Polycarbonate UV Protection What Makes It Important

The life-giving rays of the sun poser danger, besides being an important element that supports life. The ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a major component of the solar radiation but, it can also be emitted by artificial sources. These may include tanning, lasers and welding machines. There are three types of UV radiation, which include:

1. 1. UV-C; it does not pose any threat to human beings or polycarbonate sheets since a greater percentage is absorbed by the ozone layer.
2. 2. UV-A and UV-B; they have both short and long-term effects on eyes and vision. There are a number of products that are affected by these two radiation. They affect other materials such as polycarbonates.

With polycarbonate becoming the primary material used to manufacture welding helmets, visors and anti-ballistic shield; there’s need to protect them from the UV radiation. Generally, polycarbonates are susceptible to the UV-A and UV-B radiation. It is for this reason that the concept of polycarbonate UV protection has become a household name in a number of manufacturing processes.

Why UV-protection?
Polycarbonates, being the primary material that is used to manufacture quite a number of industrial components. These include welding visors, shields, helmets, etc. The UV protection ensure that these structures maintain their structural integrity throughout their life span.

While using a UV protected welding helmet, these radiations do not affect the eyes of the end user. This is because the polycarbonates that have been coextruded with anti-UV coating. This blocks out these harmful radiations from the sun.

It is due to these characteristics that these materials have gained popularity across the world. The most important property of polycarbonates is the ability to protect users from the harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun.  Because of this characteristic, very many materials are being manufactured using polycarbonates with the purpose of reducing the effects caused by the UV rays on our bodies.

Although a polycarbonate manufactured equipment do not actually protect us fully from the ultraviolet rays, they at least reduce the chances of our exposure to these harmful rays. Considering the fact that we are always exposed to these rays on our daily lives, you should consider purchasing an equipment made of polycarbonates.

The polycarbonate products
Using the polycarbonate for UV protection is a vital aspect in the modern industrial applications. Some of these products include:

The polycarbonate lenses
These products aim at reducing the intensity of the UV radiation. These products are impact resistant. In fact, they are more than ten times stronger than other plastics. It is of this that they are used to manufacture visors. They have proven to provide the eyes with a hundred percent protection from the harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. Over the years, it has been discovered that a long term exposure to the UV rays lead to eye ailments and the only solution was to manufacture polycarbonate lenses to be used by the affected majority.

Don’t forget that welding process is an artificial source of UV radiation. Therefore, using these materials will protect the eyes from unnecessary injuries. It is for this reason that most safety regulatory authorities recommend the polycarbonate welding shields.

Protection equipment
The welding shields and sunglasses are some of the most common protection equipment that are manufactured from polycarbonate material. Polycarbonate eye wears have recently been worn by people working in hazardous environment, especially where they are often exposed to the harmful UV rays. Also, it is being used in the making of canopies covering cockpits in fighter planes. This polycarbonate canopies provides maximum protection from exposure to the suns UV rays while at the same time giving a clear view because of its transparent nature.

UV absorbers
Polycarbonates for UV protection are also used in protection of products made from biphenyl. These products are susceptible to ultraviolet radiation. The situation becomes worse when they are exposed to outdoor weather conditions. They degrade within a short period of time. To avoid this undesirable degradation due to exposure to UV rays, these products are protected by the UV absorbers such as polycarbonates. As a result, these ultra violet prone products are transformed and later made to withstand outdoor weather conditions such as ultraviolet exposure. Polycarbonate materials are known for their property of absorbing UV rays among other inherent properties that make them essential for most applications.

Despite all these advantages, the polycarbonate products have one key disadvantage. They are more expensive than most products that are used to make safety shields such as plastics and glass. It is for this reason that some people opt for other products such as the ABS plastics. Unfortunately, they are not resistant to UV radiation. This is potential risk. It is upon the end user to decide where he/she would wish to compromise safety by going for a cheap product.

Of course, other products such as ABS are lower cheap and can also offer good solutions to buyers. However, this is mainly in those scenarios where durability and toughness is not of essence. But, even as you go for this, it is worth noting that you shall have compromised your health.

In conclusion, it has been proven scientifically that polycarbonate are some of the few materials that can be integrated in our daily applications. This is due to the fact that their resistance to UV radiation can be improved on to an extent that it can block the UV radiations. It is for this reason that the UV resistant polycarbonate sheets are used as glazing materials and as safety gadgets.

Still, the polycarbonate for UV protection of choice must meet the desired quality criteria. That, they must be certified by the quality regulating authorities. Quality regulation is a common practice all over the world. It aims at establishing the quality of the UV coating material. To get a quality material, you need to identify a genuine and reliable supplier. It is for this reason that some people opt for specific brands of polycarbonate products.