PC film suits secure ID cards
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Sabic Innovative Plastics product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Jun 13, 2008
Sabic Innovative Plastics' new Lexan film solution is used for electronic security documents such as drivers' licenses, e-passport data pages, healthcare cards and vehicle registration tags.
Sabic Innovative Plastics has developed three new high-performance polycarbonate (PC) film grades for manufacturing electronic ID cards and security documents.
These new products are part of the Lexan SD film family and include a laser-markable grade; a bright white, opaque material; and a clear grade for the cover or intermediate layers of the ID card.
"The electronic security industry has been long seeking a polycarbonate plastic film that offers optimal performance, aesthetic and processing benefits", said Josh Ayer, Global Product Manager, Film, Sabic Innovative Plastics.
"There's been a largely unmet market need for such a material until now".
"Today, Sabic Innovative Plastics' new Lexan SD films can give electronic security card manufacturers all of these benefits and enable them to achieve tight gauge tolerances to simplify the manufacturing of cards within mandated thickness parameters and also produce exceptionally durable products without the need for adhesives".
Sabic Innovative Plastics' new Lexan film solution is used for electronic security documents such as drivers' licenses, e-passport data pages, border crossing cards, residency permits, green cards, smart card inlays, tachometer cards, healthcare cards, vehicle registration tags and identity cards for government employees, military, police and others.
The Lexan films use heat and pressure to join all layers into a card that cannot be pulled apart.
Hybrid cards require adhesives, increasing the likelihood that the card will be disassembled.
A second major advantage is that Sabic Innovative Plastics' films deliver very narrow gauge tolerances of +/- 2.5%.
This property enables convertors to consistently assemble multilayer cards within the mandated thickness range.
It avoids the need to double-stock certain gauges to compensate for poor lot-to-lot consistency.
"When we developed this multifilm solution, one goal was to make card manufacturing easier for our customers", said Bart Kiekens, European Product Manager, Film, Sabic Innovative Plastics.
"Convertors can now achieve the exact thickness they need by leveraging the tight tolerances of our films - no need for several trials or expensive adjustments to their process".
"A second goal was to create the best laser-markable film available".
"We achieved this through our extensive application development resources at the Polymer Process Development Centre in Pittsfield, Massachussetts, which features a Rofin-Baasel Powerline laser system".
Lexan SD8B14 film is designed for clear overlays or intermediate layers.
This material offers high optical quality and easy processing, including die cutting, printing and applying CLI/MLI lens structures.
Gauges range from 50 to 400um.
Lexan SD8B24 film for core layers is a bright white film that offers high opacity even at thinner gauges, to prevent graphics on the front from showing through to the back and vice versa.
Gauges range from 75 to 620um.
Lexan SD8B94 film is designed for the clear, laser-markable layer.
The film can be used as the top or middle layer and provides gray-scale graphics for high-security personalisation.
It is available in gauges of 50, 100 and 150um.
All three materials have a fine velvet finish on one side and a fine matte texture on the other.
All feature low and controlled shrinkage for optimal flatness before and after lamination and are produced in a clean room environment.
In addition to laser marking, these films are well-suited to various types of printing and security features.
They can be screen printed or offset printed as well as hot stamped (hologram or kinegram).
Other technologies include microprinting, infrared- or UV-sensitive printing, guilloche printing and the incorporation of RFID.
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