Lexan Polycarbonate Flat Sheet are clear and tough
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- March 7, 2021
Polycarbonate plastic products have a balance of helpful features this includes temp resistance, impact resistance and optical properties position polycarbonates in between commodity plastics and engineering plastics.
Polycarbonate is a very rugged material. Although it features considerable impact-resistance, it has low scratch-resistance and so a hard coating typically is applied to polycarbonate eye protection lenses and polycarbonate exterior automotive components. The characteristics associated with polycarbonate are generally along the lines of those of Acrylic PMMA materials, although polycarbonate is always stronger, it is usable in a wider temperature range and is a bit more expensive. This plastic polymer is highly transparent to visible light and has better light transmission characteristics than most grades of glass.
Polycarbonate carries a glass transition temperature near 150 °C (302 °F), as a result it softens slowly above this point and flows above about 300°C (572 °F). Tools ought to be held at high temperatures, generally above 80 °C (176 °F) to help make strain- and almost stress free products.
Unlike most other thermoplastics, polycarbonate can undergo massive deformations without breaking. Because of that, it can be processed and formed without needing to be heated using sheet metal techniques, for instance forming bends with a brake. For even sharp angle bends with a tight radius, no heating is generally necessary. This makes it attractive prototyping applications where transparent or electrically non-conductive parts are essential, which should not be produced from sheet metal. Be aware that PMMA/Plexiglas, that is certainly similar in appearance to polycarbonate, but is brittle and cannot be bent with out a heating process.
The light weight of polycarbonate, unlike glass, has led to development of electronic touch screens that replace glass materials with polycarbonate, for use in mobile and portable devices. Such displays include newer e-ink and a few LCD screens, though CRT, plasma screen and other LCD technologies which still require glass for its higher melting temperature and its ability to be etched with finer detail.
Other miscellaneous items made from Polycarbonate include durable, lightweight luggage, MP3/digital audio player cases, computer cases, high impact riot shields, instrument panels, and common style blender jars. Many toys and hobby products are manufactured from polycarbonate parts, e.g. fins, gyro mounts, and flybar locks for use with radio-controlled helicopters.
For use in applications exposed to weathering or UV-radiation, a special surface treatment maybe needed. This either can be a coating (e.g. for improved abrasion resistance), or a coextrusion for enhanced weathering resistance.
The Makrolon Polycarbonate is a thermoplastic that starts as a solid plastic material in the form of small pellets. In a manufacturing process called injection molding, this pellet material is heated until they melt in to a thick liquid. This liquid polycarbonate is then rapidly injected into a mold with the empty part being the size and shape of the part you want, compressed under high pressure and cooled to produce a finished product in less than a minute.