An innovative new hardcoated polyester film for producing stainless steel
effects for membrane keyboards, keypads and fascia panels has been developed
by MacDermid Autotype.
The new film, Autotex Steel, is easy to handle and print, combining high
levels of colour reproduction and definition with a tough outer surface that
offers 'excellent' resistance to abrasions and a wide range of chemicals and
solvents.
Autotex Steel is manufactured using a conventional flexible polyester
substrate. This is coated with an ink adhesion layer on the underside or
reverse and a specially developed hardcoat outer layer, which is chemically
bonded and UV cured. The hardcoat layer has a textured finish which, when
the film is printed on the reverse with standard metallic or silver inks,
creates the appearance of a brushed stainless steel panel.
The film-based solution offers a number of advantages over conventional
stainless steel materials, including the ability to produce high-quality
keyboard or graphics panels at a far lower cost using standard screen
processes. In addition, Autotex Steel can easily be embossed, making it
ideal for use with domed tactile membrane keypads or in applications where
keys or panel areas need to have raised edges. Embossed areas have an
excellent flex modulus, with a typical flex life for domed keys being in
excess of five million actuations.
Unlike stainless steel, Autotex Steel does not show fingerprints, and can
easily be printed with clear display windows or contain secret-until-lit
graphics, with the film offering 'excellent' colour rendition and light
transmission in clear areas. Graphics are normally reverse printed, so are
protected from wear and abrasion by the body of the film substrate and the
textured hardcoat layer. This layer has also been formulated to resist a
wide variety of common industrial solvents and cleaning fluids, including
alcohols, ketones, weak acids and hydrocarbons.
Autotex Steel can be supplied in thicknesses of either 150 or 200 microns,
with each being available for use with solvent or UV cured inks, offering
product designers and screen printers n efficient and versatile method of
developing striking and high quality graphics products with the appearance
of stainless steel, says the company.
