FAQs

What is Acrylic?

    Acrylic is a plastic material with outstanding strength, stiffness, and optical clarity. Acrylic sheet is easy to fabricate, bonds well with adhesives and solvents, and is easy to thermoform. It has superior weathering properties compared to many other transparent plastics.

    Acrylic is one of the most versatile and commonly used materials in modern manufacturing. It goes under a lot of names, including PMMA, plexiglass, Optix, Perspex, and Acrylic Glass. It’s most commonly used in its sheet form, but it can be easily formed into a variety of shapes, like tubes and rods. While acrylic is usually transparent, it is available in a wide range of colors and tints.

    There’s a lot of reasons behind the ubiquity of acrylic – and it is a truly amazing material that plays a major part in modern life.

    A few facts:

    • There are two primary types of acrylic: Cast & Extruded.
    • Acrylic has a 92 percent light transmittance rate – one of the highest light transmission rates possible. This makes acrylic clearer than a standard sheet of glass.
    • Acrylic is very lightweight, and is approximately half the weight of a similar glass panel.
    • Acrylic is 6 to 17 times more impact resistant than a similar-sized sheet of glass.
    • It is difficult to shatter acrylic, and it is more likely to crack under immense impact or pressure.
    • Acrylic has a tensile strength of 9,400 PSI, and a flexural strength of 13,000 PSI.
    • Acrylic has no bisphenol-A, meaning that it is inherently BPA-free.
    • Compared to other clear plastics near its price point, acrylic is rather scratch-resistant.

    Acrylic Care & Maintenance

    • Acrylic is simple to clean and polish using a clean cloth and cleaning compounds.
    • It’s possible to remove light scratches from acrylic with special abrasive compounds.
    • Standard glue does not work on acrylic. To glue acrylic, it’s necessary to use heat or special chemical solvents.
    • With some basic guidance, it is very easy to drill or cut acrylic plastic with standard woodworking tools.

    Interesting Uses for Acrylic

    • Acrylic is one of the most versatile plastics available, with various home use and commercial use cases.
    • Acrylic can be made into a lacquer, which is often used as a protective coating for outdoor decks and furniture.
    • Acrylic is an emerging 3D printing material, with black, white, and transparent filament being commonplace.
    • Acrylic sheets are often used for aquariums since they are lightweight, inexpensive, and shatter-resistant.
    • Exterior retail signage is often made from acrylic.
    • Acrylic was historically used in submarine periscopes, windows for World War II jets, and as protective canopies and shields for turrets.