How
Does Window Film Work?
Tint is
created when tinting film is bonded onto a piece of window
glass. Tinting film is usually made out of clear polyester
film with a very thin and even layer of tinting agents such
as dyes and/or metals deposited onto the film.
A common misconception is that window tint is dark, and
night-time driving is impossible when a car is tinted. The
truth is that there are films of ANY darkness that
suits your preferences. Also, unlike sunglasses that do
impair your ability to drive at night, tinting film is
designed to reduce glare and not impede night-time driving.
State window tint laws also protect consumers against
illegal tint that may put them in harm's way during
night-time driving.
Another misconception is that window tint is bonded onto the
outer surface of auto glass. Window tint is applied on the
inner surface which also protects the film itself from
flying debris outside the car.
Once tinting film is applied to a window, the
characteristics of how visible light comes into the car
changes. Normal auto glass without tint reflects around 5%
of visible light (known as VLR%), absorbs another 5% (known
as VLA%), and transmits 90% of visible light (known as VLT%)
into the car.
Depending on the type and quality of tinting film applied to
a window, these percentages change dramatically. Some tint
are more reflective, and others absorb more light. The
number you will most commonly see is the VLT% (Visible Light
Transmittance). Almost all the official names of films
include the VLT% within it like Johnson Executive PBC30 or
Madico Charcool CH-55. VLT% tells you how much visible light
is allowed to shine into the car, and also indirectly how
dark the tint looks.
Tinting film doesn't just block visible light. It also
blocks harmful cancer-causing ultra-violet (UV-A and
UV-B) rays as well as infra-red (IR) rays that
cause heat to build up in your car; however, how effective a
film is in blocking these rays depends on the type of film,
the manufacturer, and the quality of installation. |
