3 ms·

Darnit, I was hoping the polymer notes would have a much longer life. Is the Canadian notes the same types as the Australian or New Zealand ones?

microcolonel 11y ago
I'm sure there are excellent polymers they could use. The one they do use gets brittle with temperature changes: really bad in Canada. The material tears effortlessly once a tear has started. Honestly, I think it's just a matter of it being amorphous rather than fibrous. If they make fibrous bills, they will likely circulate much longer.
- kuschku 11y ago
  The new polymer-fibrous Euro bills are really awesome. They survive far more wear and tear than dollar notes or old Euro bills. (Which is why small notes were switched first)
  - protomyth 11y ago
    > (Which is why small notes were switched first) That's good planning although I still wish the $1 coin would catch on. Its good to hear at least one attempt at material advance works. Is it cheaper over the long run than the dollar notes?
    - kuschku 11y ago
      Well, the Eurozone never had 1€ or 2€ bills, and already is doing test runs regarding switching 5€ to coins[1]. But yes, Polymer notes survive about 4 times longer (2 years instead of half a year for the 5€ bill) than paper notes. Now you might think 6 months would be very short for bills, but 5€ bills are the most circulated bills in the western world. ________________________ [1] The design of the 5€ coins that you can currently get in Germany (they’re legal tender): http://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/aBrmYAZ_700b_v1.jpg http://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/aBrmYAZ_700b_v1.jpg
- protomyth 11y ago
  Its really hard for product designers to get how problematic temperatures are in Canada and the upper plain states. It comes up a lot when dealing with poor people and vehicles. You need to keep it running in -20F / -29C to 100F / 38C. Heck, I remember one winter (89?) where the temp went from 60F to -20F in one day. That was problematic.

microcolonel 11y ago

I'm sure there are excellent polymers they could use. The one they do use gets brittle with temperature changes: really bad in Canada. The material tears effortlessly once a tear has started. Honestly, I think it's just a matter of it being amorphous rather than fibrous. If they make fibrous bills, they will likely circulate much longer.

kuschku 11y ago
The new polymer-fibrous Euro bills are really awesome. They survive far more wear and tear than dollar notes or old Euro bills. (Which is why small notes were switched first)
- protomyth 11y ago
  > (Which is why small notes were switched first) That's good planning although I still wish the $1 coin would catch on. Its good to hear at least one attempt at material advance works. Is it cheaper over the long run than the dollar notes?
  - kuschku 11y ago
    Well, the Eurozone never had 1€ or 2€ bills, and already is doing test runs regarding switching 5€ to coins[1]. But yes, Polymer notes survive about 4 times longer (2 years instead of half a year for the 5€ bill) than paper notes. Now you might think 6 months would be very short for bills, but 5€ bills are the most circulated bills in the western world. ________________________ [1] The design of the 5€ coins that you can currently get in Germany (they’re legal tender): http://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/aBrmYAZ_700b_v1.jpg http://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/aBrmYAZ_700b_v1.jpg
protomyth 11y ago
Its really hard for product designers to get how problematic temperatures are in Canada and the upper plain states. It comes up a lot when dealing with poor people and vehicles. You need to keep it running in -20F / -29C to 100F / 38C. Heck, I remember one winter (89?) where the temp went from 60F to -20F in one day. That was problematic.