A METHOD OF PRODUCING A TRANSPARENT SUBSTRATE OF PLASTICS MATERIAL HAVING SURFACE TINTING WHICH IS RESISTANT TO SOLAR RADIATION

Abstract: A method of producing a transparent substrate of plastics material having surface tinting which is resistant to solar radiation includes the steps of: introducing at least one dye compound into a surface layer of the transparent substrate, transferring into the surface layer of the substrate at least one stabilising compound for conferring resistance to ultraviolet radiation.

Description: A method ' of producing a transparent substrate of plastics material having surface tinting which is resistant to solar radiation • DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to a method of producing transparent substrates of plastics material, for example, spectacle lenses, visors in general and similar products, having surface tinting which is resistant to solar radiation. TECHNICAL FIELD In the production of transparent products of plastics materials with tinted surfaces, particularly lenses for sunglasses, there is a particular need for the colour characteristics of the surface tinting of the product which is exposed to the solar radiation to remain as unchanged as possible. In fact, as is known, the ultraviolet component of solar radiation tends to degrade the molecules of the dye which are dispersed in the surface layer of the product, leading to decolouration and/or colour changes thereof. BACKGROUND ART In order to avoid this problem, which is known as ageing or colour "turning", the teaching of the prior art is invariably to select, from the dye molecules available, those, which have the greatest possible resistance to the ultraviolet component of the solar radiation. Azoic and anthraguinonic dyes selected from those belonging to the categories known in the Colour Index as "disperse dyes" and "acid dyes" are therefore used widely for tinting the surfaces of plastics lenses. Although the products thus tinted have quite good resistance to ageing, even though the ageing is slowed SUBSTITUTE SHEET down there is, in the end, nevertheless an unacceptable colour change. The dyes with the greatest resistance to solar radiation also have the disadvantage that, at the molecular level, their dimensions are such as to slow considerably the rate at which they spread within the polymeric matrix of the substrate to be tinted. There is therefore a considerable increase in the time needed to tint the product, with a corresponding increase in production costs. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION The technical problem upon which the present invention is based is therefore to provide a method of producing a transparent substrate with surface tinting which substantially reduces the colour-changes in the surface tinting even af er prolonged exposure to the sun's rays. This problem is solved by a method of the type indicated above, characterised in that it includes the steps of: - introducing at least one dye compound into a surface layer of the transparent substrate, - transferring into the surface layer at least one stabilising compound for conferring resistance to ultraviolet radiation. The stabilising compounds of the present invention are compounds which can prevent the dye compounds from being degraded by ultraviolet radiation. Stabilising compounds which have been found useful in the method of the present invention are those known by the term UV absorbers. These are compounds which confer resistance to light and perform their protective action by absorbing ultraviolet radiation and dissipating it as heat. Of these, substituted benzophenones having the following structural formula are preferred: in which R = H, CH 3 , -H.^, C g H 17 , S0 3 N . Typical examples of UV absorbers are the products known commercially as Chimassorb and Uvinul, produced by CIBA and BASF, respectively. Substituted benzotriazoles having the following structural formula may also be used as UV absorbers in the method of the present invention: where: R and R 1 may, independently, be H, methyl, terbutyl, octyl or amyl, and X is H or Cl. Of these 2(2 I -hydroxy-5'-methylphenyl) benzotriazole and 2(2 l -hydroxy-3' ,5-diterbutylphenyl) benzotriazole are preferred. Further UV absorbers which have been found useful for the purposes of the invention are those belonging to the cyanoacrylates class, such as, for example, ethyl-2-cyano-3,3-diphenyl acrylate and 2-ethylhexyl-2-cyano-3,3-diphenyl acrylate and the salicylates such as, for example, phenyl salic late and terbutylphenyl salicylate. The method of the present invention may be used in the production of transparent substrates, particularly lenses for sunglasses, produced either from thermosetting polymers or from thermoplastic polymers. The plastics materials used are preferably produced by the polymerisation of the following monomers either in homopolymeric or copolymeric form: bis(allyl) carbonates of linear or branched glycols, acrylates and methacrylates, maleates and diallyl phthalates, triallyl cyanurates and isocyanurates, unsaturated polyesters, and vinyl monomers. The thermoplastic polymers usable include polycarbonate, polymethylmethacr late, acetobutyrate, and cellulose propionate and acetate. The surfaces of the substrates can be tinted with the use of the techniques known in the art, for example, by the immersion of the product in a dye bath, generally with an aqueous base, so that the dye molecules are spread over both its sides. The dye compounds usable in the method of the present invention belong to the classes commonly used for this purpose in the art, particularly those indicated as "disperse dyes" and "acid dyes" in the Colour Index. In particular, the following dyes may be used singly or in mixtures: C.I. Disperse Blue 3, C.I. Disperse Blue 27, C.I. Disperse Red 88, C.I. Disperse Yellow 3, C.I. Acid Red 1. According to the method of the invention, the step of introducing the dye into a surface layer of a transparent plastics substrate, for example, a spectacle lens, is preferably effected by the immersion of the substrate in an aqueous solution including a quantity, variable between 0.1 and 1% by weight, of one or more dyes. The surface tinting of the substrate is achieved by means of conventional equipment known per se, at a temperature of between 85 and 95°C and for a period of between 10 and 120 minutes. At the end of this step a transparent substrate, opposite sides of which have tinted layers about 10 microns thick, is produced. At least one stabilising compound selected from those indicated above for conferring resistance to ultraviolet radiation is then transferred into the surface-tinted substrate. