One may assume that car window tinting is a relatively recent feature in the world of automotive customizing. Still, the smooth, darkened glass you see on automobiles today is the culmination of years of refinement. So, the next time you climb into your excellent car on a hot summer day, thank not only the UV-blacking film on your windows but also the innovators who made it possible throughout car window tint history.
Car Window Tinting Between 3000 BC and 1300 AD
Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia are arguably the origins of window tint. They first discovered tinted glass, where cultures created tinting and coloring beads made of glass and ornamental pots. Around 100 AD, the Romans started using clear glass on windows. People in the Middle East and Europe used to color glass with metal oxide powders to produce glass windows that are stained like for mosques, palaces, and churches.
Car Window Tinting Between 1940 to 1990
In the early twentieth century, the invention of vehicles transformed the face of transportation, but cars did not expand throughout the consumer landscape until the postwar period. And, as more individuals included automobiles, they started to see how the magnified temperature and sun get through the glass. That is when the EZ Eye, the first tinting producer in the US, released factory window tints in some car models, like the famous ’58 Chevy Impala.
Car Window Tinting Between 1966 to 1969
In 1966, 3M, famously known for Scotch Tape, unlocked the key to film that can control the sun and blended well with metallic coatings to help create a flexible automobile window tint film that masked the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays and heat. After three years and due to the bombings in Europe by the terrorists, 3M introduced transparent window films for security purposes and that one that can hold in place the broken glass. This feature is now typical in window film.
Car Window Tinting in the 1970s
The 1970s energy crisis spurred more heat reflection innovation, and lower emissivity films became popular in commercial building windows and automobile applications. But it wasn’t until the end of the 1970s that tinted windows for cars became the most popular alternative for privacy—limousines throughout the United States began using windows with dark tints, some with an 80 percent or higher shading.
Car Window Tinting In the 1980s and 1990s
Dark tints were excellent for privacy but not so good for visibility. By the early 1980s, most US states had enacted legislation governing the tint allowed on the car windows to minimize accidents. The second generation of window film was in the early 1990s. The film was made of metal to help reflect the sun’s rays and absorbed heat.
Car Window Tinting From the 1990s to the Present
Although hybrid window films transformed UV-blocking capabilities, the advancement of technologies presented a challenge for the metallic tints: they frequently interfered with electrical equipment like radios and CPS systems. The auto window tint industry created the most recent window films that use ceramics rather than metals to address this issue. Such a window tint lasts longer, doesn’t absorb heat and UV rays, and has no effect on electronics
So, what’s next in the evolution of window tint film? While contemporary tint binds shattered glass together, the future film may prevent the glass from breaking in the first place. Therefore, there has been a significant improvement of window tint before and after, thus proving the development.
Pueblo Window Tinting will assist you if you haven’t already experienced the numerous benefits of tinted automobile windows. We are so confident in our supplies, installation, and licensed technicians that we provide a lifetime warranty on our car window tinting services. Call Pueblo Tint at (719) 289-3313 today.