MacDermid Autotype's new film technology allows antimicrobial protection to be built into traditional flat panel displays, membrane keypads, touch screens and fascia panels. The new film comprises a flexible polyester base, primed on the underside with an ink adhesion layer, for high definition screen and ink-jet printing, and coated on the outer surface with an exceptionally tough hard-coat layer. This is scratch and chemical resistant, yet can easily be embossed, to produce tactile membrane switch domes, and selectively varnished to produce windows or glossy graphic effects.The hard-coat layer contains the antimicrobial protection. This is based on proven Microban antimicrobial technology, which is capable of killing a number of harmful bacteria, including MRSA and E.Coli 0157, with independent tests showing kill rates in excess of 99% for these two micro-organisms. The protection is evenly distributed throughout the coating during manufacture and effectively lasts for the operating life of the film.The production process for manufacturing displays, keypads and touch screens with the new film is identical to that used for standard films, as the new material is easy to handle, reverse print and emboss. In addition, the film has a total luminous transmission of 92%, plus an excellent flex modulus, giving a typical operating life for a tactile membrane switch dome in excess of five million cycles.