The Importance of UV Layer on Polycarbonate Sheet

While you are inquiring for Polycarbonate sheet, almost all of the suppliers are telling the sheets they provide are under protection of UV layer. Why is UV layer so important?

The UV layer has a great influence on the service life of Polycarbonate sheets, it can block the Ultraviolet rays destruction to molecular structure of Polycarbonate sheets, avoid the sheets becoming yellow and brittle.

Anything exposed to natural environment is more or less affected by the ultraviolet rays of the sun, especially chemical materials like Polycarbonate. Polycarbonate sheets, as a kind of construction material which is widely used in outside, it will be exposed to the sun for years. Generally, the sheets without UV layer coating on surface, will cause yellowing and aging due to changes in molecules. In order to keep the high transparency and good quality for longer service life, it is necessary to be coated with UV layer on Polycarbonate sheet surface.

The UV layer is based on Polycarbonate enriched with UV absorber additive, the layer is perfectly coated to the surface of Polycarbonate sheet via co-extrusion technology. In this method, the UV layer can absorb Ultraviolet rays in the sun and improve the service life of Polycarbonate sheet.

However, for naked eyes, if you know less about Polycarbonate sheet, it is difficult to identify if the sheets with UV coating or not, so there is a easy methods sharing for you.

To project UV light across the sheet’s cross section. The UV layer usually contains a low level of optical brightener and bluish dye to restrict the yellowish effect of the UV absorber. Under the right light (which can also be daylight), the UV layer can be detected by the naked eye in very light blue color because of the addition of these two agents. The thicker of light-blue area, the thicker of UV layer thickness.

Usually, Polycarbonate sheet UV layer will lose 5um thickness every year, co-extruded with 50um thickness UV layer, Polycarbonate sheet can block UV damage and achieve 10 years anti-aging effect. So without UV layer coated on Polycarbonate sheet, there is no guarantee for service life.