POLYCARBONATE

Also known as...

Lexan, Makrolon

Available colours...

Clear, Opal, Bronze. Other colours such as Smoky Grey or Black available on request.

Applications...

Glazing, Machine Guarding, Shrouding, Ducting.

Features...

Polycarbonate features excellent impact resistance and, as such, is chosen in many safety guarding applications. It can be hold or cold line bent to form L-sections, U-sections, and more complex shapes. It can be bonded and welded. The material can be vacuum formed and drape formed to complex shapes (tooling is required for these processes). It is also used in shrouding and ducting applications as it has good electrical insulating properties.

Temperature range...

Up to 120C. The material also has an excellent resistance to low temperatures.

Cost...

MEDIUM

Misc info...

Polycarbonate is shatterproof but this does not mean unbreakable! The material can crack, particularly at fixing points where point load can be an issue. The material is relatively easy to scractch compared with glass or acrylic. Polycarbonate can discolour after continued service, and can be attacked by weak chemicals and cleaning products. The material is very flexible and can be bent to a min radius of 525mm at 3mm thick, and 1400mm radius at 8mm thick.

Range...

Sheets 0.5mm thick through to 12mm thick in "clear". Sheet sizes vary with thickness however most thicknesses are available in 8ft x 4ft and 3 mtr x 2mtr. Natural/Opaque Engineering Grade material available from 15mm through 50mm thicknesses. Engineering material available 620mm wide.