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by ‐ Bhupendra Singh

Raw Materials used for Smart Card Manufacturing

There arePETG, PCperforma

Common

• P

• P

• A

• P

• P

• T

• H

• B

• P

Paper:

During inconstructand throkept as lo

e various matC, PLA and once requirem

nly used Car

aper

VC

ABS

ETG

C

eslin®

Holographic F

iopolymers:

VC ABS Blen

nitial days otion, but tow kind of apow as possib

INGREDIE

terial options others. The

ments, machin

d Materials

Foil

PLA and

nds

of card induday plastics

pplications oble.

ENTS FOR

available formaterial sel

ne requireme

Figure

ustries; pap have almos

or very low‐e

A CARD M

r card construlection for cnts and cost

1 A Smart C

per was usest made the

end applicati

MANUFACT

uction e.g. Pacard dependconsideration

ard

d as one oem obsoleteions where c

TURER

aper, Plastics s on variousns.

of the prefee. Papers cancost of the c

such as PVC,s factors suc

rred materin be seen in

cards needs

2

, ABS, ch as

ial of n use to be

PVC:

PVC (Polthermal monome

PVC cardreasons. applicatioPVC card

PVC cardsurface aimprove PVC carddecreasestorage cPVC card

PVC contPVC. Theadvantagaround 7to be add

yvinyl Chlorand chemi

er.

d film is thePVC films f

ons have ded film ranges

d films havea very good further prin

d film to incres over a pecondition. It

d films are pr

tains 57 % be PVC rigid sge over othe75 deg C. In ded which in

ride) is an aical propert

Diagram 1

e most comor cards are

ensity range s from 65 to

e inherent receptor fo

ntability on trease the suriod of time is advisablerinted to che

by mass Chloheets gener

er material oorder to inc

n turn increa

amorphous ties. PVC is

VCM

Polymerizat

mon and pre manufactu

from 1.3 to100 deg C.

surface eneor the printinthe surface. rface energy

e and the rae to check teck the surfa

orine (a halorally pass ULof constructicrease the Vase the cost

thermoplass produced

tion of Vinyl

referred maured by caleo 1.4 gm/cm

ergy of morng inks. PostCorona Discy of the filmte of degradhe surface eace energy o

ogen) whichL‐94; V‐0 ration. PVC homVICAT softenof the film.

stic polymer by polym

PVC

Chloride mo

aterial for candaring pro

m3. The VICA

re than 36 t treatmentscharge Treat

m. The surfacdation depeenergy by usof the film.

h imparts firing / or ASTmopolymer ning point ce

r with excelerization of

onomer

ard construcocess. PVC fiAT softening

dynes/cm, s may also btment (CDT) ce energy ofnds on the sing Dyne te

e extinguishTM D‐635 nohas VICAT soertain additi

lent mechaf Vinyl Chl

ction for valms used intemperatur

which makebe carried ois carried o

f the treatedmaterial andesters befor

h property toorms, which oftening poiives are req

3

nical, oride

arious card

re for

es its out to ut on d film d the e the

o the is an

int of uired

PETG:

PETG is gbackbonebrittlenemoleculereplaces,would. Tloweringvery goosandwichhence wstandard

PETG exhwith respgood prihence is material standardHigh temexhibits l

ABS:

ABS (Acrymolding mechanicare used

glycol basede in place ss and pre

e is much la, it does notThis interfer the polyme

od material h layer. Sinchen PETG is

d card life is e

hibits high mpect to clarintable surfaa preferredfor card p

d card life spmperature rlesser heat d

ylonitrile Buprocess. AB

cal property for making

d PET. Geneof ethylenemature age

arger in sizet fit in properes with cryer's melting for laminate the outer s used as thenhanced.

mechanical ity and tranace. It is recd material foproduction b

an of 5‐7 yeresistance odistortion du

utadiene StyBS is easy ty as well as hg SIM cards.

