Acrylic Vs Other Plastic Sheets

While the form may be the same you will find that a clear polycarbonate sheet and a clear acrylic sheet are vastly different due to the physical and chemical properties of the plastic.

Acrylic vs other plastic sheets.

With over 30 years in the plastics industry we have the experience needed to select the plastic that best suits your project. Because of that acrylic polymers can withstand high temperatures uv ozone oxygen etc. Most of our custom made products are made of pmma acrylic plexiglass and petg but in many cases they also consists of several other components such as wood metal and print. It is commonly used in imitation leather shower curtains window frames and curtains.

Many people don t realize that pvc or polyvinyl chloride is a plastic. When curious people do an online search for pvc vs plastic what they should really be searching for is pvc and other plastics compared so that is what i will do. Polystyrene is usually thinner and more brittle than acrylic but often costs quite a bit less than other plastics. Acrylic and polycarbonate both weigh half as much as glass and yet both plastics are much more shatter resistant.

While glass is cheaper to purchase and more easily recycled than acrylic acrylic is stronger more shatter resistant and resistant to the elements and erosion than glass. They also don t realize how many uses it has aside from piping. On the other hand if you are looking for high impact resistance polycarbonate sheeting is the obvious choice. Acrylic and lexan a branded name for polycarbonate sheeting are both durable and flexible materials often compared to one another because both are transparent and both stand as two of the most frequently utilized types of see through plastics.

Acrylic elastomers have been considered as specialty rubbers owing to their unique property i e the presence of unsaturated polymer backbone unlike in many other so called general purpose rubbers. Its higher impact strength makes it a great glass replacement for applications such as garage door windows storm windows and other glazing needs. The key difference between acrylic and plexiglass is that plexiglass is a brand name of acrylic sheets. Acrylic has a high gloss finish and is more transparent making it ideal for display cases.

Though it is often used in sheet form as an alternative to glass it s also used in a variety of other applications including casting resins inks and coatings medical devices and more. Optix acrylic sheet is a lightweight impact resistant optix acrylic sheet is a lightweight impact resistant transparent material that is a great replacement for glass in many applications. Because the material is made using a mold it can have relief markings as well as a blue haze effect when removed. Acrylic latices may derive from esters of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid.

If you are interested in clarity and light transmittance acrylic sheets will outperform polycarbonate sheets. Acrylic is also less expensive than polycarbonate and unlike polycarbonate acrylics can be heated and molded to shape then heated again while retaining its quality appearance.