Madico, a US manufacturer of laminating and coating solutions, has expanded the use of its window films for the automotive industry into the medical field, technology based cleanrooms and for photography purposes.
Madico’s Amber 81 film was originally used in cars to reduce glare on windscreens and in office buildings to reduce heat, but is now commonly used in these new areas. It is an amber-coloured window film that blocks UV light into the low visible light region. UV light starts to transition to visible light around 380nm and a standard clear or lightly tinted window film will block more than 99% of energy up until that 375nm. Another Madico product, clear UV Gard film, blocks up to 380nm, but some medical and cleanroom applications require additional blocking from 380nm to 400nm, where UV and visible light are both present.
The Amber 81 film blocks out UV light throughout the 400nm range
Madico says Amber 81 provides excellent blocking throughout the 400nm range, with transmission below 10% up to around 500nm. In situations where this type of extreme UV light blocking is required, the film is applied to all sources of light within the room such as windows, fluorescent lighting and even lasers.
The amber colour of the film gives it this extra blocking capability.
Madico says UV Gard is better suited to applications where only valuable furnishings need to be protected and a coloured window film is not desired.
The graph below shows the transmission of Amber 81, UV Gard, and a standard clear film through the UV and visible light regions.
Amber 81 is suitable for interior use and is covered by Madico’s standard 7-year warranty against film defects.