rally cyclohee glycol. Gleing of the e (6 additionerly with theystallization

temperaturion. PETG mlayer of the

he overlay o

Diagram 2

and flexurasparency. Itcyclable andor the constby plastic cears. PETG isf PETG mak

uring the lam

rene) is gento process mhigher thermBenefits of

exane dimetycol modifipolymer, w

nal carbon ae neighborin

and reducere. PETG exhmaterial is u card comes

outer mater

2 CHDM Mo

l propertiest also exhibid has got gotruction of tard majors

s cost effectikes it ideal

mination pro

erally used fmaterial by

mal resistancusing inject

thanol (CHDers are incwhich occuatoms) thang chains the

es the crystahibits high mused as the s in direct coial in the co

lecule

s. This mateits very highood die cutthe cards. P

worldwide.ive as comp

choice in docess.

for making minjection m

ce. Injection tion‐molded

DM) is addedcorporated trs in unmon the ethylee way an ethallinity of thmechanical s

overlay maontact with onstruction

rial exhibitsh surface glotting and puETG is now . PETG baseared to Polydye sublima

monolayer cmolding. ABS

molded ABSd cards are t

d to the polto minimize

odified PET. ene glycol uhylene glycohe polymer stiffness andterial on PVthe environof the card

s better prooss and hasunching pro

widely acceed cards exycarbonates ation printin

cards by injeS exhibits bS card substthat it elimin

4

ymer e the

This nit it l unit thus

d is a VC as ment s the

perty very perty epted xhibit (PC).

ng. It

ection better trates nates

the millinpolymeri

ABS has the VICAper ISO s

PLA:

PLA (Polmaterial.card mamaterialspolymeri

ng process tizing styrene

very high VT softening

standard.

y Lactic Ac. Thus PLA hking (e.g. Ps and comization of lac

hereby simpe and acrylon

Diagram 3 A

ICAT softenipoint of the

id) is madehas lower CaVC, PC, and

mpounds forctide, which

Diag

plifying the pnitrile in the

Acrylonitrile,

ing point; hee PVC. ABS d

e from Cornarbon Footprd PETG etc.r making tis a cyclic di

gram 4 Polym

process of cae presence o

, Butadiene &

ence it is madoes not fulf

n or other rint when co). Many comthe cards. imer of lacti

merization o

ard making. f polybutadi

& Styrene M

any times bill the non‐f

natural souompared to mpanies havPLA is syn

c acid.

of Lactic Acid

ABS is a copiene.

Molecule

lended withlammability

rces, whichthe other mve launchednthesized b

d

polymer mad

h PVC to imprequiremen

is a renewmaterials used the PLA bby ring ope

5

de by

prove nts as

wable ed for based ening

The propbiobasedThe life ogood due

PLA has sin warpathe mate

Even thopotentiaand impl

PC:

The needcard subswith the manufacfrom norhigh dura

Propertie

• H

• V

• G

• V

• Li

• La

• C

• T

perties of PLd and biodegof PLA basee to high sur

some limitatge or twistin

erial with oth

ough this ml to make biementation

d for greaterstrate. This hmanufactu

turers needrmal PVC maability which

es of PC:

High tempera

Very low shri

Good printab

Very good op

ife span of m

aser engrave

onventional

hese films a

LA are quitegradable anded cards is srface energy

tions due tong of the caher suitable

material is inig impact in of strict gov

r security hahas resultedring of the to deliver m

aterial to high can be com

Diagram

ature resista

nkage

ble surface

ptical proper

more than 10

eable securit

l printing tec

re available

e similar to d do not prosimilar to thy exhibited b

o poor heat rds made frpolymer.

