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Can You Tint Polycarbonate? (Read This First!)

If you know polyester, you must know the polycarbonate. They are the same since the polyester is used to create the polycarbonate or vice versa. We use the polycarbonate regularly to divide the room and make it suitable for different uses.

Another great use of polycarbonate is safety glasses. The polycarbonate is often applied to the drinks to make them bullet-resistance. It will ensure the best quality surface that can resist pretty much everything.

Can you tint polycarbonate?

Shortly, you cannot tint polycarbonate. You must go through a rigid process that might fail due to the polycarbonate process. To add something to this material, you will fail. However, you must go through a long process to tint the polycarbonate partially.

You might have different polycarbonate surfaces where you might want to apply or add your favorite color. It will be an excellent choice to do so; unfortunately, you won’t have the chance to tint it like other surfaces. You must know how to conduct tint and what to tint.

Only then may you get the desired tint color from the polycarbonate. Since you have different polycarbonate surfaces, you will get to know that they are not suitable for tinting.

Polycarbonate lenses:

You cannot usually tint the polycarbonate lenses; you only can do it by following some rigorous process.

You should first tint the scratch coating. The entire tinting process will depend on the scratch coating; if you can ensure the best scratch coating, it will be great tinting indeed. Remember, more scratch coating means a rigorous tinting process.

Polycarbonate windows:

You cannot tint the polycarbonate windows like the other surfaces or by using the regular color.

You must use the specific polycarbonate windows material that will help you to tint the polycarbonate accordingly. Moreover, the windows should be prepared with that material, and then you can expect to tint the polycarbonate windows.

Polycarbonate windshield:

The same answer goes for the windshield. You cannot tint the polycarbonate windshield as you did with the other surfaces; it must develop the desired polycarbonate material that will help you tint accordingly.

You have to prepare the surface; it will only be ready to tint.

Polycarbonate sheet:

You must scratch the coat properly before you start tinting the polycarbonate sheet. It will give you the best process of tinting the polycarbonate sheet by following the proper steps.

Other than tinting the sheet directly, you must prepare it properly; only then can you tint the polycarbonate sheet.

Polycarbonate panels:

The polycarbonate panels also come from the polycarbonate material that lasts for 10 years. Moreover, the polycarbonate panels are not suitable for tinting.

You must be careful about the panels, and if you genuinely want to tint the polycarbonate panels, you need to use a material made for the polycarbonate.

Can you put window tint on polycarbonate?

You cannot put the window tint on polycarbonate. Since it is not suitable for the plastic surface, you cannot tint it using anything else; instead, the window tint can only be mixed or tinted with the polycarbonate if you have a high-quality plastic tint.

You will find different window tints to mix with the polycarbonate. If you use the regular window tint, you won’t be able to tint properly. You must use the tint that will be better only for the plastic tint. That means the window tint must be compiled with the polycarbonate.

So, the window tint on polycarbonate only works if you have the high-quality window tint that works on pretty much everything and sticks to the plastic for a long time. Moreover, the tint should have enough adhesive ingredients to stick to the plastic.

4 reasons why you cannot tint polycarbonate

You cannot tint polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is one of the strongest competitors being the most tinting-resistant material. If you wonder why you cannot tint polycarbonate, here are 3 of the reasons:

Better Scratch Coating:

Polycarbonate is highly resistant to tinting. If the scratch coating is significantly good, there is not much hope that you will be able to tint polycarbonate.

Also, there’s little doubt that you will be able to tint the coating on the back surface. So, the better and better scratch coating indicates that you cannot tint polycarbonate.

Carbon Binding Resistant:

You cannot tint polycarbonate because the adhesion and stability of most tints are provided by a carbon molecule that forms a bond with a carbon molecule in plastic.

polycarbonate may interest you because it is impact resistant and shatterproof.  Polycarbonate has a high heat resistance and much stability.

UV Prevention:

The fact that polycarbonate absorbs ultraviolet light is something you should consider when discussing UV protection.

This might result in the material becoming yellowed or discolored over time, and eventually, the material would lose its qualities. While tinting, this can be a threat for sticking, ultimately hampering the tinting ability of polycarbonate.

Strong, Hard, and Transparent:

Thermoplastic polymer is strong, hard, and transparent.

The excellent impact resistance of polycarbonate is the material’s most essential characteristic. This strength is also a reason why you cannot tint polycarbonate.

How effective is sun reflective film on polycarbonate roofing?

The sun reflective film on polycarbonate roofing is super effective. It will help the polycarbonate surface to become the best-suited one. It will protect the surface from the UV ray and protect you 99% pretty much.

The sun reflective film works best against the sun rays and protects the window and your living room from getting excess sunlight. Moreover, the sun reflective film will help you greatly in summer when you are tired of the direct sun and need to protect the living room.

If you want to use the sun reflective film on the polycarbonate, you must be careful about the surface. You have to be cautious about the compatibility and the adhesiveness. Once the film sticks to the surface, it will become a tremendous protective layer on the polycarbonate.

Therefore, you can use the sun-protective film on the polycarbonate roofing without any issues. You need to prepare the surface and use the film according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Does tint stick to plastic?

The window tint won’t stick to plastic; only the plastic tint will stick to the surface. If you have any particular surface where you need to tint the material, you must know that the surface is compatible with the tint.

Since plastic is a rough surface, most of the tint won’t stick to the plastic. You must be careful about the tint and the quality of the tint. You don’t need to use the improper tint where the process would be challenging to apply on the plastic surface.

The regular tint will stick to most surfaces and become a great fit. If you have a plastic surface, you should know that it’s not the perfect place to use all the tints and expect them to last long.

How to tint polycarbonate?

Although tinting polycarbonate is theoretically almost impossible, you can still do it if you follow the instructions below:

Scratch Coating:

Historically, the greatest scratch coats have shown to be resistant to tinting, and so the most effective method of tinting polycarbonate is through the scratch coating itself.

Uniform Tint:

You always need to be sure that the lens pairs that are being colored are from the same manufacturer and batch to ensure uniform tinting.

Check Temperature:

You should ensure your lens tinting tool is in good working order. Also, check to see that the temperature reaches and holds a constant level. Besides, check the heat transfer fluid. If it appears to be outdated, you should replace it.

Combine Tint and Distilled Water:

In a mixing bowl, you may also combine the tints and distilled water. This will prevent the risk of any mineral pollution in your local water source if such contamination is there.

Mix and Stir:

Another job you need to do is mix and stir the colors thoroughly. You should adjust the color of your tinted lenses if you see any regions of unevenness (blotches) in them.

Reduce Exposure:

Finally, the coatings on polycarbonate lenses will collect moisture from the surrounding air if they are exposed to it.

Thus it will face many challenges in absorbing colors in some cases. That’s why it is necessary to reduce the time the lenses are exposed to high humidity levels before tinting.

Final Thoughts

Although you cannot tint polycarbonate, you need to go through a rigorous process to do it. But the success rate is rare, and you must follow the tips. Besides, the tint must be compatible with the plastic surface and should work best on rough surfaces. Therefore, you can expect to tint.