Acrylic is a plastic material that can be used for many purposes. It provides a cost effective, durable material that can be fashioned into a variety of shapes and sizes, although acrylic sheets are the most popular form. This is because acrylic sheets can be turned into windows, retail displays, and even aquariums&#;all while providing better impact strength and a higher level of optical clarity than glass!
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Interestingly, acrylic isn&#;t just a single form of plastic. It&#;s actually any type of plastic. It&#;s actually any type of plastic that contains derivatives of acrylic acid, but PMMA is by far the most common type of plastic. This is part of why multiple brands and varieties of acrylic plastic exist. Not only can acrylic plastic be chemically versatile, it can also be produced in two different ways: cast or extruded.
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When seeking to purchase acrylic plastic, it can be both interesting and beneficial to discover how both kinds of acrylic sheets are made. To ensure the correct plastic is chosen, and satisfy any curiosity about the production process in which our sheets are made, read on:
Cast acrylic has a high level of chemical resistance, and can be formed into a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. In its sheet form, cast acrylic is a great choice if a durable material is needed. Not only that, but cast provides a greater range of thicknesses, making it ideal for large structures and installations.
Cast acrylic can be created using two different manufacturing techniques, batch cell and continuous production. Batch cell is the most commonly 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 wide 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 exceptionally thin or narrow sheets.
No matter which technique is used, the first step when making cast acrylic involves mixing a monomer with a catalyst, which creates the polymer. As these two materials start to mix, the vat will actually look white. However, once thoroughly mixed, this molten mixture will become transparent. During this part of the mixing process, color can be added. These colors can be mixed and matched, allowing very specific shades&#; or even organic patterns like woods or granite&#;to be attained.
The next step is the casting process, the namesake of this production method. Before this step a disposable mold is created to fit the customer&#;s specifications. Then, the molten plastic is poured into this mold, and left to sit for a few hours until it becomes semi-solid and can be removed from the mold. Once the sheet leaves the mold, it&#;s transferred into an autoclave, which is specialty machinery that functions like a pressure cooker and an oven. The autoclave then uses heat and pressure to force air bubbles out of the plastic, giving it high clarity and an exceptionally solid composition. Refining the acrylic in the autoclave is not a short task, either&#;it typically takes over half a day!
Once the acrylic is removed from the autoclave, it&#;s time to finish the acrylic sheet. Edges are sanded down several times to ensure the sheet is smooth, using a smaller grain of sandpaper every time. While acrylic sheets can be sold at this point in the production process, it&#;s common for customers to choose to have the sheet buffed. The first step of the buffing process uses a cloth covered wheel to remove sanding marks, creating a smooth appearance for the acrylic sheet. If requested, the sheet can be polished again using another cloth covered wheel that is exceptionally soft. This creates a glossy appearance. At this point, the polished acrylic sheet is ready to be sold.
Extruded acrylic has a different production process than cast acrylic, giving it different properties. Acrylic produced through this method is less expensive, and has a more consistent thickness. It&#;s popular for building retail displays because it can be machined and polished much more easily than cast acrylic.
This process uses 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 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 similar to a mold. The dye then flattens on the molten plastic, creating a uniform sheet through pressure. Sheets can be made in a variety 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.
No matter which method is used to produce acrylic sheets, quality control is always the paramount concern. This isn&#;t just to prevent contamination, which can damage the integrity of the sheets&#;it&#;s done to prevent chemical reactions that can be unsafe to workers. This is primarily done by monitoring each step of the production process, including controlling temperatures from start to finish.
Acme Plastics is the expert in all things acrylic. We offer a range of acrylic sheets in a spectrum of colors, available in both cast and extruded. Visit our website if you&#;d like to see our full selection. If you have additional questions, contact us today.
Fabricating products out of acrylics using processes like solvent welding (cementing), break forming, flame polishing, and drape forming requires a lot of expertise.
As experts in plastics and plastic fabrication, we often receive queries about different aspects of working in a variety of plastics materials. Take acrylic, for example. Many people are confused as to what acrylic is, the ways in which it can be formed, how it can be manipulated and fabricated, and what it can be used for, so let&#;s address these questions.
Acrylic is a thermoplastic, which means that it becomes pliable or moldable at a certain elevated temperature and solidifies upon cooling.
First synthesized in in the laboratories of the German chemical firm Röhm and Haas, the scientific name for acrylic is polymethylmethacrylate, or PMMA for short. These days, people often refer to acrylic using various trade names and brands, such as Acrylite, Astariglas, Crylux, Lucite, Optix, Perclax, Perspex, Plexiglas, and others.
Yes! In fact, many sources start off by stating that acrylic is transparent, but this is only one possibility. In its natural state, acrylic is indeed transparent and exhibits glass-like qualities such as optical clarity and brilliance. However, by means of different additives, acrylic is available in a variety of colors (regular, pastel, fluorescent, iridescent), all of which may be offered in transparent, translucent, and opaque forms.
