Visual Quality Standard for Applied Smart Film®
- Installed Smart Film® on flat glass surfaces is not expected to have the same level of visual quality as glass. The following criteria apply to the installed film only and not to any defect inherent in the glass.
- Installed film has a discrete time for full adhesion. The time to achieve full adhesion is often referred to as “the adhesive cure time”. Adhesion will be increasing from a lower value during this time. Visual and adhesive cure time is related to thickness of the film and room temperature. Typical visual cure times may be extended or shortened according to climatic conditions.
- Inspection for optical quality can be made before full visual cure is attained. Table 1 provides a guide for typical visual cure times. It should be noted that effects during cure, such as water bubbles, water distortion, and water haze are not to be regarded as defects.
- The glass with applied film shall be viewed at right angles to the glass from the room side, at a distance of not less than 6 feet (2 meters). Viewing shall be carried out in natural daylight, not in direct sunlight, and shall assess the normal vision area with the exception of a 2 inch (50mm) wide band around the perimeter of the unit.
- The installation shall be deemed acceptable if all of the following are unobtrusive (effects during visual cure should be disregarded): Dirt Particles, Hair and Fibers, Adhesive Gels, Fingerprints, Air Bubbles, Water Haze, Scores and Scratches, Film Distortion, Creases, Edge Lift, Nicks and Tears. Inspection may by made within 1 day of installation. Obtrusiveness of blemishes shall be judged by looking through the film installation under lighting conditions described in 4.
- The 2 inch (50mm) wide band around the perimeter shall be assessed by a similar procedure to that in 3 and 4, but a small number of particles is considered acceptable where poor frame condition mitigates against the high quality standards normally achieved.
- Edge gaps will normally be 1/32-1/16 inch (1-4mm) on all sides. This allows for install tolerance as the Smart Film® is not trimmed on the glass. See Shop Drawings for correct measurements
- Edge gaps will normally be 1/32-1/16 inch (1-4mm) on all sides. This allows for install tolerance as the Smart Film® is not trimmed on the glass. See Shop Drawings for correct measurements
- Splicing of films is necessary when larger panels of glass are treated, where both length and width of the glass exceed the maximum width of film. The splice line itself should not be viewed as a defect. This line should be straight and should be parallel to one edge of the frame margin. The two pieces of film may be butt jointed. The maximum gap at any point in the splice line should be
1/64 inch (1mm). Film may be overlapped, spliced or butt jointed. - For the best clarity view straight on due to the liner technology of Smart Film®. Viewing Smart Film® at right angles will show a slight haze when powered on transparent.
Table 1 – Typical Cure Times
| Film thickness in mils | Film thickness in microns(µ) | Typical Cure Time (days) |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 30mil | Up to 100 | 7 Days |