At the point of development, ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) coatings could be applied exclusively onto glass substrates, so ITO plastic coating was not an available option.
Achieving low sheet resistances while simultaneously maintaining optical clarity could only be achieved at extremely high deposition temperatures, previously a minimum temperature of 190° C/374° F.
At first, the process of coating could only be completed at temperatures in excess of 190° C, but a combination of many years’ experience, innovation, research and cutting-edge technology enabled us to develop a new vacuum deposition method involving low temperatures, enabling them to offer a comprehensive and previously unavailable range of high-quality ITO coated plastic supplies.
Glass is comparatively heavy to other materials, susceptible to impact-related damages and is generally more expensive. The offering of ITO plastic coatings provides many advantages not offered beforehand and can now produce solutions better suited to more applications.
ITO Coatings – Plastic Substrates
ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) is a transparent conducting oxide that can be applied to films, glass and plastic substrates as a coating. ITO can be used to coat plastic substrates such as acrylic, polycarbonate or polyester film. ITO coated products now have many applications across an array of industries.
Polycarbonate
Polycarbonates are a group of thermoplastic polyesters used in the manufacturing industry in a wide range of grades. They offer a range of features including impact resistance, heat resistance and optical properties and certain grades are flame retardant.
They are used so widely partly due to their ease of machining and because they are easily moulded and thermoformed.
The most common uses of polycarbonate are for electronic applications such as electrical and telecommunication hardware, where safety features are crucial.
Optical hard coated acrylic
Hard coated acrylic is a light weight yet highly scratch resistant material that can be used as a replacement for glass. It has a high tensile strength and is a harder substrate than polycarbonate.
As well as the advantages of using a substrate lighter than glass, optical hard coated acrylic is extremely clear, like glass itself. ITO Plastics acrylic sheet is hand-made and inspected to the highest optical specification.
The ITO plastic coating can be applied with anti-glare properties and additional scratch resistant properties if required.
ITO Polyester Film
ITO Polyester film has optimum mechanical properties for processing such as vacuum coating and laminating. Choosing to use ITO polyester film over other thermoplastics provides superior properties in terms of temperature range, tensile strength and density. Using polyester film can also offer greater dimensional stability and oxygen permeability.
These films are often chosen to meet specifications for applications in many industries due to their processing tolerance alongside their suitable for engineering. ITO coating polyester films renders their surfaces conductive, yet still transparent.
Visit https://www.diamondcoatings.co.uk/ to view the ITO coated plastic products we offer or contact our team to learn more or discuss your product specifications.