Acrylic also is available in metallic colors that are designed to emulate the look of natural metals, such as anodized aluminum, brushed aluminum, bronze, copper, and rose gold. Furthermore, acrylic is available with a variety of coatings, such as antimicrobial, mirrored, and scratch-resistant finishes.
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As was previously noted, acrylic exhibits glass-like qualities such as optical clarity and brilliance. In addition to being lightweight, rigid, and extremely durable, acrylic has high impact resistance (10 times that of glass) and exceptional dimensional stability.
Its low water absorption, high resistance to ultraviolet (UV) light, excellent resistance to chemicals and contaminants, and the fact it will not corrode makes acrylic innately weatherable and inherently suitable for use in outdoor and other hostile environments.
Acrylic finds use in a tremendous breadth of applications, from corneal transplants in cataract surgery to aquariums to windows in airplanes, skyscrapers, and even submarines.
Due to acrylic&#;s pleasing aesthetic qualities, a small sampling of commercial applications include cosmetic displays, top-of-counter (TOC) displays, other point-of-purchase (POP) displays, brochure holders, shelves and retail fixtures, frames and display cases, LED diffusing lighting panels and any other units that require forming and clarity.
Acrylic is available in a variety of shapes and sizes, including sheets ranging from 0.01&#; to 4&#; in thickness (or more for specialty applications) and up to 108&#; square, rods (round and square) from 0.06&#; to 6&#; in diameter, and tubes from 0.25&#; to 24&#; in diameter. There are also custom-sized options that could be considered and that would be available from a skilled acrylic fabricator such as HP Manufacturing.
The two main manufacturing methods are &#;extrusion&#; and &#;casting.&#; Extrusion is a continuous manufacturing process in which the acrylic is heated into a superhot liquid with the consistency of thick corn syrup and then forced through a nozzle where it becomes rigid as it is cooled by air. One aspect of this process is that the properties of the extruded acrylic are heterogeneous, which means they may vary depending on the direction of extrusion.
Casting also involves heating the acrylic into a superhot liquid. In this case, however, the liquid is poured into a cast or mold. Casting is more expensive and more labor intensive, but it results in more homogeneous products that are harder and sturdier than their extruded counterparts. In addition to working better with laser cutting, cast acrylic is more pliable and less likely to bend, chip or melt during fabrication.
There&#;s also a process called &#;continuous casting&#; in which a continuously extruded sheet of acrylic is extruded and air-cooled, thereby allowing sheets of any desired length to be created.
The term &#;fabrication&#; embraces multiple activities, including machining, assembly, and finishing. Machining is typically performed using computer numerical control (CNC) machines but may (more rarely) be performed by hand. All of the common machining operations may be employed, including cutting, turning, routing, milling, drilling and grinding (see also our blog Machining Plastics Tips and Tricks).
Laser cutting may be employed to achieve complex radius shapes, and additional processes may be used to manipulate the shape of the acrylic, including strip heating, break forming and drape forming. In the case of strip heating, the acrylic sheet is brought into proximity with a length of resistance wire (the &#;strip&#;). When current is passed through the resistance wire it heats up, reaching temperatures as high as 500°C, which causes the acrylic to soften, after which it can be bent into the desired angle.
Break forming, which also is known as break bending, uses a similar mechanism to that employed for bending large sheets of metal. In this case, however, the edge over which the acrylic sheet is to be bent is heated, thereby causing it to soften before the bending takes place.
Drape forming is a highly specialized process that is used when sophisticated multidimensional curves or shapes are required. In this case, the acrylic sheet is first heated to soften it and make it pliable, after which it is pressed into or over the desired form, possibly assisted by gravity and/or the use of a vacuum.
Following machining, multiple pieces of acrylic can be assembled using a cyanoacrylate cement (commonly known as superglue), with heat (welding), or by using chlorinated solvents (solvent welding) to dissolve the plastic at the joint, which then fuses and sets, resulting in an almost invisible joint that is stronger than the surrounding material.
Finally, finishing may include buffing (either by hand or using automated machines) to achieve a glass-like finish. Alternatively, a process called &#;flame polishing&#; (also known as &#;fire polishing&#;) achieves much the same effect using a flame, which causes the surface of the material to briefly melt allowing surface tension to smooth the surface. Operator skill is critical with this method but, when done properly, flame polishing produces the clearest acrylic finish.
Here at HP Manufacturing, we&#;ve been working with plastics since our company was founded in . In the case of acrylics, we warehouse an exceptional range of shapes, sizes, and colors of extruded, cast, and continuous cast materials.
Of particular importance to our customers is that we partner with companies who provide quality materials whose color is consistent throughout and that will cement well, both properties that are not always true of cheaper materials from many other sources such as Asia.
Over the decades, we have built a tremendous amount of expertise and an enviable reputation with respect to machining and finishing acrylic parts and creating sub-assemblies&#; everything that&#;s required to satisfy our customers&#; exacting requirements while meeting tolerances others find difficult to achieve.
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