Claritex

Claritex: Your Clear Choice for High-Performance Polycarbonate Film

Looking for a high-performance transparent, white, or colored substrate?

For many screen and digital printers, Claritex® polycarbonate films are clearly the substrate of choice.

Superb optical clarity, dimensional stability, toughness, flexibility, and heat resistance to 270ºF [132ºC] make Claritex films ideal for such applications as:

Airport signage
Appliances
Automobile dashboards
Back-lit displays
Cell phones
Display panels
Graphic overlays
Instrument panels
Insulators
Labels
LED displays
Medical diagnostics
Membrane switches
Menu boards
Mouse pads
Nameplates
Floor Graphics
Packaging
Push-button pads
Signs
Trade show graphics

Standard Claritex polycarbonate films are available in thicknesses from 2.5 to 20 mils [62.5 to 500 microns] in widths up to 60 inches [1524 mm]. Standard finishes include polish/polish, matte/polish, velvet/polish,velvet/ matte, and velvet/fine matte. Standard colors are clear, bright white, and off-white. White films are available in opaque or semi-translucent.

These fine polycarbonate films give you excellent ink adhesion without treatment. You can imprint Claritex films using screen print and digital UV, hot stamping, flexographic, litho, and rotogravure.

Flexible enough to fit your application

Printing – Polycarbonate is excellent for second surface printing. Most inks adhere well to Claritex film without pretreatment or print coat.

Bonding – Many different adhesive systems can be used with Claritex film, which can also be bonded through heat sealing.

Die cutting – Polycarbonate can be die cut with steel rule, matched-metal, and rotary dies.

Durability – Although not recommended for outdoor applications, graphics made with Claritex film can last from months to years.

Low stress – Our custom-built extruders put the material under less stress — preventing stress cracking, improving ink adhesion, and providing superior thermoforming characteristics.

Shelf life – Under proper storage conditions, Claritex film has a shelf life of one year. Polycarbonate film should not be exposed on a continuous basis to temperatures exceeding 185ºF [85ºC].

Fire-resistant – Claritex standard polycarbonate films meet the stringent UL 94 V-2 specification for low flammability.

Claritex film performance specifications

How to order Claritex polycarbonate film
Claritex films meet or exceed the competition’s performance specifications, and you can use the chart below to order the correct Claritex product for your application.

Cross reference chart | Standard grade products

14 reasons to choose R Tape films

1. Low minimum orders.
Many film suppliers have 10-roll minimum orders. Not R Tape. We
gladly take orders as small as two master rolls – just 1,300 pounds
[589.7 kg].

2. Faster turnaround.
Quick turnaround means we can often deliver your film in half the
time that other suppliers can – as little as 2-3 weeks.

3. Non-standard gauges.
Many film suppliers have standard gauges but only down to 5 mil [125
microns]. Claritex can be manufactured in thicknesses as low as 2.5
mil [62.5 microns], resulting in cost savings of 15 to 20%. Claritex
films can also be manufactured in many custom thicknesses, such as
0.009 and 0.012-inch [0.229 and 0.0305 mm], that other sources do
not offer.

4. In-house custom color matching.
Our in-house color lab, fully equipped with colorimeter and spectrophotometer,
enables us to match any custom color your customer
demands.** Color formulations are stored in a database for reorders.
**Note: minimum order on custom colors is 3 master rolls (1,950
pounds [884.5 kg].

5. Wider rolls.
Rolls as wide as 60 inches [1524 mm] in all finishes and thicknesses.

6. Tighter tolerances.
We can fabricate film rolls to gauge tolerances tighter than the
typical +/- 10% of other manufacturers.

7. Deep embossing.
Don’t settle for micro-embossing at superficial depths. Our proprietary
hot process embosses deep into the film, enabling creation of
distinctive custom patterns and anti-skid surfaces.

8. Custom textures.
Films can be finished in many combinations of textures: polish,
matte, velvet, coarse brushed, and fine brushed. Custom textures
are available and require new tooling.

9. Overlaminating.
Protective overlaminates eliminate the reflection of overhead lights
to permit glare-free viewing. They also shield graphics from UV light,
preventing photos and digital prints from fading and discoloring.

10. Sheeting.
Films can be cut into 2x4 or 4x4 feet sheets and packaged in
minimum lots of 100 sheets.

11. Roll conversion and slitting.
Other suppliers ship rolls only in a limited number of standard
lengths. R Tape converts rolls to custom lengths with custom slitting
down to 4-inch [101.6 mm] widths.

12. Hard coat.
A scratch-resistant hard coat, applied with an in-house UV system,
protects Claritex polycarbonate from abrasion and harsh chemicals
used in cleaning. The hard coat also enhances durability and prevents
cracking. Available with 12, 40, 60, and 92º gloss levels.

13. Printable top coat.
Polycarbonates are difficult to print with solvent or eco-solvent ink jet
systems. We can apply a proprietary top coat on the film to which
these inks adhere readily.

14. Thermoforming.
High melt strength and low stress allow Claritex polycarbonate film to
be consistently pressure or vacuum thermoformed.