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the stabilising compounds are transferred by the immersion of the surface-tinted substrate in an aqueous solution including from 0.5 to 2% by weight of at least one stabilising compound for conferring resistance to ultraviolet radiation, for a period of between 15 seconds and 4 minutes. The temperature of the aqueous solution is preferably kept between 80 and 95 C for thermosetting plastics substrates and between 40 and 90 C for substrates produced with the use of thermoplastics polymers. According to a further embodiment of the invention, the stabilising compounds can be transferred thermally in the dry state by the incorporation of the stabilising compound in a . suitable support which is subsequently spread evenly over the surface of the product. For the purposes of the invention, supports selected from the group including PVC-, acrylic polymer- or polyester-based peelable lacquers, such as, for example, those used with a tampograph are preferred. The product thus coated then undergoes heat treatment in an air oven kept at a temperature of between 100 and 130°C for a period of between 20 and 40 minutes. Alternatively, the stabilising compound for conferring resistance to ultraviolet radiation may be transferred thermally in the dry state by being introduced into a microporous support such as, for example, a strip of filter paper which is then deposited on the tinted substrate with which it undergoes heat treatment in an air oven under the temperature and time conditions indicated above. According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the surface tinting and the transfer of at least one stabilising compound for conferring resistance to ultraviolet radiation may be effected simultaneously by the immersion of the transparent substrate in an aqueous substrate including both from 0.1 to 0.6% by weight of one of more dyes and from 0.05 to 0.5% by weight of at least one stabilising compound for conferring resistance to ultraviolet radiation. In this case, the temperature of the aqueous solution is preferably kept between 90 and 100 C and the immersion times vary between 10 and 60 minutes. Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clearer from the following description of some examples of the method according to the invention. MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION EXAMPLE 1 70g of Disperse Blue 27 organic dye were dispersed in a 50 litre aqueous bath kept at a temperature of about 90°C. A set of 10 plastics lenses made of diethylene glycol-bis(allyl) carbonate was immersed in the resulting solution for a period of 30 minutes until a transmittance of about 20% of the incident light was achieved. The lenses thus treated were then immersed in an aqueous solution containing 0.5% by weight of tetrahydroxybenzophenone kept at a temperature of about 90°C. The tetrahydroxybenzophenone was thus transferred into the polymeric matrices of the lenses. EXAMPLES 2 - 4 The method described in Example 1 above was used to produce diethylene glycol-bis(allyl) carbonate lenses the surfaces of which were tinted with the use of the dyes Disperse Blue 56, Disperse Blue 57 and Disperse Blue 3, respectively, and which were protected against radiation by means of tetrahydroxybenzophenone. EXAMPLE 5 70g of Disperse Blue 27 and 125g of hydroxydimethoxy benzophenone were dispersed in a 50 1 aqueous bath wwhhiicchh wwaass then heated to 90 C to produce a clear solution. A set of 10 diethylene glycol-bis (allyl) carbonate lenses was then immersed in the resulting solution which was kept at a temperature of 90°C for a period of about 30 minutes so as to achieve a value of about 20% for the transmittance of incident visible light. EXAMPLES 6 - 8 The method described in Example 5 above was used to transfer dihydroxydimethoxybenzophenone and the following dyes: Disperse Blue 56, Disperse Blue 7 and Disperse Blue 3, respectively, into the surfaces of the lenses. EXAMPLE 9 A polymethylmethacrylate-based lacquer plasticised with 30% octyl phthalate in methyl ethyl ketone was supplemented with 10% by weight of 2(2' hydroxy-5'-meth lphenyl) benzotriazole. The lacquer was then spread evenly over the surfaces of diethylene glycol-bis(allyl) carbonate lenses the surfaces of which had already been tinted, in known manner, by means of Disperse Blue 3. The lenses were then placed in an air oven and kept there for 30 minutes at a temperature of about 120 C in order to transfer the stabilising compound into the polymeric matrices of the lenses. Upon completion of its exposure in the oven, the used lacquer was removed by washing with a chlorinated solvent. EXAMPLE 10 A strip of smooth white filter paper was immersed in a solution containing 10% by weight of hydroxydimethoxybenzophenone in a ketonic solvent. When the strip had been impregnated and dried, it was placed in contact with a sheet of polymethylmethacrylate which has been tinted in bulk with Disperse Blue 7, in known manner. The lenses were then placed in an oven and treated as described in Example 9 above to transfer the stabilising compound for conferring resistance to