Acrylic plastic fabrication is one of the main services offered by Polymershapes. Acrylic is one of the most common and versatile plastic materials available. It&#;s transparent, strong, and lightweight, making it ideal for a long list of applications in various industries.
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The chemical compound used to create acrylic is actually known as polymethyl methacrylate, which is a thermoplastic polymer. But it&#;s more commonly just called acrylic. Common brand names acrylic is also known by are OPTIX, by Plaskolite, plexiglass (or Plexiglas by Trinseo, formerly Arkema), or Acrylite by Roehm (formerly Evonik). If your company is considering acrylic for its plastic fabrication needs, here are some of the top things you need to know about this popular and versatile material.
Some of the top benefits of acrylic include its visual clarity, light weight, strength, and resistance to heat and various chemicals. More specifically, acrylic offers clarity and light transmission comparable to glass. So basically, you can see clearly from one side to the other, almost as if there were no material there at all. This makes it ideally suited to applications where traditional glass may be used.
However, acrylic is significantly lighter than glass, which makes it easy to work with and install. It&#;s also perfect for use in precision components where bulkier materials may not fit, or in applications where mobility is an issue, since it&#;s easier to transport light materials.
Acrylic is also more impact resistant than glass. Since it is better suited to absorb energy from flying debris or impact, it is less likely to break or shatter when hit with a flying object. If any chips or small visual imperfections do occur, the surface can easily be polished to restore shine and optical clarity. Acrylic is also available in a variety of colors and finishes or textures.
Finally, acrylic is well suited for use in various environments. Acrylic is inherently resistant to UV, this makes it an incredibly durable and versatile material that can work even in outdoor applications or industrial venues.
So how is acrylic actually fabricated to create these specific items that are so useful in an array of different applications? First of all, acrylic is formed using chemical reactions between compounds like methyl methacrylate, acetone, and sodium cyanide. Acrylic sheet may be formed via three methods: extruded, cast, or continuous cast. Once the acrylic sheet is formed, there are several different fabrication methods that can be used to customize and form it into specific shapes, sizes, and objects.
You can cut acrylic to desired sizes or flat shapes using methods including saw cut or routing, and then provide a clean edge with edge finishing, and polishing. With straight saw cuts, multiple acrylic sheets can be cut at the same time. CNC routing is used to cut curves, corners, and complete shapes out of acrylic.
Next, you have methods for bending and shaping acrylic. These include processes like heat bending. As the name suggests, heat bending involves applying high temperatures to the material so that it can be manipulated into specific angles easily.
There are additional customization methods available like drilling, acrylic welding, and general assembly. These are useful for those that need to work with multiple pieces of acrylic or various materials that need to be joined together within a single application.
If you&#;re interested in reaping the benefits of acrylic or learning more about the various plastic fabrication options available for your needs, contact Polymershapes. In addition to acrylic, we offer a wide array of plastic materials, along with fabrication and customization solutions to fit your specific needs. We work with clients throughout the Midwest and East Coast in a variety of industries, including automotive, construction, machining, energy, and retail. We&#;re also equipped to deliver quotes and products quickly, so you can always get the quality plastics you need for a variety of projects. To get started with your next acrylic fabrication project, visit our website to request a free quote. We&#;ll get back to you within 24 hours to help you get started.
Acrylic plastic refers to a family of synthetic, or man-made, plastic materials containing one or more derivatives of acrylic acid. The most common acrylic plastic is polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), which is sold under the brand names of Plexiglas, Lucite, Perspex, and Crystallite. PMMA is a tough, highly transparent material with excellent resistance to ultraviolet radiation and weathering. It can be colored, molded, cut, drilled, and formed. These properties make it ideal for many applications including airplane windshields, skylights, automobile taillights, and outdoor signs. One notable application is the ceiling of the Houston Astrodome which is composed of hundreds of double-insulating panels of PMMA acrylic plastic.
Like all plastics, acrylic plastics are polymers. The word polymer comes from the Greek words poly, meaning many, and meros, meaning a part. A polymer, therefore, is a material made up of many molecules, or parts, linked together like a chain. Polymers may have hundreds, or even thousands, of molecules linked together. More importantly, a polymer is a material that has properties entirely different than its component parts. The process of making a polymer, known as polymerization, has been likened to shoveling scrap glass, copper, and other materials into a box, shaking the box, and coming back in an hour to find a working color television set. The glass, copper, and other component parts are still there, but they have been reassembled into something that looks and functions entirely differently.
The first plastic polymer, celluloid, a combination of cellulose nitrate and camphor, was developed in . It was based on the natural polymer cellulose, which is present in plants. Celluloid was used to make many items including photographic film, combs, and men's shirt collars.
In , Leo Baekeland developed the first commercially successful synthetic plastic polymer when he patented phenol formalde-hyde resin, which he named Bakelite. Bakelite was an immediate success. It could be machined and molded. It was an excellent electrical insulator and was resistant to heat, acids, and weather. It could also be colored and dyed for use in decorative objects. Bakelite plastic was used in radio, , and electrical equipment, as well as counter tops, buttons, and knife handles.
