The Basics of Acrylic

If you work with acrylic or are considering using acrylic in your next design or development project, you may have questions about acrylic sheets and tubes in Utah. Acrylic is an increasingly popular material to work with due to how durable and strong it is, as well as its impact resistance. Read on to learn more about acrylic to see if it’s the right material for you:

• Benefits of acrylic over other materials: Acrylic is a great choice over many other plastics and glass thanks to its durable qualities. It is stronger, more impact-resistant, lighter in weight, shatter-proof and easier to fabricate and mold than glass. However, there are some plastics that are rated higher in strength. Polycarbonate is the strongest plastic material, followed by PETG and PET. Impact modified acrylic sheets are stronger than general-purpose acrylic sheets, as well.
• Customizability: Acrylic is incredibly customizable in terms of shape and color. There are many colors available, as well as almost any shape and construction you can imagine.
• Cracks and scratches: If your acrylic sheet cracks or gets scratched, there are things you can do to repair it. Since these materials do not have a grain, scratches can travel however they like. However, you can stop a scratch from getting bigger. Use a small drill bit to drill a hole through the material at the end of the crack to prevent traveling. You can also inject methylene chloride to seal the crack. Scratches can be dealt with simply by sanding and buffing them out.
• Gluing acrylic: You may find you need to attach one piece of plastic to another. Maybe something is broken, or you are constructing something new. While some plastics work well with glue, others do not. You can test this by experimenting with a small amount of acetone on a piece of the product. If it gets sticky, there is an adhesive that will work and you will be able to glue your plastic.
• Cast acrylic and extruded acrylic: You may be wondering about the different types of grades of acrylic sheets and tubes in Utah. When cast acrylic materials are manufactured, they are made from raw monomer, which is cast and poured into molds. Then, the material is ground and re-polished to the desired dimensions. Casting is more expensive but better quality than extruded acrylic. Extruded acrylic is manufactured by pushing acrylic pellets through a polished extrusion die to produce the final product. You may find die marks and imperfections on extruded sheets, rods and tubes, but for some applications, this may not matter, and the cost savings make it worth it.

If you’re in need of acrylic sheets and tubes in Utah for your project or product, contact D&D Plastics. We assist our clients in taking a concept or design and developing it into a viable product. Acrylic can serve a myriad of purposes when practically designed. We are the premier facilitator of plastic product fabrication in Utah and have helped many clients realize their own unique applications. Contact us today to learn more!

Categorised in: Acrylic Plastic Sheets, Acrylic Tubing

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