New PC Films Extend Electronics, Auto ApplicationsNew PC Films Extend Electronics, Auto Applications
August 12, 2010

New filmversions of polycarbonate resin are extending applications for the engineeringresin in automotive, appliance and IT markets.
BayerMaterialScience has developed Makrofol® TP 278, which can be shaped three-dimensionallyeven though it has a scratchproof coating.
"This is ourresponse to the recent more stringent specifications concerning the scratchresistance of printed and decorated 3-D film componentsused, for example, in car interiors, household appliances and ITequipment," says Dirk W. Pophusen, head of business development in theFunctional Films section at BayerMaterialScience.
Scratch-resistantcoating of decorated 3-D film components takes place after production, oftenwith a special line, and usually accounts for a major proportion of thecomponent's costs.
The newtechnology allows design engineers to start with plastic films that havealready been given a scratchproof coating and to back-print, form, trim and, ifnecessary, back-inject them with a thermoplastic by the film insert moldingprocess.
Bayer saysthat until now, there were virtually no scratch-resistant coatings availablethat could withstand the forming stage without suffering damage. "We havenow solved this problem with our DualCure scratchproof coatings. These arepre-cured coatings, which can be formed together with the film and are thenfinally cured using conventional UV lamps," says Pophusen.
The filmachieves a "1H" rating in the pencil hardness test, ISO 15184, 500 g.Another of the film's strengths is its high resistance to everyday chemicalssuch as grease, fat and cleaning agents. Potential applications includehousings for consumer electronics, high-gloss cell phone housings and keypads,control elements of washing machines and dishwashers, and decorative 3-Dfacings for car interiors such as the trim around the center console.
In anotherBayer development, Makrofol Laserprint can be printed quickly and flexibly inphotographic quality on standard commercial color laser printers that use drytoner. Because the design is produced digitally and transferred directly ontothe film, it can be modified, enabling customized printing right down to one-offdesigns.
"Wetherefore see considerable scope for our new product in the manufacture oflabels and tickets, such as admission tickets that are normally one-offs withindividual barcodes or consecutive numbering," says Georgios Tziovaras, a filmexpert in Bayer MaterialScience's Functional Films section.
Theinnovation also has applications in the IT, consumer goods,electrical/electronics and automotive industries. For example, the film enablescustomized printing of casings and housings for phones (including cell phones),iPads and game consoles, and of components for vehicle interiors, such asgearshift knobs, facings and central console panels.
"Filmprocessors benefit from all the advantages of digital printing," saysTziovaras. Unlike in screen printing, for example, no setup time is required.Nor are any printing screens or films needed. The investment for appropriatecolor laser printers is normally much lower than for analog printing systems.
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