Application Spotlight - Clear Weatherable Polyester for Outdoor Overlays with Windows

One of the most difficult overlay applications to successfully create is an outdoor overlay with a window

There are many different criteria that the overlay must meet. First, it must be weatherable. It needs to last a certain amount of years outdoors (per the specifications of the application) without the substrate yellowing while also protecting against UV light so the second surface inks do not fade. The film must be able to be clear or textured per the required look of the overlay. And lastly, the window needs to be clear enough to be able to read the digital readouts that are underneath.

Finding one substrate that can meet some of the requirements can be difficult. Finding a particular substrate that can do all of what is required is near impossible....until now. Tekra’s ProTek™ Clear Weatherable Polyester Film is the solution that fits all the different possible combination of requirements an outdoor overlay with a window would need.

ProTek™ Clear Weatherable Polyester is certified for 2000 hours of simulated weathering in a Xenon Arc Chamber. This test equates to a 3 to 5 year outdoor life. Each production roll goes through this testing, verified that it meets the requirements, before it is released to be sold. The film blocks 99% of UV light including UVA, UVB, and UVC waves protecting the underlying ink from adhesion loss and leaching.

In addition, the film is hard coated which leads to many benefits. First, the hard coat protects the film from yellowing and embrittlement. The film has less than a 0.6 change in Yellowness Index after the 2000 hours of Xenon Arc Testing. Secondly, the hard coat renders the film to be highly chemical resistant to common household chemicals and industrial chemicals. Thirdly, the hard coat gives excellent scratch and abrasion resistance.

However, the most important feature is that the clear hard coat can be selectively textured to meet the specific design needs while keeping a perfectly clear window, that is easy to read through and does not yellow. Most weatherable films on the market are of the textured variety. So if you need to have a clear window, you need to apply clearing ink to the top surface in the window area. Most clearing inks do not do a sufficient enough job clearing out the window. They also yellow quickly and are easily scratched or marred resulting in high scrap rates.

Since the ProTek™ Clear Weatherable Polyester is “reverse engineered” compared to the standard products in the market place, the film is clear to begin with. So if you need an all gloss part with a clear window, just second surface decorate and you are finished. If you need a selective texture with a clear window, you can easily selective texture the hard coat to get the desired look while maintaining the clear window that does not yellow or scratch.

ProTek™ Clear Weatherable Polyester is in stock in 7 mil and is ready to ship. Call and request your samples today of the perfect film solution to all outdoor overlays, especially with clear windows.

 

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