Acrylic acid was first prepared in . Methacrylic acid, which is a derivative of acrylic acid, was formulated in . When methacrylic acid is reacted with methyl alcohol, it results in an ester known as methyl methacrylate. The polymerization process to turn methyl methacrylate into polymethyl methacrylate was discovered by the German chemists Fittig and Paul in , but it wasn't until that the process was used to produce sheets of acrylic safety glass commercially. During World War II, acrylic glass was used for periscope ports on submarines and for windshields, canopies, and gun turrets on airplanes.
Methyl methacrylate is the basic molecule, or monomer, from which polymethyl methacrylate and many other acrylic plastic polymers are formed. The chemical notation for this material is CH 2 =C(CH 3 )
3 . It is written in this format, rather than the more common chemical notation C 5 H 8 O 2 , to show the double bond (=) between the two carbon atoms in the middle. During polymerization, one leg of this double bond breaks and links up with the middle carbon atom of another methyl methacrylate molecule to start a chain. This process repeats itself until the final polymer is formed. (See Figure 1)COOCH. It is written in this format, rather than the more common chemical notation C, to show the double bond (=) between the two carbon atoms in the middle. During polymerization, one leg of this double bond breaks and links up with the middle carbon atom of another methyl methacrylate molecule to start a chain. This process repeats itself until the final polymer is formed. (See Figure 1)
Methyl methacrylate may be formed in several ways. One common way is to react acetone [CH 3 COCH 3 ] with sodium cyanide [NaCN] to produce acetone cyanhydrin [(CH 3 ) 2 C(OH)CN]. This in turn is reacted with methyl alcohol [CH 3 OH] to produce methyl methacrylate.
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Other similar monomers such as methyl acrylate [CH 2 =CHCOOCH,] and acrylonitrile [CH 2 =CHCN] can be joined with methyl methacrylate to form different acrylic plastics. (See Figure 2) When two or more monomers are joined together, the result is known as a copolymer. Just as with methyl methacrylate, both of these monomers have a double bond on the middle carbon atoms that splits during polymerization to link with the carbon atoms of other molecules. Controlling the proportion of these other monomers produces changes in elasticity and other properties in the resulting plastic.
Acrylic plastic polymers are formed by reacting a monomer, such as methyl methacrylate, with a catalyst. A typical catalyst would be an organic peroxide. The catalyst starts the reaction and enters into it to keep it going, but does not become part of the resulting polymer.
Acrylic plastics are available in three forms: flat sheets, elongated shapes (rods and tubes), and molding powder. Molding powders are sometimes made by a process known as suspension polymerization in which the reaction takes place between tiny droplets of the monomer suspended in a solution of water and catalyst. This results in grains of polymer with tightly controlled molecular weight suitable for molding or extrusion.
Acrylic plastic sheets are formed by a process known as bulk polymerization. In this process, the monomer and catalyst are poured into a mold where the reaction takes place. Two methods of bulk polymerization may be used: batch cell or continuous. Batch cell is the most common because it is simple and is easily adapted for making acrylic sheets in thicknesses from 0.06 to 6.0 inches (0.16-15 cm) and widths from 3 feet (0.9 m) up to several hundred feet. The batch cell method may also be used to form rods and tubes. The continuous method is quicker and involves less labor. It is used to make sheets of thinner thicknesses and smaller widths than those produced by the batch cell method.
We will describe both the batch cell and continuous bulk polymerization processes typically used to produce transparent polymethyl methacrylic (PMMA) sheets.
The storage, handling, and processing of the chemicals that make acrylic plastics are done under controlled environmental conditions to prevent contamination of the material or unsafe chemical reactions. The control of temperature is especially critical to the polymerization process. Even the initial temperatures of the monomer and catalyst are controlled before they are introduced into the mold. During the entire process, the temperature of the reacting material is monitored and controlled to ensure the heating and cooling cycles are the proper temperature and duration.
Samples of finished acrylic materials are also given periodic laboratory analysis to confirm physical, optical, and chemical properties.
Acrylic plastics manufacturing involves highly toxic substances which require careful storage, handling, and disposal. The polymerization process can result in an explosion if not monitored properly. It also produces toxic fumes. Recent legislation requires that the polymerization process be carried out in a closed environment and that the fumes be cleaned, captured, or otherwise neutralized before discharge to the atmosphere.
Acrylic plastic is not easily recycled. It is considered a group 7 plastic among recycled plastics and is not collected for recycling in most communities. Large pieces can be reformed into other useful objects if they have not suffered too much stress, crazing, or cracking, but this accounts for only a very small portion of the acrylic plastic waste. In a landfill, acrylic plastics, like many other plastics, are not readily biodegradable. Some acrylic plastics are highly flammable and must be protected from sources of combustion.
The average annual increase in the rate of consumption of acrylic plastics has been about 10%. A future annual growth rate of about 5% is predicted. Despite the fact that acrylic plastics are one of the oldest plastic materials in use today, they still hold the same advantages of optical clarity and resistance to the outdoor environment that make them the material of choice for many applications.
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