In the world of plastic, acrylic sheets are one of the most popular and highly-sought out materials. If you are considering using acrylic sheets for your next project, but aren&#;t quite sure about what type of sheets you may need or how to properly care for them once acquired, we&#;ve got you covered. Acme Plastics has a comprehensive guide on the ins and outs of acrylic sheets and everything you need to know in order to properly customize, machine, and maintain them. Listed below are some of the most common questions our plastic specialists receive about acrylic sheets and the answers we share with our consumers when prompted with these very essential inquiries about our line of acrylic sheets at Acme Plastics.
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Acrylic, also known as plexiglass or acrylic glass, is a versatile plastic material with a multitude of purposes and benefits, available in a wide range of colors and opacities. Acrylic is most sold in sheets of various thicknesses but can also be found in forms such as rods or tubes, and styles such as frosted, mirrored, or non-glare. Conveniently, acrylic plastic can also be molded and colored to fit specific applications. No matter what option best suits your needs, acrylic will provide a cost-effective, durable material for your project.
There are two popular kinds of acrylic sheets: cast and extruded. These two acrylic sheet variations each have their own exclusive manufacturing process.
Cast acrylic sheets can be created using two different manufacturing techniques, batch cell and continuous production. Batch cell is the most used process. This is a simple and easy way to create acrylic sheets ranging from .06-inches to 6-inches thick, and sheets ranging from three feet to several hundred feet! With this technique, sheets are often made-to-order. On the other hand, continuous production is a quick process that runs nonstop, requiring less labor. This manufacturing process is popular for very thin or narrow sheets.
Extruded acrylic sheets use extrusion-grade polymer pellets as base. These pellets are created when a monomer is suspended in a water solution and a catalyst is added, creating droplets of polymers. These pellets are then fed into a machine called an extruder, which heats pellets until they have a molten, liquid consistency. From there, the molten plastic is put into a metal dye, which is like a mold. The dye then flattens on the molten plastic, creating a uniform sheet through pressure. Sheets can be made in a range of thicknesses depending on how much space is between the dye, the sheets are then fed into cooling rows, which makes the acrylic sheet solid. From there, the sheet will be cut to the proper size, and finished using sanding and buffing techniques.
ACRYLITE OP2 sheet is an ultraviolet filtering grade of acrylic sheet. ACRYLITE OP2 filters 98% of the hazardous ultraviolet light portion of sunlight; it is commonly used for display cases and protective glazing, predominantly within museums, galleries, and private collectors.
OP3 acrylic sheets are commonly clear or tinted frame-grade acrylic sheets that provide 98% of UV protection. OP3 acrylic is designed to meet the unique needs of professional framers, museum curators, and artists. OP3 is known for its resiliency and ability to protect artwork and documents from harmful ultraviolet light (UV), which is the most commonplace cause of fading and degradation.
Acrylic P95 Sheets have a translucent matte finish with superior ink and paint retention properties. It is commonly used for digital printing, silk screening and sign making. Like standard acrylic, these acrylic sheets have more clarity and impact resistance than glass and are easy to fabricate. They are available in a variety of colors and thicknesses.
Acrylic non-glare P99 frame grade sheets are an ideal material to use when displaying art, photographs, prints, and more. This frame grade acrylic is camera inspected for imperfections through the manufacturing process to guarantee the highest quality standards for the picture framing industry. Like a standard acrylic sheet, non-glare P99 frame grade acrylic is half the weight of glass while being 17 times more impact resistant. These acrylic sheets help minimize glare and reflections with its soft matte finish, giving a top grade viewing experience at almost any angle.
Acrylic sheets have a wide variety of benefits one of which is that they can be used across many industries. Other benefits of acrylic sheets include easy fabrication, shaping, are lighter and stronger than glass, highly transparent, easy to clean and machine, and quite easy to maintain. This makes it a choice material for point-of-purchase applications, displays, windows, signage, picture frames, furniture, aquariums, and DIY projects.
There are many uses for acrylic sheets in commercial projects. Some of the most popular commercial projects that acrylic sheets are utilized include commercial plexiglass windows, skylights, secure facilities, retail displays, trade shows, and barrier shields.
