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Five important polycarbonate properties


Polycarbonate is marketed under many different names: Arla, Caliber, Margard. Makrolon, Lexan and Panlite are amongst the most well-known. But what is polycarbonate exactly and what are the properties of this plastic sheet material? In this blog, we’re going to focus on the most important polycarbonate mechanical properties.


Polycarbonate: what is it?

The quick answer is that polycarbonate is a thermoplastic polymer, meaning that it is resistant to high temperatures. Thanks to this property, polycarbonate is widely used in the food industry, among others.

Tip: To find out more about the history of this material, view our blog about polycarbonate.


1. Polycarbonate is very strong: 250 times as strong as glass

One of the most important polycarbonate material properties is that the sheets are very impact-resistant. Whether you use the solid type or channel plates does not affect this characteristic. This means that polycarbonate is a very versatile material that can be used for many applications such as windshields, carports, or greenhouses. The material is almost unbreakable so is ideal for situations where vandalism or burglary are likely.


2. Polycarbonate is easy to process

You can process polycarbonate in numerous ways; it’s easy to glue, paint, saw, drill, or bend under heat in the same way as acrylic sheet or plexiglass. The main difference is that because polycarbonate is much less likely to break, it’s much easier to work with.


Tip: If you’re going to machine polycarbonate yourself, take a look at our DIY blogs on polishing, cutting, drilling and routing polycarbonate sheet as the approach is the same.


3. Polycarbonate is a fire-retardant material

Polycarbonate has a B1 classification meaning that it is difficult to ignite and has a fire-retardant effect. This makes polycarbonate a very suitable material to use as safety glazing, or example, to protect technical machinery and products.


4. Polycarbonate will not discolor

All the polycarbonate sheets in our range are UV-resistant; in other words, the color of polycarbonate sheets will not change under the influence of sunlight. UV-resistant polycarbonate sheets can be used for both indoor and outside applications.


5. Polycarbonate is crystal clear

Polycarbonate or glass? Whatever the other considerations, one thing is clear; you can see through polycarbonate just as well as standard glass. In fact, polycarbonate actually lets more light through than traditional glass.


Buy polycarbonate sheets online

The first step on getting started on your project is to order the polycarbonate sheet. You’ll find polycarbonate sheets in a range of thicknesses at out website at Justpolycarbonate.com and we’ll cut them to size for free.


More ideas and inspiration for using polycarbonate

View our blog for fun DIY projects with polycarbonate. If you have any questions about a project or any of the products in our range, please contact us.






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MAIN PROPERTIES OF MONOLITHIC SHEETS

Monolithic sheets is a material with an excellent combination of physical and mechanical properties, which are retained under various temperature conditions and humidity levels.
 

Polycarbonate sheets are an ideal replacement for traditional glazing materials. They are safe and easy to cut, install and use, almost impossible to break. Due to their low specific weight, polycarbonate sheets can significantly lighten and reduce the cost of the supporting structure in comparison with the structure in which glass is used, contributing to a significant reduction in transportation, handling and installation costs.
 

UV protection

Solar radiation has a detrimental effect on polymeric materials, causing their destruction and causing surface cracking of materials. These small cracks are further enlarged by water, dust and chemicals.

Polycarbonate monolithic sheets of this have a surface with an applied protective layer against ultraviolet radiation, which provides excellent resistance to weathering.
 

Arched glazing

All monolithic polycarbonate sheets are cold-formed into curved supporting glazing profiles. Provided that the bending radius of the sheet is greater than the minimum recommended value, the mechanical stress resulting from cold forming will not affect the mechanical properties of the sheet.

The guaranteed service life of the sheets is 15 years.

Young family with small daughter indoors

Safety

high impact resistance and optical transparency

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