light into the polymeric matrices of the lenses. EXAMPLE 11 2 (2'-hydroxy-5'-methylphenyl) benzotriazole (Tinuvin P from CIBA) was added to a polyester-resin-based lacquer 3/06160 10 in a proportion of 10% by weight. The lacquer was then spread evenly over the surfaces of 10 diethylene glycol-bis(allyl) carbonate spectacle lenses the surfaces of which had been tinted with Disperse Blue 56 and the lenses were then placed in an air oven for 30 minutes at 120 C to transfer the compound into the tinted surface layers of the lenses. EXAMPLE 12 The lenses produced in Examples 1-11 above and a set of lenses treated in conventional manner with Disperse Blue 27, Disperse Blue 56, Disperse Blue 7 and Disperse Blue 3 dyes were subjected to a solar radiation resistance test in accordance with the BS2724/1987 standard. More particularly, the lenses were illuminated for 50 hours with a 450 watt xenon lamp positioned at a distance of 30 cm. As is known, these conditions simulate about 2 years' exposure to solar radiation. The transmittance of the lenses was measured before and after exposure to the xenon lamp and the results of the tests are given in Table 1 below as the percentage increase in transmittance. TABLE 1 Disp. Blue 3 4.5 15 < 5 45 It can readily be seen from the data given above that the various embodiments of the method of the present invention provide extremely effective protection for the layer of dye which is changed to a very insignificant extent. In the case of the Disperse Blue 3 dye, which is one of the quickest to spread in the lenses and one of the most sensitive to ultraviolet radiation, the colour degradation obtained was 10 times less than that of conventionally tinted lenses. The method of the present invention thus enables the use of dyes which spread rapidly and have low resistance to ultraviolet radiation, with an advantageous decrease in production times and costs. Finally, the characteristics of the method of the invention enable good reproducibility of the conditions for the tinting and for the transfer of the stabilising compound and surface-tinted transparent substrates which are resistant to solar radiation can thus be produced with uniform characteristics on a large scale.

Claims: 13 CLAIMS 1. A method of producing a transparent substrate of plastics material having surface tinting which is resistant to solar radiation, characterised in that it includes the steps of: - introducing at least one dye compound into a surface layer of the transparent substrate, - transferring into the surface layer at least one stabilising compound for conferring resistance to ultraviolet radiation. 2. A method according to Claim 1, characterised in that the steps are carried out simultaneously. 3. A method of producing a transparent substrate of plastics material having surface tinting which is resistant to solar radiation, characterised in that it includes the step of transferring at least one stabilising compound for conferring- resistance to ultraviolet radiation into a tinted surface layer thereof. 4. A method according to Claims 1 and 3, characterised in that the stabilising compound is selected from the group including: substituted benzophenones having the following structural formula: (I) in which R = H, CH 3 , C 5 H llf C g H 17 , SOg a - benzotriazoles having the following structural formul : where: R and R* may, independently, be H, methyl, terbutyl, octyl or amyl, and X is H or Cl; - cyanoacrylates, - phenylsalicylates. 5. A method according to Claim 4, characterised in that the stabilising compound is selected from ethyl-2-cyano-3,3-diphenylacrylate and 2-ethylhexyl-2-cyano-3,3-diphenylacrylate. 6. A method according to Claim 4, characterised in that the stabilising compound is selected from phenyl salicylate and terbutylphenyl salicylate. 7. A method according to Claim 1, characterised in that the step of the introduction of at least one dye compound is effected at a temperature of between 90 and 100°C for a period of- between 10 and 120 minutes. 8. A method according to Claim 1 or Claim 3, characterised in that the step of the transfer of the stabilising compound for conferring resistance to ultraviolet radiation is effected by the immersion of the substrate in an aqueous solution including from 0.5 to 2% by weight of the stabilising compound at a temperature of between 40 and 95 C and for a period of between 15 seconds and 4 minutes. 9. A method according to Claim 2 , characterised in that the steps are effected by the immersion of the transparent substrate in an aqueous solution including from 0.1 to 0.6% by weight of at least one dye compound and from 0.05 to 0.5 % by weight of at least one stabilising compound for conferring resistance to ultraviolet radiation. 10. A method according to Claim 9, characterised in that, during the immersion of the substrate, the solution is kept at a temperature of between 90 and 100 C for a period -of between 10 and 60 minutes. 11. A method according to Claim 1 or Claim 3, characterised in that the step of the transfer of the stabilising compound is dry-effected by the incorporation of the stabilising compound in a support, the deposition of the support on the surface-tinted substrate, and the subjection of the substrate thus obtained to heat treatment at a temperature of between 100 and 130°C and for a period of between 20 and 40 minutes . 12. A method according to Claim 11, characterised in that the support is selected from the group including filter paper, PVC-, acrylic polymer- or polyester-based lacquers. 13. A method according to Claims 1 and 2, characterised in that the dye is selected from the group including dyes of the disperse dyes and acid dyes classes.

Inventors: GIANI GIANGIUSEPPE, IORI GIUSEPPE, GIANI, GIANGIUSEPPE, IORI, GIUSEPPE
Applicants: INTERCAST EUROP SPA, INTERCAST EUROPE S.P.A.
Application year: 1992
Main classification: G02B1
IPC codes: B29D11, D06P1, G02B1