Lexan Polycarbonate Sheeting are clear and tough
Bayer Makrolon Polycarbonate products have a great blend of helpful features including temp resistance, impact resistance and optical properties position polycarbonates between commodity plastics and engineering plastics.
Polycarbonate is a very durable material. Though it offers tremendous impact-resistance, it's got a lower scratch-resistance and thus a hard coating may be applied to polycarbonate eyewear lenses and polycarbonate exterior auto components. The properties relating to polycarbonate are similar to that of those of common Acrylic materials, except polycarbonate is definitely 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 many different types of glass.
Polycarbonate has a glass transition temperature near 150 °C (302 °F), so it softens slowly above this point and flows above about 300°C (572 °F). Tools should be held at high temperatures, generally above 80 °C (176 °F) to produce strain- and almost stress free products.
Unlike most other thermoplastics, polycarbonate can undergo large shape changes without breaking or cracking. Therefore, it can be processed and formed cold using sheet metal techniques, such as forming bends on 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 necessary, which may not be crafted from sheet metal. Understand that PMMA/Plexiglas, that is similar in looks to polycarbonate, but is brittle and cannot be bent without heating.
The light weight of polycarbonate, compared with glass, has led to development of electronic display screens that replace glass with polycarbonate, for use in mobile and portable devices. Such displays include newer e-ink and some LCD screens, though CRT, plasma screen and other LCD technologies still generally require glass for its higher melting temperature and the ability to be etched with finer detail.
Other kinds of items produced from Polycarbonate include durable, lightweight luggage, MP3/digital audio player cases, computer cases, riot shields, instrument panels, and common style blender jars. Many toys and hobby items are made 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 either can be a coating (e.g. for improved abrasion resistance), or as a coextrusion for enhanced weathering resistance.
Bayer Makrolon Polycarbonate is a thermoplastic that begins as a solid material in the form of small pellets. In a manufacturing process called injection molding, the pellets are heated until they begin to melt. 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 form a finished product in less than a minute.
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