusen.
The film
achieves a "1H" rating in the pencil hardness test, ISO 15184, 500 g.
Another of the film's strengths is its high resistance to everyday chemicals
such as grease, fat and cleaning agents. Potential applications include
housings for consumer electronics, high-gloss cell phone housings and keypads,
control elements of washing machines and dishwashers, and decorative 3-D
facings for car interiors such as the trim around the center console.
In another
Bayer development, Makrofol Laserprint can be printed quickly and flexibly in
photographic quality on standard commercial color laser printers that use dry
toner. Because the design is produced digitally and transferred directly onto
the film, it can be modified, enabling customized printing right down to one-off
designs.
"We
therefore see considerable scope for our new product in the manufacture of
labels and tickets, such as admission tickets that are normally one-offs with
individual barcodes or consecutive numbering," says Georgios Tziovaras, a film
expert in Bayer MaterialScience's Functional Films section.
The
innovation also has applications in the IT, consumer goods,
electrical/electronics and automotive industries. For example, the film enables
customized printing of casings and housings for phones (including cell phones),
iPads and game consoles, and of components for vehicle interiors, such as
gearshift knobs, facings and central console panels.
"Film
processors benefit from all the advantages of digital printing," says
Tziovaras. Unlike in screen printing, for example, no setup time is required.
Nor are any printing screens or films needed. The investment for appropriate
color laser printers is normally much lower than for analog printing systems.
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