To cut thicker sheets of acrylic, it&#;s best to use either a jigsaw or a table saw that&#;s outfitted with a special blade that&#;s designed specifically for cutting acrylic. This will allow you to cut cleanly the first time and make the finishing process much more straightforward. If these blades aren&#;t available, a regular blade with a high tooth count will do the job.
When removing scratches from your acrylic sheets it is important to evaluate if the scratches are light or deep. The process of repairing deeper scratches is similar to the process to repair light scratches, except we recommend adding two more items &#; 600 grit sandpaper and Novus No. 3 solution. Below are the steps to removing scratches from acrylic sheets:
Before starting, make sure that the acrylic sheet is cleaned either with dish soap or Novus No. 1. Then, follow this procedure to remove moderately deep (under 5 mm) scratches from acrylic:
Keep in mind, deep cracks cannot easily be fixed. If cracked acrylic must be fixed, there are a few ways to glue acrylic together. However, this won&#;t necessarily join the acrylic cleanly, and some glue residue may be visible. If this isn&#;t suitable for your acrylic&#;s use case, there&#;s not much to be done besides replacing the acrylic sheet.
We hope that this has been a helpful resource for you to better understand acrylic sheets and all its benefits, purposes, and use cases. If you have questions or would like to discuss customizing your acrylic sheets for your next project, contact one of our plastic specialists for more details about what we can do for you.
Q. Modern Plastics is LOCATED IN SHELTON, CONNECTICUT USA ?
A. You got that right! Modern Plastics, 88 Long Hill Cross Road, Shelton, Connecticut
Q. I&#;m confused and need basic assistance, maybe even very technical assistance..!
A. Simply call us at (800) 243- and speak with one of our technical plastics sales experts. We are happy to help!
You will get efficient and thoughtful service from KDSX.
Q. I&#;m a private individual and would like to make a purchase. Will you sell to me, and do I have to buy full size sheets?
A. We certainly do sell all of our plastics to individual consumers either through our &#;will-call&#; pick-up store in Shelton, Connecticut. We&#;ll gladly cut to size most any plastic materials you might need.
Q. Plexiglas® sheet &#; I&#;m worried that it is going to yellow on me after a few years. Also, what about scratching; should I be concerned?
A. All of the acrylic sheet Modern Plastics sells is manufactured with plenty of Ultra-violet stabilizers (UV) protection. This means that with proper maintenance of the Plexiglas acrylic sheet, it should never turn hazy or yellow. Of course, you&#;ll need to wash the Plexiglas with the proper cleaning solutions like our Novus® brand polishes and special Modern Magic® MicroFiber Cleaning Clothes, and to also be careful to never use such products as commercial brand &#;glass cleaning&#; sprays. Glass cleaning spray and other such products contain harmful microscopic abrasives that will cause fine scratching and eventual yellowing of the Plexiglas sheet. If you need an acrylic product that resists scratching, then ask us about our Lucite® SAR® abrasion-resistant acrylic sheet.
Q. I&#;d like you to build me a display case with special features, but I only need to purchase one -can you do this?
A. Absolutely -in fact, Modern Plastics can build you any size or style custom-designed Plexiglas acrylic case, to your exact requirements in no time at all. The quality and construction of our cases is so good, that the Smithsonian Institute in Washington uses them to display rocks from the Moon and other artifacts. And that same care and quality is extended to your individual display case as well. Just give us an idea of what you are looking for and our designers will do the rest.
