Message #132235

[Retropin]

So its just an anti reflective laminate??

There's some kind of chemically hard baked outer coating on top of the laminate that is used to get it up to that 98% mark (in conjunction with the laminate). This is the part they have trademarked/patented so the sales rep was hesitant to go into details (or he simply didn't know).

From the website which is vague as well as to the coating itself:

"Pilkington OptiView™ is a laminated glass with low reflective coatings on surfaces #1 and #4 (both outer surfaces of the laminated glass), which reduces interior and exterior visible light reflectance to less than 2%. As a consequence, views from both inside and out are clear, un-obscured and virtually reflection-free."



Yes.. but when i read something that is vague i immediately assume that something simple is going on that is being charged top dollar for.

Let me explain a bit and indulge myelf..

If i had a sheet of glass and used a vinyl to make it non reflective i would want to talk it up a bit to sell as a product.
Non reflective  laminate vinyl has been around for a long time... it is used in safety signs as mandatory standard for both external and internal signs.
I can apply this laminate dry or wet... ALL laminates and vinyl are porous.. its a fact. The micron thick amount of water left behind a laminate/ vinyl can be removed by placing in the sun for a short amount of time.. it sucks out of the front.
Sometimes, when we apply dry we will then run a hair dryer over the face to " super" laminate.. it welds the vinyl to its base structure... it could be said that its a chemical lamination .. the structure of the laminate is altered to a more fluid form.. then it shrink wraps itself... its how cars are done with full prints.

The laminate i will be looking at is scratch resistant.. well thats what we want...
its also anti reflective.. again.. its what we want.
It can be heat shrinked on... chemically forming a more stable adhesion... starting to sound familiar.
YOU have some of this glass and can see bluey/ greenish tint.. this could be down to the tempered glass.. could also be the very slight discolouration that a laminate film gives.. cant see it face on, but look at the edge and you are loooking through 600mm wide of material.. completely different sight. Even glass does this.. look through at the short point ( face on) and its clear... hold it up to the edge and i can tell you whether its lead.. lead free or soda glass just by the colour it gives.

Now if i told you that i can buy a roll of quality laminate ( 90 metres as its all from USA) wholesale for a lot less than you are paying to have a sheet of glass coated and give the same effect, would you be interested?? You could apply yourself to your EXISTING PF glass.. get the same effect at a fraction of the cost.. remember, its scratch resistant and in a home environmemt.. i cant see cigarettes and beer cans on the glass.
.. OR.... you could get a whole new sheet of tempered glass... apply the laminate and save yourself a possible $100 on the price you paid.... $300 dollars on our mate Mr Pinballs price.


IF after a couple of years, it has started to not be so scratch resistant.. you simply replace at a cost 1/10th that of our mate Mr Pinballs as you only need to replace the laminate.

Sell a new glass with laminate and its a whole new product that you can up sell
Sell components and its a different ball game... OK.. we may not have a patented process.. but the effect would be the same and at a fraction of the cost.

Bet my arse i can give the same effect at a fraction of the cost.. and the plus side is that you can do it yourself several times over before you come near the prices demanded