Frequently Asked Questions)
Plexiglas (PMMA - polymethyl methacrylate)
Nebo také akrylátové (organické) sklo je průhledný syntetický polymer (bezbarvá látka) s vlastnostmi termoplastu. Svými optickými vlastnostmi se podobá sklu. Vyrábí se z polymethylmetakrylátu (od tohoto slova "akrylát") a je dostupné v mnoha modifikacích ( XT, GS ), tvarů a barev (čirá plaxiskla, barevná plexiskla). Plexisklo má oboustrannou UV ochranu a tudíž je vhodné k použití do exteriéru i interiéru.
Plexiglas panels have high impact strength, up to 10 times higher impact strength compared to glass. It is also 50% lighter than glass. These properties predestine Plexiglas for use in many well-known industries such as advertising (signs, displays, totems, shop fittings, sales displays), construction (barriers, walls), etc.
Ukázka plexisklových výrobkůPolycarbonate
Polycarbonate (PC), is a group of thermoplastic polymers containing carbonate groups in their structure. Polycarbonates have high (to extremely high) impact toughness. It can be used at temperatures from -40°C to +130°C. Polycarbonate also has, like Plexiglas, double-sided UV protection and is available in various colours (clear polycarbonate, bronze polycarbonate). There are also solid sheets (like plexiglass) or chamber sheets (roofing pergolas, terraces, roofs).
What is the difference between acrylic and polycarbonate?
Polycarbonate is soft material with significant stiffness and impact resistance. Compared to glass and transparent plastics it is virtually indestructible. It is widely used for safety applications such as machinery protective shields where high risk of chipping. It is also used as door and window panels or at mass transport stops where vandalism can occur. Due to its softness it is vulnerable to scratches and surface damage which are difficult to remove or repair.
As opposed to polycarbonate acrylic cracks and shatters with impact. However, acrylic at the same time maintains its outstanding surface properties. Compared to polycarbonate it is less vulnerable to scratches and provides significantly higher UV resistance. Acrylic is therefore mainly used for advertising and promotional items production.
How to glue plexiglass?
Gluing Plexiglas can be done in several ways. For example, with a one-component adhesive (simple gluing of which results in a slight appearance of bubbles in the glued joint), two-component glue (more complex bonding procedure which results in a perfect joint). Adhesives are used for bonding Plexiglas ACRIFIX.
Difference between cast (GS) and extruded (XT) acrylic
These materials are visually same, but they have different thermal features. There are other technological differences such as for blowing, laser engraving or pressing. Generally, continuous cast acrylic is higher quality than extruded acrylic.
Cast acrylic
Cast Plexiglas is more expensive than extruded Plexiglas, the difference in price is about 20%. Cast Plexiglas has a higher material width tolerance, it is suitable for outdoor use because it can withstand higher temperatures than extruded Plexiglas.
Cast acrylic is typically used for more complex production technology such as sphere and dome blowing.
Extruded acrylic
Extruded Plexiglas is cheaper than cast Plexiglas, this fact is due to the human labour involved in its production of the raw material. However, this lower price is offset by the lower surface quality and higher susceptibility to the formation of heat-affected areas.
Extruding process leads to re-forming of polymers in length and their narrowing due to high gloss stretching. This causes so called 'granular effect' which leads to shrinkage depending on particular axes positioning during material thermal forming.
Do you provide Plexiglas lasering or Plexiglas milling?
Plexiglas Lasering and other non-metallic materials is a common method of material machining that we use extensively. Thanks to the high-power laser, we reduce manual material formatting and leave this to the laser, which is more efficient and accurate.
CNC Plexiglas milling, polycarbonate milling is performed on our modern CNC router with a working area of 3100 x 2100 mm. High machine performance allows us to achieve very fast machining times and therefore we are able to charge low prices for plate machining.
Are you able to mill holes or grooves in the edge of the material?
CNC material edge milling is performed on our modern CNC router equipped with a vertical table. On this table the workpiece is clamped perpendicular to the spindle which then performs the precise drilling or slotting in the edge of the material. More about this technology and photos from the production can be found by clicking the link at the beginning of the paragraph.
Do you provide Plexiglas polishing?
Plexiglas polishing is done in several ways. Our many years of experience allow us to always choose the right way of polishing the material so that the polishing process is gentle to the material structure and the result is satisfactory for the customer.
Edge polishing is done by machine, we use diamond tools.
Polishing of surfaces or grooves is done by flame, by hand (with special discs) using abrasive pastes or by chemical means.
Are you taping my diorama cover?
Making and bonding of Plexiglas covers and diorama covers have been in business since the beginning of our existence. We offer many variants of production (glued, bent), different types of glue (simple one-component glue, or more complex two-component gluing). We are able to produce small and large covers.
Glued diorama covers - glued from 5 parts plexiglass panels.
Bent diorama covers - front and back side bent, sides glued.
Is it possible to polish scratched motorcycle windshields and wind deflectors?
The answer is not clear. Some can, some can not be polished. Most of the windshields can not be polished as they are made of different materials (injection press material) than “common“ acrylic. Some shields are made of polycarbonate containing styrene that makes the shields more difficult to polish. Great influence on future polishing quality results have your care and maintenance. If inappropriate cleaning solution containing alcohol is used polishing is virtually impossible as alcohol causes material fragility and the shields often crack.
Do you provide Plexiglas bending, polycarbonate bending?
Bending plexiglass or polycarbonate we perform either by local heating of the material plate or by flat heating in a tempering furnace (arc bending). Our bending machines are able to bend up to 4 bends at a time, ensuring that the the material from both the bottom and the top side. We are able to locally heat bend plexiglass to a thickness of up to 20 mm.
Do you sandblast plexiglass?
Mechanical blasting of materials is performed in a sandblasting chamber using high pressure and fine material (substrate, We make the sandblasting templates ourselves on our CNC laser. The result of the cooperation of individual departments results in sandblasted logos, motifs or inscriptions. We also sandblast the edges material, for example letters, or machine matting of straight edges.
What format should I send in my custom manufacturing price request?
All requests for custom manufacturing should be followed with picture or drawing of desired product to avoid miscommunication. We can process these formats:
- .dwg a .dxf - Auto Cad
- .ai - Adobe Ilustrator
- .jpg - picture
What is achievable radius in acrylic and polycarbonate cold bending?
Acrylic
Bending radius that material safely withstands is calculated with this formula:
R [mm]= l[mm] * 330, where l = material thickness;
Examples of use:
5mm thick acrylic: R = 5 * 330 = 1650mm (circle diameter of 3300mm). 5mm thick acrylic can be bent without damage into radius of R=1650mm or in circle of 3300mm diameter.
Polycarbonate
Bending radius that material safely withstands is calculated with this formula:
R [mm]= l[mm] * 150, where l = material thickness;
Examples of use:
Polycarbonate 5 mm thick: R = 5 * 150 = 750mm (circle diameter 1500mm). Polycarbonate 5mm thick can be bent in radius up to R=750mm without any damage, or in circle of 1500mm diameter
Why is acrylic more expensive than glass?
Acrylic provides very good technological machinability. It can be easily milled, routed, glued, bent or pressed. Standard glass is cheaper but its machinability is way more expensive and limited due to its fragility and other properties. With this respect producers of acrylic and other acrylic materials set relatively higher prices without compromising demand for materials they produce.