Polycarbonate Plastic
Tough and durable yet lightweight, polycarbonate is usually associated with applications requiring high impact. Significantly stronger than plate glass and acrylic, flexible polycarbonate plastic sheets are a lightweight, economical glazing material that provides increased protection against high-traffic use, vandalism, and theft. Used extensively in architectural applications, architecture polycarbonate sheets, rods, and tubing are energy efficient, due to their excellent insulating qualities when compared to glass of equal thickness. Flexible polycarbonate plastic sheets allow up to 90 percent transmittance of solar energy and 88 percent of visible light. Tints and patterns can be added to help reduce heat gain and to enhance its use in architectural design applications.
In security applications, polycarbonate laminates provide proven resistance to both physical and ballistic attacks. A variety of polycarbonate, and polycarbonate/acrylic, configurations offer different levels of protection ranging from containment up to UL Level 3 bullet resistance. Flexible polycarbonate plastic sheets are more dimensionally stable than acrylic over a wide temperature range. And, compared to acrylic, it is only slightly less transparent. Standard polycarbonate doesn't weather well over time but additives and coatings can be incorporated that significantly increase weather ability in polycarbonate plastic applications.
Applications
- Windows
- Containment Panels
- Security and Bullet-Resistant Windows
- Motorcycle Windscreens
- Dash Panels
- Lighting Fixtures/Diffusers
- Signs
- Safety Equipment
- Machine Guards
- Skylights
- Machine-Grade
- Light Lenses
- Food Applications(FDA-Grade)
- Resistant Glazing
- Architectural Glazing
- Bus Shelters and Mass Transit Applications
Benefits
- Energy-efficient, due to excellent insulating qualities compared to glass of the same thickness.
- Allows up to 88 percent of visible light transmission.
- Can be specially formulated to provide excellent resistance to the weathering effects of prolonged exposure to the sun.
- Specialty types provide proven resistance to both physical and ballistic attacks in security applications.
- More dimensionally stable than acrylic over a wide temperature range.