Lab coat
Peerless Plastics and Coatings’ Managing Director Peter Llewellyn-Stamp discusses the company’s innovative PolyGuard range of coatings for polycarbonate sheets used in medical applications.
How has demand for polycarbonate screens changed as a result of the events of the past two or three years?
During 2020 and 2021 we saw a massive demand for polycarbonate screens in many sectors, including retail, healthcare, catering and education, although demand has significantly reduced as screens now remain in place – and these are not products which need to be regularly changed. During 2020 we developed an existing anti-microbial coating (MicroGuard) to create an optically clear version ideal for long-term, easy-clean, hygienic screens. The majority of screens we produced incorporated this coating.
Do you anticipate this demand to continue to fall away somewhat if the UK government pursues its decision to lift all COVID-19 restrictions?
Following the initial rush and once all businesses had a screen solution in place, demand dropped significantly. We expect screens will remain in many settings and will gradually be replaced over time for longer-lasting, hard-coated alternatives.
What properties do Peerless’ coating technologies add to the product?
Polycarbonate is an amazing material. However, the surface is soft, meaning it scratches very easily. Additionally, polycarbonate is not very chemical resistant. Our coating technology provides superior scratch and chemical resistance, ensuring it is longer lasting, more robust and ultimately more sustainable. The PolyGuard range incorporates a variety of coatings, each providing specialist properties including Anti-Fog, Anti-Static/Anti-Fouling and Anti-Glare to meet the specific demands of different industries and applications.
In which specific medical/healthcare applications can we expect to see these products in use?
PolyGuard Anti-Fog is an ideal material for the production of medical visors and eyewear, providing excellent optical clarity along with an Anti-Fog coating that meets the requirements if EN166. PolyGuard Anti-Static is a perfect solution for cleanroom glazing or viewing windows on medical testing and decontamination chambers. PolyGuard Anti-Glare is widely used for electronic display windows in many applications, including medical and healthcare.
What would you say were the advantages of polycarbonate over glass, for example, in these applications?
Polycarbonate is over 200 times stronger than glass whilst being half the weight, making it a much more robust yet easier to handle material. Additionally, polycarbonate provides improved insulation, heat resistance and UV protection compared to glass. Combining these properties with a hard coated surface, polycarbonate becomes a great alternative that will last many years due to its chemical resistance (Anti-Graffiti), UV stability and scratch resistance.
How intricate a scientific process is it to apply these coatings to a polycarbonate screen?
All of our coatings are applied in our fully automated coating line within cleanroom conditions. The coatings are applied by a robotic spray system before being fully cured by high levels of UV energy. Over many years, we have fine-tuned the application process to provide high levels of quality, consistently, over mass production volumes. This is greatly helped by the automation we have within the coating line facility. We are, however, a company that is dedicated to continuous improvement and have invested heavily in new technologies to further improve quality and grow capacity.
Is the medical world likely to reconsider materials choices given the ongoing discussion voiced by those largely condemning the manufacture of plastic products?
The medical world, like all sectors, will be considering the sustainability of materials they use. Single-use plastic will continue to be eradicated over time, but the use of plastic in many applications will remain. Plastics are in many applications the most sustainable material option due their physical properties. As we launch PolyGuard, we are keen to raise awareness of hard coatings on plastics as a sustainable solution, PolyGuard is a made-to-last product, with specialist surface properties which, at the end of its long life, can be recycled.