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Explore the adaptability of polycarbonate, a thermoplastic polymer recognized for its robustness and lightweight properties. With a resilience of 200 times greater than traditional glass, polycarbonate has become a go-to material for safety glazing in highly demanding spaces such as schools and hospitals. Beyond its safety application, its adaptability shines in architecture, gracing building facades, skylights, and canopies with design flexibility and versatility.
At Dulles Glass, we provide tailored solutions to meet your polycarbonate sheet requirements, with options available for customization. Select from thickness choices of 1/8 and 1/4 inch, featuring a cutting tolerance within 1/8. The 1/8 inch option is well-suited for lightweight applications like picture frames or cabinet glass, while the 1/4-inch thickness combines lightness and durability, making it ideal for windows and panels, providing cost-effective protection. Available in both rectangular and square shapes with straight corners, it is perfect for DIY projects requiring design flexibility. Choose your preferred size, confirm your order, and we will perfectly cut your customized selection
Polycarbonate glass, also known as “PC resin” — a thermoplastic polymer that stands out as a versatile material widely used for its exceptional qualities. With a tensile strength 200 times more robust than traditional plastic, it has become a preferred alternative to conventional glass, offering a surface that is harder to break.
Despite its high impact resistance, polycarbonate may have slightly lower scratch resistance than standard glass. It also tends to develop a yellow tint over time with exposure to UV rays unless a specific UV-grade variant is used.
Commonly utilized as safety glazing, its flexibility enables shaping without additional heat through a process known as cold bending, making it both versatile and adaptable for a variety of applications. In its solid form, it can be shaped, easily cut, and drilled, highlighting its adaptability across different industries and settings.
Polycarbonate glass has become essential for various applications due to its virtually unbreakable and vandal-proof qualities. Widely chosen for safety glazing in critical environments like schools, hospitals, public centers, and subways, polycarbonate excels in ensuring strength and resistance to impact. Its adaptability has garnered favor in architecture, offering solutions for natural lighting in facades, interiors, and roofs, with design flexibility allowing for visually striking elements. Its easy-to-modify nature makes it a favored choice for DIY projects such as window and door replacement.
Polycarbonate extends beyond safety applications to everyday household items, automotive use, and architectural elements in commercial settings. Its versatility includes applications such as bullet-resistant windows, technology cases, machinery guards, and UV-grade variants, making it a crucial choice across diverse fields for its resilience and adaptability.
Polycarbonate glass is known for its nearly unbreakable nature, providing a distinct advantage over traditional glass, particularly in terms of safety. With the ability to withstand extreme force during harsh weather conditions, it stands out as a durable and resilient material. Impressively, it is 30 times stronger than Plexiglass and over 200 times stronger than conventional glass.
Its exceptional strength allows it to endure substantial force, making it nearly impervious to breakage. In fact, bullet-resistant varieties of polycarbonate are used in applications such as police shields, safety helmets, and protective screens. Its lightweight nature offers superior strength and facilitates easy transportation and installation in various settings.
When comparing tempered glass and Polycarbonate, especially for areas susceptible to vandalism or impact from flying objects, polycarbonate emerges as the superior choice due to its greater strength and durability. Unlike tempered glass which is more susceptible to breakage and damage, polycarbonate panels are a practical and efficient solution that saves time and money and minimizes the risk of potential injuries in these areas and projects. With nearly unbreakable properties, 200 times greater resistance to impact, and the ability to withstand extreme weather conditions, polycarbonate proves itself as a reliable and robust option.
Tempered glass sheets shatter into small pebble-like pieces when cut or drilled, while polycarbonate provides flexibility. It can be cut easily or drilled without breaking into small fragments. Affordability is an additional advantage, as polycarbonate is more cost-effective than tempered glass. Visit our tempered glass blog to learn more about this other glass type.
Polycarbonate glass, also known as “PC Resin”, is a versatile and preferred choice for various applications due to its excellent qualities. Its transparency allows ample light transmission, making it ideal for safety barriers, windows, and see-through shields. Its outstanding resistance to impact renders it virtually unbreakable, making it essential for safety gear such as bulletproof glass, safety goggles, and car headlights. With the ability to withstand high temperatures without warping or melting, it became a prominent material for cookware and LED light covers. Despite its strength, PC resin remains lightweight, making it popular in the aerospace and automotive industries to reduce weight. It can also endure UV rays, making it valuable for applications like greenhouse panels and outdoor equipment covers. These properties make it a versatile and indispensable material in various industries.
Polycarbonate's transparency allows ample light transmission, making it ideal for safety barriers, windows, and see-through shields. Its outstanding resistance to impact renders it virtually unbreakable, making it essential for safety gear such as bulletproof glass, safety goggles, and car headlights. With the ability to withstand high temperatures without warping or melting, it became a prominent material for cookware and LED light covers. Despite its strength, PC resin remains lightweight, making it popular in the aerospace and automotive industries to reduce weight. It also provides UV protection, making it valuable for applications like greenhouse panels and outdoor equipment covers. These properties make it a versatile and indispensable material in various industries.
Polycarbonate panels exhibit remarkable strength, surpassing steel in certain aspects. It stands out as a resilient material with the ability to endure blasts exceeding 900 psi. It is approximately 200 times stronger than steel when considering weight. This unique characteristic allows polycarbonate to absorb impact energy flexibly and swiftly return to its original shape. It has a higher tensile strength and thermoplastic nature while steel tends to dent upon impact. Despite these key features, polycarbonate is not universally superior to steel. It falters when rigidly held, as seen in situations involving bolting. Deciding between polycarbonate and steel ultimately depends on the specific needs required for a particular application.
Polycarbonate | Plexiglass | |
---|---|---|
Cutting and Shaping | Doesn't break when drilled and can be bent without heating (cold bending). | Can be polished effectively using either mechanical or flame polishing. |
Optical Clarity | Less transparent than plexiglass and resembles glass in its see-through quality. | Excellent transparency and clarity |
Impact Resistance | 250 times more impact-resistant than glass | 10 times more impact-resistant than glass |
Weight | Lighter than regular glass and Plexiglass | Lighter than regular glass |
Cost | More expensive than acrylic/plexiglass | Less expensive than polycarbonate |
Scratch Resistance | Easier to scratch, and minor scratches cannot be polished away | More resistant to scratches |
Applications | Ideal for high-impact applications like safety shields, machinery guards, and bulletproof windows | Widely used for signage, DIY picture frames, sneeze guards, and other low-impact applications |
UV Resistance | Naturally UV-resistant | May degrade over time in prolonged sunlight |
Temperature Resistance | More heat-resistant, suitable for outdoor use | Sensitive to high temperatures and may warp |
Durability | Less rigid than acrylic/plexiglass | more rigid and cracks easier than polycarbonate |
Chemical Resistance | Highly resistant to different kinds of acids, oxidizing agents, oils, wax, and chemicals. | It withstands exposure to inorganic chemicals, fats, oils, diluted acids, and concentrated alkalis at room temperature. |
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United States © 2024 Dulles Glass. All Rights Reserved.