Lexan Polycarbonate Flat Sheet offering light weight and break resistance
Polycarbonate materials have a unique balance of useful features including temperature resistance, impact resistance and optical properties position polycarbonates in between commodity plastic materials and engineering plastics.
Polycarbonate is a very rugged material. Though it has higher impact-resistance, it's got low scratch-resistance and so a hard coating is often applied to polycarbonate eyeglasses lenses as well as polycarbonate exterior automotive equipment. The properties relating to polycarbonate are similar to that of those of common Acrylic materials, although polycarbonate definitely is stronger, it is usable in a wider temperature range and is a bit more expensive. This plastic polymer is highly transparent to visible light and it has better light transmission characteristics than many kinds of glass.
Polycarbonate has a glass transition temperature near 150 °C (302 °F), consequently it softens slowly above this point and flows above about 300°C (572 °F). Tools are required to be held at high temperatures, generally above 80 °C (176 °F) to make strain- and stress-free products.
Unlike many thermoplastics, polycarbonate can undergo dramatic shape changes without cracking. Therefore, it may be processed and formed cold using standard sheet metal techniques, for instance forming bends on a brake. For even sharp angle bends having a tight radius, no heating is generally necessary. This makes it attractive prototyping applications where transparent or electrically non-conductive parts are necessary, which cannot be made from sheet metal. Remember that PMMA/Plexiglas, that is certainly similar in looks to polycarbonate, but it's brittle and can't be bent unless it is heated.
Polycarbonate is commonly used in eye protection, and also in other projectile-resistant viewing and lighting applications that would normally require the use of glass, but require much higher impact-resistance. Several types of lenses are made of polycarbonate, including automotive headlamp lenses, lighting lenses, sunglass/eyeglass lenses, swimming and SCUBA goggles, and safety goggles for use in sporting helmets/masks and police riot gear. Windscreens in small motorized vehicles are normally crafted from polycarbonate, such as for motorcycles, ATVs, golf carts, and small planes and helicopters.
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