As a leading provider of custom machined plastic parts, CRG often works with acrylic plastic. In this blog, we look at some of the properties of acrylic plastic and some of the applications that machined acrylic plastic parts can service.
What is acrylic plastic?
Acrylic is a transparent thermoplastic homopolymer, known more commonly by the trade name “plexiglass.” Considered to be one of the clearest plastics on the market, it is often used as a substitute for glass and to make machined acrylic plastic parts for applications requiring impact and scratch resistance, as well as transparency.
Acrylic plastic is similar to polycarbonate. Like polycarbonate, acrylic plastic is also available in a variety of colours, with the translucency varying with colour. Unlike polycarbonate, acrylic plastic does not contain the harmful substance bisphenol-A (BPA). However, acrylic plastic has a lower strength and impact resistance than does polycarbonate.
Acrylic is classified as a thermoplastic. While thermoplastics may become liquified beyond their melting point (160°C for acrylic, although the compound becomes softer at temperatures below this), they can be cooled and reheated again without any degradation.
What applications do machined acrylic plastic parts service?
Parts machined from acrylic plastic are well suited for applications requiring durability and good resistance to impacts and scratches. Compared with other plastic materials, acrylic is very scratch resistant. However, due to its relatively lower strength and brittleness, other plastic materials are preferred for applications where these qualities are needed.
A key feature of parts made from acrylic plastic is that they are transparent. This makes it a good choice for parts used for food storage and presentation, as well as machine guards, signage, skylights, shelving and displays.
Because of its transparency, low weight, flexibility and UV resistance, acrylic has replaced glass in many applications. Because acrylic is known for its excellent light transmittance, clarity and lack of color, polished acrylic components are a popular option for engineers to consider when designing optical devices.
Machined acrylic plastic parts from CRG
CRG can produce machined plastic parts from acrylic sheet material. We utilize precision plastic machining technology to produce parts with close tolerances and short lead times. We stock a wide variety of plastic materials, including UHMW, UHMPE, Polycarbonate, Acrylic, HDPE and more. All parts are produced in our facility registered to ISO 9001:2015, and we can service any order quantity.
To find out more about the machined acrylic plastic parts we can produce, please contact us at crg@canadarubbergroup.com.