Have you ever wondered that what is that material which has replaced glass in the modern day houses? What are the advantages of replacing the traditional windows with that material? How is it manufactured? These are some questions that might arise in our minds. This article will take you to a journey in the world of ‘that’ material which is clear acrylic sheets.
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| Clear Acrylic Sheets for Home |
What exactly do we mean by Clear Acrylic Sheets?
You may know clear acrylic sheet as plexiglass, Acrylite, Lucite, Perspex, Oroglass or Palglass. It is nothing but a thermoplastic which is synthesized in the laboratories and used because of its transparent nature. Scientifically, this synthetic material is a non-crystalline vitreous substance which makes its physical properties similar to that of glass. The modern day clear acrylic sheets or Poly(methyl methacrylate) / PMMA were synthesized in the year 1933 by a German chemist Otto Röhm in an attempt to produce safety glass. PMMA is manufactured at a large scale in industries by a process called as radical polymerization.
What are the Advantages of Using Plexiglass?
Since, Clear Acrylic Sheets have replaced the use of traditional glass for windows; they must have some advantages over it. The major advantage of using this synthetic material over glass is that it is lightweight. Clear acrylic sheets are also shatter proof which gives them an extra edge unlike traditional window glass. PMMA is economical too. In addition to this, plexiglass has appreciable tensile strength, polish ability and UV tolerance.
Processing this synthetic material is easier when compared to its alternatives. It is also preferred because it is easy to use.
Uses of Clear Acrylic Sheets
This material plays a very important role in our day to day life that a person might be using it in one way or another unknowingly. Apart from its use in windows, clear acrylic sheets can be seen in fish aquariums. Tabletops are also made by using PMMA as its backbone ingredient. This synthetic material is also used in covering photographs, walls and other valuable things because it is shatter proof. They are available in various sizes and shapes such as thin sheets, rods, and tubes! This can act as bulletproof material if its thickness is over one inch.
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| Acrylic Sheets for Windows |
Other practical large-scale uses of Clear Acrylic Sheets are as follows:
- Apart from its use in small fish aquariums, these are also used to make large aquariums too.
- Due to shatter resistant trait, this synthetic material is used for making headlights and tail lights of vehicles.
- It is the best material option for spectator protection at hockey rinks. Also, equipment used for other similar sports are made of clear acrylic sheets.
- Clear acrylic sheets are also used for making stone pelters. Such equipment used by cops to disrupt security forces.
- This material is also used for making hulls of underwater vehicles, especially submarine’s viewing sphere.
This ground breaking lab synthesized substance finds its use in medical industry as well. In the 20th century, contact lenses and spectacles were made from clear acrylic sheets. Clear acrylic sheets are also used as a material to represent models of various objects after casting and molding. Most of the company logos and building names which are placed upon the top of buildings are made up of clear acrylic sheets. In coming future, clear acrylic sheets can be used in roof coverings as this material is UV resistant.
So, the next time when you will tap a tabletop, you will know that this material is not going to break that easily!!
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