When people’s understanding of transparent materials still stays in glass products, acrylic is gradually replacing glass through its performance advantages. How excellent is this kind of material with transparent texture, gorgeous colors, patterns, and shapes? We will introduce it from the following aspects.
What is acrylic
Acrylic is commonly known as specially treated plexiglass, a chemical name polymethylmethacrylate. Its transparency and light transmittance are like glass. It is an important thermoplastic. The research and development of acrylic have a history of 100 years. The polymerizability of acrylic acid was discovered in 1872; The polymerizability of methacrylic acid was known in 1880; In 1901, after the research on the synthesis method of propylene propionate was completed, it was mostly used in industry, such as aircraft windshields, tank field mirrors, etc. Until 1948, the birth of the world’s first acrylic bathtub marked a new milestone in the application of acrylic in the design industry.
Manufacturing technology of acrylic sheet
The molding process of acrylic sheets is divided into casting, injection molding, extrusion, thermal molding, etc.
Casting molding is mainly used for the molding of plates and bars. The formed acrylic products need to be processed before they can be used. The cast acrylic plate has strong rigidity and strength, and also has strong flexibility in color and texture.
Characteristics of acrylic
- Light density, acrylic is a very light material, and the density is only 1.17 ~ 1.20g/cm ³， It is about half of the ordinary glass and 43% of metallic aluminum.
- High light transmittance and the light transmittance of the pure acrylic transparent plates are more than 90%. Similarly, with 6mm as the reference, compared with glass, the light transmittance of ordinary glass is generally 82-83%, and that of 6mm ultra-white glass is 90% – 92%.
- The impact resistance is strong, 16 times that of ordinary glass, and there is almost no risk of fracture.
- Acrylic has excellent electrical insulation, which should be found in many electronic products, such as some very small component insulators used in tablet computers, mobile phones, computers, stereos, televisions, and other products.
- It is not afraid of moisture, water, mold, and bacteria. Acrylic is very waterproof and moisture-proof. It can be used to make fish tanks and bathtubs. It can also be used to make endless swimming pools and aquariums.
- Acrylic has strong plasticity and can be processed into the desired shape at will. Acrylic materials are lighter than ordinary glass materials, and the cutting and processing technology is not complex, so acrylic products can basically meet the customized needs of all walks of life.
- The difference between acrylic and PVC. Acrylic and PVC are two completely different materials. PVC board is a board with a honeycomb mesh structure made of PVC as raw material. It is a kind of vacuum plastic film, which is used for the surface packaging of all kinds of panels, so it is also called decorative film and adhesive film and is used in building materials, packaging, medicine, and many other industries.
UV DTF stickers& Acrylic sheets
UV DTF stickers have appeared in the industry a few years ago, but the public does not know much about this emerging product, and the name can not directly express what it is. With the development of technology and more people participating in the industry, an intuitive name has been made for UV transfer stickers, that is, crystal labels, named for their crystal clear appearance.
The acrylic background wall made with UV DTF stickers is not only beautiful but also very durable. UV DTF stickers have high fastness and are waterproof and moisture-proof. They are an excellent choice for making acrylic background walls.