n its initial sfuture due

vernment le

s resulted ind in increase cards there

more securegh quality Pombined with

m 5 Polycarb

ant polymer

rties

0 years

ty features (

chniques can

in Clear, Op

that of theoduce any toat of PVC. T

by this mater

resistance oom this mat

stages of into greater egislation in v

n use of varioin the cost ois a need t

e and highly olycarbonate

high securit

bonate Mole

(e.g. CLI/MLI

n be used fo

paque and sp

PVC but adoxic fumes wThe printingrial, which is

offered by thterial. This c

ntroduction environmentvarious coun

ous technoloof the cardsto make cardurable car

e (PC) materty features to

ecular Struct

I) can be inc

r printing on

pecial colors

dvantage ofwhen recycleg property os similar to P

he material wan be overc

in the cardtal awarenesntries.

ogy intensive. Due to high

rds more durds. This hasial. PC is a po make high

ture

orporated

n the substra

f PLA is thated or incinerof the PLA isPET.

which may rome by blen

industry; itss among pe

e features oh cost assoc

urable. Thus s resulted inolymer with

hly secure ca

ates

6

t it is rated. s also

result nding

t has eople

n the ciated

card shift

h very ards.

7

Due to its high durability, life expectancy and stability towards environment; it has gained importance among more and more card companies. These films are produced and stored in clean environment and are generally available from 50 microns to 650 microns thickness range. Card manufacturers can guarantee 10 years service life for cards made completely from PC card films.

The other advantage of using all PC card is that it does not require any adhesive for lamination bonding. During lamination the PC molecules fuse together to form very strong bonds which cannot be delaminated. The PC cards are personalized using temper proof laser personalization technique which does not require any consumables.

PC card films can be used for making contact, contactless, dual interface and hybrid cards. This material is preferred worldwide for making Machine Readable Travel Documents (MRTD) as per ICAO specifications. e Passports and national ID cards which has stringent requirements of very high durability and security features have been implemented using PC films in various countries worldwide.

TESLIN®:

Teslin® is a proprietary composition offered by PPG industries; USA. It is widely accepted material in card industry worldwide. It is a polyolefin based (with 60 % of its weight comprised of non abrasive filler) micro porous synthetic material which has soft to touch substrate and is used in various Smart Card related applications such as e ‐ Passport inlays, financial Cards, National ID cards, Health insurance cards, Drivers License etc.

Characteristics of Teslin®

• High resistance to cracking and delamination.

• Teslin® can be printed by any conventional printing techniques as well as digital printing techniques.

• Due to its microporous structure Teslin® substrates are highly absorptive to inks.

• The durability of the cards made from Teslin® is improved.

• Teslin® is suitable for various card manufacturing related processes such as perforating, punching, folding, sewing, grommeting, foil stamping and embossing.

PVC/ABS

PVC homApplicatiincrease increase temperatheat resi

Compari

A compacommon

Heat StabFlex ResiUV ResistChemicaResistancResistancagainst delaminaCompatibwith ConChip Compatibwith contchip BiodegraPrice

Table 1: C

S Blend:

mopolymer ons such as the VICAT soin the VICA

ture makes stance. Gen

son of Raw

arative charnly used in ca

bility stance tance l ce ce

ation bility

ntact

bility tactless

adability

Comparison

based card GSM cards

oftening temAT softening

it possible erally PVC/A

Materials:

rt is given bard manufac

PVC

of Raw Mat

films have and Pay TV

mperature og temperatuto use these

ABS blend is

below for ecturing.

= Bes

ABS

terials used

VICAT softcards requirf PVC it is ge

ure to 91 +/e materials preferred fo

easy referen

st; = Go

PETG T

in Card Film

ening tempre high VICAenerally blen/‐ 2 deg C. in card app

or making GS

nce of the

ood;

ESLIN®

s

perature of AT softening nded with ABThe higher

plications whSM cards an

properties

= Average

PC

76 +/‐ 2 detemperatur

BS. This resuVICAT softe

hich requirend Pay TV ca

of the poly

PLA

8

eg C. re. To ults in ening high rds.

ymers

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About the Author:

The author Mr. Bhupendra Singh is Managing Partner of GRACE TECHNOLOGIES; India For further details:

Email: info@gracetech.in Web: www.gracetech.in