Slater Plastics Ltd

Design & Consultation Services

If you require expert advice and assistance when selecting optical display filters, then Slater Plastics can provide guidance and support with our design and consultation service.  Our knowledge of optical filters allows us to advise and design the most suitable filter for your specific application.  There are many different characteristics that must be taken into account when choosing a filter, such as reflection control, UV resistance/protection, solvent and abrasion resistance and anti-static properties, and we can help select the perfect combination for your requirements. The correct choice and design of filter is paramount to the performance, longevity and aesthetics of your product.

Optical Filters & Fascia Panels

All of the optical filters and fascia panels manufactured by Slater Plastics are produced bespoke to our customers’ unique specifications, allowing us to include a range of attributes such as contrast enhancement, abrasion and solvent resistance, impact strength and reflection control.  Our products are made to the highest quality in a choice of materials including allyl carbonate (CR39™ equivalent), glass, acrylic or polycarbonate and we are also able to incorporate screen printing and RFI shielding if required.

CR39TM Filter Windows

Our CR39™ equivalent filter windows are manufactured by Slater Plastics from allyl carbonate (ADC) monomer.  It offers many characteristics that make it highly suited for filter window and fascia panel production and combines high impact strength and superior abrasion resistance with a refractive index very similar to crown glass. The surface can be dyed very simply and it outperforms acrylic resins at high temperatures, offering distortion resistance in temperatures of up to 130°C.

Acrylic Filters

Acrylic filters provide an excellent solution for contrast enhancement, particularly so for use within larger display areas, as they offer such an extensive selection of tint options.  This also makes them a perfect choice when selecting a filter based on wavelength transmission. Slater Plastics use a high grade cast acrylic for all our acrylic filters and are able to craft filters with thicknesses as low as 0.5mm.  We offer the option of a hard coating to provide extra protection against abrasion and solvent damage, and this is available as either a gloss or matt finish.

Polycarbonate Filters

For applications that require a filter to provide impact strength, we suggest a polycarbonate filter.  These are also suitable for applications where fire retardant properties are necessary.  Standard tints are limited; however we are able to produce filters in additional tints, to fulfil low volume orders.  We use a number of different techniques to achieve contrast enhancement filters, please contact us to discuss this in greater detail.  We work with different grades of polycarbonate in order to achieve various characteristics.

Glass Filters

Slater Plastics is able to meet a range of different requirements for glass filters and can apply specially fabricated laminations in order to achieve a full choice of filtering characteristics. If you require alternative finishes, such as matt etching or a multi-layer AR coating, then this can also be arranged.

Coatings for Acrylic & Polycarbonate

We are pleased to be able to offer a wide selection of different surface coatings for our acrylic and polycarbonate optical filters.  When applied, these coatings offer a range of additional properties including:

• Abrasion and solvent resistance
• Anti glare
• Anti mist
• Anti Newton ring

A multi-layer anti-reflective coating can also be applied to a small selection of our products, please contact us to discuss this in more detail if this is a coating you require.

RFI / EMC Filter Windows

Slater Plastics manufactures RFI/EMC filter windows to provide robust protective shielding against electromagnetic transmissions.  This is achieved by incorporating a shielding element of either micro-fine mesh (for allyl carbonate filters only), laminated micro-fine mesh or ITO deposition.  RFI/EMC filter windows can be fabricated in allyl carbonate (CR39™ equivalent), acrylic, polycarbonate or glass and we are able to achieve a number of different filter characteristics such as contrast enhancement, abrasion and solvent resistance, impact strength and reflection control.

CR39TM Embedded Mesh Windows

The micro-fine mesh used in the manufacture of our cast allyl carbonate (CR39™ equivalent) embedded mesh windows, provides superior screening levels against electromagnetic transmissions.  We cast the mesh in to a single sheet negating any potential de-lamination issues.  The mesh can be cast at an angle of your choice and the option of casting in non-reflective surfaces is also available.  Cast allyl carbonate embedded mesh windows have the advantage of being lightweight and can be machined to any profile you require, to include or exclude rebates depending upon your specifications.

Laminated Mesh Windows

Our laminated mesh windows are fabricated, as the name suggests, by laminating a micro-fine mesh to the particular filter medium of your choice.  We offer a range of different meshes to suit your exact requirements, offering a choice of material and fineness of mesh, and all have been blackened in order to offer higher anti-reflective properties. We are able to apply the mesh at your own specified angle and offer a range of termination methods, including, tape edge, mesh over gasket, flying mesh and silver bus-bar.

Mesh Performance

Please take a look at our website to view the screening performance capabilities of the mesh used in our RFI/EMC windows.  These performances were achieved without the use of gaskets, whereby the mesh was clamped directly onto the screen.  The window used in the testing process was 300 x 300mm and higher performance levels can be expected with a reduction of window size.  Please contact us to discuss your performance requirements and we will help select the most appropriate mesh for your particular application.

ITO Deposition Windows

Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) is a preferred choice for windows when excellent optical transmissions are required as it is less reflective and more transparent than mesh filters.  This coating, with semiconductor properties, is applied on to either plastic or glass.  It is not a suitable option for every application due to it only offering high shielding levels when the impedance of the electromagnetic waves is higher than the impedance of the coating (the latter of which normally falls within a range of 10-40 Ohms/square).  We are able to discuss this with you in detail in relation to your particular requirements, as well as explaining the optical limitations that ITO coatings present.