Picking a suitable plastic for your next project doesn’t sound challenging. Not until you consider that there are currently around 85,000 plastics on the market, including many different types of clear plastic sheet.
Choosing the right material depends on a range of factors, including strength, durability, flexibility and cost. So it pays to understand how different plastics, including plastic sheet options, are used in a range of everyday applications.
Lenses and shatterproof windows
PMMA or acrylic is the obvious choice when you need a clear plastic sheet. The combination of high strength to weight ratio, shatter resistance, clarity and affordability make it the go-to choice for everything from framing and glazing to transparent lenses.
Polycarbonate is a more robust product that’s often used in bulletproof windows. Its clarity also makes it a good choice for optical lenses. However, we recommend renewable polycarbonate if you need a product capable of withstanding high impacts. This material is up to 30 times stronger than acrylic, highly durable, and environmentally friendly.
Signage and street furniture
PETG (Polyethylene terephthalate Glycol) is resistant to solvents, heat and impact, making it a good choice for street furniture. This type of plastic sheet is also available with UV protection for outdoor applications.
Our plastic is available in a comprehensive range of sizes and thicknesses, and it’s widely used for outdoor displays. PETG can also be used with a 3D printer giving excellent adhesion and is odour-free. In addition, PETG is often used for POS and other eye-catching signage because it’s easy to manufacture, takes print well, and is recyclable.
Tool cases and hardware
For prolonged use in harsh working conditions, High Impact polystyrene sheets fit the bill. This material is relatively inexpensive and delivers a good balance between heat resistance and impact strength.
This combination of properties gives HIPS a vast range of uses, including the automotive industry, appliance components, toys and disposable drinking cups.
Greenhouse glazing
Rigid, tough, and highly transparent, SAN (Styrene Acrylonitrile) sheet is in demand for greenhouse glazing. Safer than glass, this product is highly stress-resistant, and its light transmittance above 90% makes it ideal for commercial growing applications.
SAN plastic sheet also takes colour exceptionally well, making it highly decorative. You’ll also find SAN in the home as it’s suitable for food storage and in industry where it’s used as an outer casing for a range of consumer products.
Packaging and containers
Our team can recommend the correct thickness plastic sheet for your application, depending on the properties you need. PETG is an excellent choice for vacuum forming using the deep draw process and produces outstanding print results for offset and silkscreen methods. As well as high gloss food-safe packaging, PETG can also be used for cosmetic packaging, toys, protective machine glazing and blister packs.
What plastic sheet do you need?
It’s not always easy choosing a suitable plastic sheet or panel from the vast range of available products. So it makes sense to talk to the experts before you make any purchasing decisions.
At Plastics Plus, we’re the UK’s leading independent plastic sheet supplier. Our friendly, knowledgeable and professional team can help you find the best products for your application from across our range. You can trust Plastics Plus to provide the best quality product for your application, so get in touch today.