Q. Is my 1/4&#; plastic really a 1/4&#; thick, and if not, how come?
A. It often depends on the type of plastic you buy. For example, most mechanical plastics like Delrin® and Nylon plate and rod are either planned or centerless ground to standard industry or ASTM tolerances. Most always, these materials will be oversize; -.000&#; / +.025&#;, since the material will be machined down to the correct size. Some materials, are sold unplanned or ungrounded, or are molded and sold &#;as is&#;. These products can be greatly oversize, and no specific stated tolerance exists other than the material is &#;sufficiently oversize to allow for machining.&#;
In the case of acrylic (Plexiglas®) and polycarbonate (Lexan®, Tuffak®) sheet for example, these items are usually sold in &#;metric&#; gauges. For example, 6mm thickness acrylic sheet is sold as 1/4&#; thick material (the actual thickness is .236&#;). Other examples are listed below*:
1/10&#; = .098&#; thickness 1/8&#; = .118&#; thickness 3/16&#; = .177&#; thickness 7/32&#; = .220&#; thickness 1/4&#; = .250&#; thickness 3/8&#; = .354&#; thickness 1/2&#; = .472&#; thickness * The thickness above may also have a &#;tolerance-range&#; which may leave the sheets oversize or undersize.Q. Can you tell me what the difference is between &#;cast&#; acrylic rod, sheet and tube vs. &#;extruded&#; types?
A. Sheet, rod and tube in acrylic materials is available in both extruded and cast grades, the selection of which should be determined by the quality level desired when compared to cost considerations. When cast acrylic materials are manufactured it is manufactured from raw monomer which is cast or poured into molds. Once cured, the material is often ground and then re-polished to finish dimensions. Casting is the more expensive of the two processes, but yields a better quality product. Extruded acrylic materials on the other hand is manufactured by pushing acrylic pellets through a highly polished extrusion die to produce a finished product. Die marks and other slight imperfections may make extruded sheet, rod, and tube somewhat less desirable for critical applications. The process is less expensive however, and the quality is perfectly acceptable for most applications.
Q. Please explain how your shipping charges work.
A. Shipping plastics is not like shipping other standard UPS type products. For one, many plastics are indeed fragile items that require special packaging, boxing and handling to insure that they arrive in pristine, unscratched condition upon arrival at your door. There is not only additional packaging materials and special boxing that adds cost, but also the labor to prepare the packages for shipping can get quite lengthy. An example of this is when wooden crates must be assembled for encasing large sheets of plastic that would be easily damaged by even the most careful common carrier trucking company.
Also, trucking regulations in terms of how plastics are &#;classified&#; can also determine the rate of shipping an item. Some plastics might be very light in weight, yet consume lots of &#;air-space&#;, thus a higher corresponding shipping bill. As you can imagine, it is less costly to ship an item via UPS then with a trucking company and that is why we offer many of our items cut into &#;UPS&#;able&#; sizes. UPS won&#;t take a 10&#; foot long rod, yet, but we&#;ll offer you 2 pieces of rod, 5&#; foot long instead. You&#;re still getting the desired footage, but the item can be easily shipped in the 5&#; foot length via UPS.
Another cost factor comes into play with International Shipments. Many countries now prohibit the use of wooden pallets coming into their country for fear that the wood could be harboring insects, disease, etc. Plastic pallets are now be required by most countries and these plastic pallets (since they are not commonly used right now) have a cost structure that is currently higher then wood pallets. Those costs must be passed on to the buyer when shipping good overseas. In time though, the cost of plastic pallets should equal that of wood as it becomes more commonplace.
Many of our rods are sold in 6&#; or 8&#; lengths, again, these items are easily shipped through UPS service. On the other hand, sometimes you need full rod lengths or full size sheets and that&#;s when you&#;ll see the &#;TBD&#; notice. It&#;s also when when our skill, knowledge and experience of 58-years of shipping plastics materials all over the world comes into play towards getting you the fastest and least expensive shipping means possible.
Lastly, there are the UPS and Trucking charges themselves that with the cost of fuel and transportation these days, seems to escalate more and more.
We believe the main message in all of this is for you, our customer, to know that Modern Plastics is exceptionally knowledgeable when it comes to shipping our products and we strive daily to insure that you are getting the fairest most economical means of receiving your product.
It is not our intention to gouge or profit from our shipping charges to our customers. Since the inception of our website and e-commerce activity, we have never had a shipment returned for damage (anywhere in the world!) while in transit. That, more than anything demonstrates the care we take to insure safe arrival of your plastic goods. For more information please read the SHIPPING POLICY at our On-Line Plastics Purchase Center.
DELRIN® is a registered trademark of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.
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