Would you be surprised to hear that acrylic sheets are the single most used plastic around the world? It most certainly is one of the most practical choices for both commercial and personal use.
Acrylic sheets, popularly known as Plexiglass or Perspex, exhibit many distinctive advantages over materials such as glass, often making it the preferred choice of material for a variety of uses e.g., furniture, screens, windows, displays and signage.
Strength and Durability
It’s no secret that acrylic is much stronger than glass, it is extremely durable and shatter-resistant making it a great substitute for glass that requires more care to maintain the material. There’s nothing worse than installing something and it breaking a short time after. if you are looking for a plastic material that will serve its purpose for a significant period of time, then acrylic sheets are just what you are looking for.
The reason why acrylic sheets are stronger than glass boils down to their flexibility and the ability to be easily moulded during the fabrication process.
Highly transparent
Applications that are exposed to direct sunlight or situated outside, over time will experience signs of wear and yellowing.
The advantage of using acrylic sheets for outdoor use is that as the material gets ages, it remains transparent with minimal tinting. This is why you will often see acrylic sheets being used in aquariums or zoos as not only is the plastic material exceptionally durable but it won’t show signs of wear for a long time.
Easy to fabricate
During the fabrication process, acrylic sheets are heated until the plastic becomes malleable enabling the material to be moulded into any shape. As the acrylic sheet cools, it will take in the shape of the mould allowing the material to be shaped and further adapted to the desired specification.
If we use glass as an example, the factory processing is much easier and more reliable with acrylic sheets due to its sheer strength and durability, whereas glass is at a higher risk of breakage.
Lightweight
Did you know that acrylic sheets are 50% lighter than glass? This is particularly handy when transporting the material or installing something large in size such as an acrylic aquarium barrier.
Aside from being a Lightweight plastic material, it also offers excellent dimensional stability.
Acrylic sheets are a great alternative to glass, they mirror the same properties but at a greater scale. They can be completely tailored to what you need and meet your specification every time. We would highly recommend opting for acrylic sheets, especially if you are seeking plastic material for outdoor use.