Translucent plastics are used for many technical or decorative semi-finished products and finished parts. In this context, “translucency” refers to the optical property between transparent, such as glass or acrylic (PMMA), and opaque, such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) or most crystalline plastics. One also speaks of a translucent product if it is translucent to the extent that a light source or lettering behind or underneath can be seen.
Pure, unmodified polycarbonate is classed as a transparent material, but is unsuitable for many applications due to its poor inherent impact strength at low temperatures. This brittleness can be reduced by suitable additives, but always at the expense of transparency or translucency.
Experts at compounder Romira have now succeeded in impact-modifying polycarbonate with a new formulation and process development, while maintaining a high level of translucency. At the same time, the higher level of translucency allows for brilliant and deep color adjustment of compounds based on the material. Further, this can be achieved with lower dosages of costly colorants.
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| A clear difference in quality between a standard grade and the new grade is apparent in this graphic. Sample plates produced with standard material are shown on the left and right. Shown between these is a sample of the newly developed Romiloy showing clean, translucent lettering in red and black. Image courtesy Romira. |
The new stabilization package also counteracts the inherent tendency of polycarbonate to yellow by boosting UV resistance
