Sheffield Plastics Polycarbonate Sheeting offering light weight and break resistance

January 25, 2021

Bayer Makrolon Polycarbonate materials offer a unique balance of helpful features this includes temperature resistance, impact resistance and optical properties position polycarbonates between commodity plastics and engineering plastics.
Polycarbonate is definitely a long-lasting material. Though it has very high impact-resistance, it has got minimal scratch-resistance and thus a hard coating could be applied to polycarbonate eye wear lenses as well as polycarbonate exterior motor vehicle equipment. The properties of polycarbonate tend to be along the lines of those of common Acrylic materials, and yet 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 it has better light transmission characteristics than several types of glass.
Polycarbonate carries a glass transition temperature of approximately 150 °C (302 °F), consequently it softens gradually above this point and flows above about 300°C (572 °F). Tools will have to be held at higher temperatures, generally above 80 °C (176 °F) to make strain- and reduced stress products.
Unlike almost all other thermoplastics, polycarbonate can undergo dramatic changes in basic shape without breaking. Subsequently, for small changes in shape, it can be processed and formed   at room temperature using standard sheet metal techniques, for instance forming bends on a brake. Even for sharp angle bends having a tight radius, no heating is usually necessary. This makes it attractive prototyping applications where transparent or electrically non-conductive parts are needed, which can’t be crafted from sheet metal. Please keep in mind PMMA/Plexiglas, that is certainly similar in looks to polycarbonate, but it is brittle and can’t be bent at room temperature.

The light weight of polycarbonate, in contrast to glass, has led to continuing development of electronic view screens that replace the traditional glass with polycarbonate, for use in mobile and portable devices. Such displays include newer e-ink and many LCD screens, though CRT, plasma screen and other LCD technologies which still do require glass for its higher melting temperature and the ability to be etched in finer detail.
Other kinds of items made from Polycarbonate include durable, lightweight luggage, MP3/digital audio player cases, computer cases, riot shields, instrument panels, and blender jars. Many toys and hobby products are produced from polycarbonate parts, e.g. fins, gyro mounts, and flybar locks for use with radio-controlled helicopters.
For use in applications subjected to weathering or UV-radiation, a special surface treatment is needed. This may be a coating (e.g. for improved abrasion resistance), or as a coextrusion for enhanced weathering resistance.
The Makrolon Polycarbonate is a thermoplastic that at the beginning, starts as a solid plastic material in the form of small pellets. In a manufacturing process called injection molding, the pelletized resin is heated until they melt in to a thick liquid. This liquid polycarbonate is then rapidly injected into molds, compressed under high pressure and cooled to create a finished product in a matter of minutes.

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