This burn resistance has likewise been attained without the use of bromine, but rather through the addition of a silicon compound which contains a special structure. Transparency is comparable to conventional polycarbonate at 89 percent. A major application is expected to be electronic components. As an example of an improved processing technique, in 1994 researchers at Toyohashi Science and Technology University together with two small companies developed a process for freely bending polycarbonate tubing at room temperature. Moreover, this process allows the tubing to maintain a uniform wall thickness and diameter in spite of the bending.
Plastic tubing is usually difficult to bend at room temperature.
Although such tubing can be bent at elevated temperature, this usually results in considerable deformation. It has thus necessitated the use of separate joints where large bends are required. Moreover, it is easy for material to accumulate at these joints, and this can result in contamination for some industrial processes, including foodstuff production. This technique is based on a process that the researchers originally developed for use with metal. In experiments with polycarbonate tubing, it was found possible to bend tubes with diameters of up to 100mm to the desired angles.