optimont® MF AS AC

optimont® MF-AS/AC – antistatic mounting film made from BO-PET material

The transparent PET mounting film optimont® MF-AS/AC is a versatile biaxially oriented polyester film. The film is crystal clear and is available with one printable side and one antistatic side. This makes it ideally suited for use in many areas of printing technology, as well as in additional fields of industrial manufacturing.

Especially as a label material, optimont® MF-AS/AC plays an important role in long-term and secure product identification. For users who regularly use mounting films in the printing sector and for many technical applications, optimont® MF-AS/AC offers a solution with a broad range of applications.

Background of the term mounting film

The term mounting film originates from the field of printing technology, as it refers to films that play an important role in prepress. They are used as carrier films for printing processes such as flexographic printing, offset printing, or screen printing. For example, in offset printing, mounting film is used for plate copying. Mounting films are also suitable for positioning and securely fixing copy originals. With the help of an underlying millimeter film, films are mounted precisely onto mounting films.

For all these applications, mounting films with different properties are available. optimont® MF-AS/AC, as a crystal-clear film, is only suitable for specific tasks in printing technology. For example, it can be used as a BO-PET film for plate mounting or as a mounting film for flexographic printing. Today, mounting films are used in many additional fields. However, the name has been retained for films with the product properties described here.

Areas of application for optimont® MF-AS/AC

The film was designed as a mounting and carrier film for graphic applications. Due to its special coating, it is antistatic when used as a print carrier film. Typical fields of application include the prepress area in offset printing and mounting in screen printing. optimont® MF-AS/AC is printable as a mounting film in flexographic printing. It serves as a carrier film for printing plate mounting and as a PET film for plate carriers.

In offset printing, the focus is on the correct positioning of copy originals. In other printing processes, the transparent film is used for optical inspection. Since the printable PET film is equipped with antistatic properties, the use of optimont® MF-AS/AC reduces static charging during film processing. This lowers the risk of interfering dust or underexposed copies during copying or mounting.

In the field of industrial applications, optimont® MF-AS/AC is used for laminations, coating processes, or for label production. optimont® MF-AS/AC offers very good flatness, precision during processing, and can be used wherever a transparent and stable carrier film is required.

Processing notes for optimont® MF-AS/AC

The antistatic coating simplifies the processing of optimont® MF-AS/AC film, as static charging during the processing stage is minimized. The micro-rough surface of the acrylate-coated side ensures excellent flatness, which reduces processing time in the copying frame. No pre-treatment of the film is required for processing, enabling economical use.

Depending on the machines in which optimont® MF-AS/AC film is processed, the film thickness can be an important influencing factor. Stiffness, flatness, and handling depend on the selected film thickness. Thinner films are easier to process, while thicker films offer higher stiffness.

For each type of processing, it must be clarified which formats or which roll form are required. A test phase in the production process is necessary to ensure the suitability of the specific product for the intended application.

Advantages of optimont® MF-AS/AC

• Very good flatness
• High transparency
• Very good dimensional and shape stability due to the biaxially oriented manufacturing process
• Under normal storage and operating conditions at approx. 20° Celsius and 50–60 percent relative humidity, optimont® MF-AS/AC does not warp
• The antistatic side prevents static charging during processing or stacking of the films and thus improves handling
• Low dust attraction
• Good release behavior
• The acrylate coating ensures that copy originals or printing elements adhere well, thereby minimizing mounting errors

Base material of optimont® MF-AS/AC

optimont® MF-AS/AC is manufactured from biaxially oriented PET (polyethylene terephthalate). The biaxial orientation is also reflected in the name BO-PET. The English designation of the film is “biaxially oriented polyester film”.

The biaxial orientation is achieved by reheating the film at the end of the production process and stretching it in a controlled manner both in the machine direction and transverse to it. Stretching is the technical term for this process, which alters the crystallinity of the film and thus its physical properties. BO-PET film produced in this way is a material with excellent dimensional and shape stability as well as good heat resistance and tear strength.

Meaning of the name optimont® MF-AS/AC

The abbreviation MF in the film name optimont® MF-AS/AC stands for mounting film. The letters AS indicate that the film is equipped with an antistatic coating on one side. AC, finally, means that the other side has been provided with an acrylate coating. The acrylate coating serves as a primer and improves the adhesion properties of the film.

Characteristic properties of the BO-PET film MF-AS/AC

• optimont® MF-AS/AC is a crystal-clear, highly transparent mounting film and therefore serves, for example, as a printable mounting film for printing plates
• One side of the film is equipped with an acrylate coating in order to improve the adhesion of other materials or printing elements
• The other side is treated to be antistatic, which prevents or at least reduces electrostatic charging during the working process and thus contributes to improved handling during mounting
• optimont® MF-AS/AC owes its good mechanical and physical properties, such as heat resistance, dimensional stability, and tear strength, to the underlying BO-PET material
• The base material and the structure of the film make optimont® MF-AS/AC a technically high-quality auxiliary material for precise mounting work in the printing sector and other technical applications

Some technical properties of optimont® MF-AS/AC

• Haze according to ASTM D1003 approx. 2.0 percent, which indicates good clarity performance of optimont® MF-AS/AC
• Light transmission is approx. 89 percent, providing very high transparency
• Surface tension on the acrylate-coated side is below 40 mN/m, on the antistatic side above 54 mN/m
• Melting point is 252° Celsius, heat resistance is 170° Celsius
• Cold resistance is minus 70° Celsius
• Surface resistance of the antistatic side is approx. 1.0E+10 ohms, measured on the day of material production
• Storage in the original packaging below 40° Celsius in dry rooms
• Protect from direct sunlight or other light exposure

Available formats and thicknesses of optimont® MF-AS/AC

optimont® MF-AS/AC film is supplied in cut sheet formats according to customer requirements. In addition, delivery is possible as master rolls, short rolls, or jumbo rolls. optimont® MF-AS/AC film is available in thicknesses of 100, 125, and 175 µm.

Summary of optimont® MF-AS/AC film

The mounting film optimont® MF-AS/AC is a technically high-quality BO-PET material for demanding mounting and prepress applications. With its transparent PET base, the one-sided acrylate coating to improve adhesion, and the antistatic reverse side, it fulfills important requirements such as transparency, flatness, dimensional accuracy, and control of electrostatic charging in the production process.

For users in the printing sector and in industrial manufacturing who use mounting films, this product offers a high-quality solution with a broad range of applications.