Eat ChikenPolycarbonate plastic materials give you a great blend of helpful features which include temp resistance, impact resistance and optical properties position polycarbonates between commodity plastics and engineering plastics.
Polycarbonate is definitely a sturdy material. Although it offers tremendous impact-resistance, it’s got lower scratch-resistance and thus a hard coating can be applied to polycarbonate eye protection lenses and polycarbonate exterior vehicle components. The properties relating to polycarbonate are similar those of common Acrylic materials, except polycarbonate is going to be stronger, it is usable in a wider temperature range and is a bit more expensive. This plastic polymer is highly transparent to visible light and has better light transmission characteristics than most grades of glass.
Polycarbonate carries a glass transition temperature of about 150 °C (302 °F), as a result it softens gradually above this point and flows above about 300°C (572 °F). Tools are required to be held at higher temperatures, generally above 80 °C (176 °F) to help make strain- and stress-free products.
Unlike most other thermoplastics, polycarbonate can undergo large deformations without cracking or breaking. Hence, it can be processed and formed without needing to be heated using sheet metal techniques, which include forming bends on a brake. Even for sharp angle bends with a tight radius, no heating is generally necessary. This makes it attractive prototyping applications where transparent or electrically non-conductive parts are required, which can not be created from sheet metal. Remember that PMMA/Plexiglas, which happens to be similar in appearance to polycarbonate, but it is brittle and cannot be bent at room temperature.
Polycarbonate is often utilized in eye protection, along with other projectile-resistant see through or lighting applications that would normally require the use of glass, but require higher impact-resistance. Several types of lenses are manufactured from polycarbonate, including automotive headlamp lenses, lighting lenses, sunglass/eyeglass lenses, swimming and SCUBA goggles, and safety glasses for use in sporting helmets/masks and police riot gear. Windscreens in small motorized vehicles are typically constructed from polycarbonate, such as for motorcycles, ATVs, golf carts, and small planes and helicopters.
