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Credit cards and their associated debit/i.d./membership
cards of the same form factor are a standard feature of
modern life. Sadly, I've found that many of my most used
cards lack durability. My work I.d. only has half of my face
on it, the rest falling victim to endless swiping through
doors.
My debit card recently split in half lengthwise and
I've broken many over the years.
Standard cards are simple PVC, and "composite" <link>
cards do exist, however, this is just a PVC/polyester mix. I
also recently encountered some posh card from Chase that
was actually heavy. I was surprisingly impressed. So let's go
a little further.
So, we can make a credit card out of exotic fiber
reinforced polymers. There is plenty of variety available,
starting with the polymer, epoxy or polyester are the most
common. Polyester makes the most sense as it's more
amenable to large-scale construction and doesn't contain
bisphenols that can cause reactions in isolated cases*. For
the fiber, there is a choice of carbon, glass and kevlar. All
of these can be mixed and matched in various fetching
weaves <link> not unlike fabrics like tweed**.
The resulting card would be much tougher than
conventional plastics, rendering a premium product for
premium customers who have premium door locks to
jimmy***. Other benefits of carbon for example, is that it's
conductive and might be used to fashion RFID antennas or
even shield one side of the card for security purposes.
There, a credit card that won't snap when you stand on it,
because it's in the back pocket of your jeans that you're
taking off after a long day's refreshment.
*there will be isolated cases, difficult to win isolated law
suits, so stick with the more boring polyester.
** there is, of course, no reason why tweed couldn't be
used instead of all this silly aerospace nonsense. A pleasing
Harris tweed, or rattan weave card might be right on brand
for Rentisham's, for example.
*** or much larger areas of premium automotive glass to
scrape high-grade alpine ice off.
Composite credit cards
https://www.idcardg...pvc/composite-cards [bs0u0155, Jul 22 2019]
Carbon/Kevlar weaves
http://www.uscomposites.com/hybrids.html [bs0u0155, Jul 22 2019]
[link]
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//rattan weave card might be right on brand for
Rentisham's// I think that, if Rentisham's were ever to
enter into the vulgar maelstrom of electronic payment
cards, they would have to made from the Rentisham's battle
tartan. It dates back to when it was invented (or possibly
even further), and consists of three broad and two narrow
stripes in black, on a black background. The cross-
hatchings run at 87 degrees to one another, an angle chosen
to confuse and annoy enemy archers. Come to think of it, it
might work well in carbon fibre. Never let it be said that
Rentisham's is slow to adopt useful new inventions - only
last month, our Head Gacker evaluated gutta percha as a
material for the main handle of gacking spades, and found
it to be a very acceptable alternative to Bakelite. Of
course, he's only 58, but we like to let the young bloods
have their head when it comes to innovation. |
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//vulgar maelstrom of electronic payment cards// |
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This was never the intention. I was thinking more along the
lines of something to flash at a recalcitrant maître d. Or
perhaps, as a means of excluding riff raff from the
Rentisham's waiting suites. These should be reserved for
more discerning customers who prefer the advantages of a
professional flenting service, whatever they are. |
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