What Are Plexiglass Sheets Used For？
Polymethyl methacrylate products are often called organic glass products, also known as acrylic, and the English abbreviation PMMA. They have the advantages of high transparency, low price, and easy machining. They are commonly used glass substitute materials.
JUXIN plexiglass products have high transparency and are known as “plastic crystals”. It also has excellent weather resistance, especially when used outdoors, ranking first among other plastics.
It also has good surface hardness and gloss, and has great processing plasticity, and can be made into various required shapes and products. In addition, there are many types of boards and rich colors. Another feature is that thick boards can still maintain high transparency.
Plexiglass sheet is not only highly transparent, it also has good corrosion resistance, will not age in a short period of time, and is affordable. Its main features are as follows:
(1) High transparency
Plexiglass is an excellent polymer transparent material with a light transmittance of 93%. Ordinary glass can only transmit 0.6% of ultraviolet rays, but plexiglass can transmit 73%.
(2) High mechanical strength
Organic glass is a long-chain polymer compound. Therefore, the strength of organic glass is high after all, and its tensile resistance and impact resistance are 7-18 times higher than ordinary glass. The anti-fragmentation ability is several times higher; there is a kind of plexiglass that has been heated and stretched, which is not easy to crack. This plexiglass cup will not break into pieces after being penetrated by a bullet.
(3)Light weight
The density of plexiglass is 1.18g/cm3, and the weight of a material of the same size is only half that of ordinary glass!
(4)Easy to process
Plexiglass panel can not only be manually processed such as bonding, sawing, planing, drilling, engraving, grinding, screen printing, sandblasting, etc., it can also be machined, cut with a lathe, drilled with a drill, and can also be imitated, etc.
It can be bonded into various shapes of appliances, and can also be processed into various products ranging from aircraft canopies to dentures and dental trays using plastic molding methods such as blow molding, injection, and extrusion.
Plexiglass sheets in different colors and forms can have different adaptability. Plexiglas can be divided into four types according to their shapes:
1. Colorless transparent organic glass sheets
The most common and widely used organic glass material.
2. Colored transparent organic glass sheets
There are three types of colored organic glass: transparent and colored, translucent and colored, and opaque and colored.
The luster of magnetic plexiglass is not as bright as pearlescent plexiglass, and it is brittle and easy to break. It is suitable for making dials, boxes, medical equipment and modeling materials for people and animals.
Transparent organic glass has high transparency and is suitable for making lamps. The chandelier made of it is exquisite, and crystal clear.
Translucent plexiglass is similar to frosted plexiglass sheets, with soft reflection. Crafts made of it make people feel comfortable and generous.
3. Pearlescent plexiglass sheets
Pearlescent plexiglass is produced by adding pearlescent or phosphor powder to raw materials. This type of plexiglass has a bright color and high surface finish.
After the outer form is hot-pressed by the mold, even if it is ground and polished, it still maintains the molded pattern, forming a unique artistic effect. It can make figures, animal shapes, trademarks, decorations, and promotional exhibition materials.
4. Embossed plexiglass sheets
It can be divided into transparent, translucent, colorless, brittle and easy to break. It is used in indoor doors and windows and other decorations. It has the characteristics of transmitting light but not being transparent.
It is usually used in indoor partitions or doors and windows that separate indoor rooms. It is used in indoor decoration. It has good optical effects and artistic effects.
From the perspective of specific application fields, plexiglass panels are widely used in construction, advertising, transportation, medicine, industry, lighting, sanitary ware, household products, etc.
In terms of construction, plexiglass panels are mainly used in lighting bodies, roofs, ceilings, lighting covers, stairs and indoor plexiglass wall panels.
With the construction of hotels, guesthouses and high-end residences in big cities, lighting bodies have developed rapidly. Lighting bodies made of extruded plexiglass panels have the characteristics of high overall structural strength, light weight, high light transmittance and good safety performance.
Compared with inorganic glass lighting devices, it has great advantages. At present, the United States and Japan have made mandatory provisions in law that glass in primary and secondary schools and kindergarten buildings must use plexiglass panels.
This can replace ordinary glass, while avoiding the shortcomings of ordinary glass being fragile and the potential danger to young children.
In the construction field, plexiglass sheets can be used in windows and are most commonly used in skylights due to their ease of maintenance, high strength and weather resistance.
Not only is it easy to light, it also has the advantage of being anti-explosion. Plexiglass panels are also used in some more specialized construction areas: its light transmittance, non-brittleness, weather resistance and ability to easily absorb dust make it an ideal material for building greenhouse plexiglass panels and solar panels.
In recent years, the application of lighting lampshades and automotive lamps on highways and high-grade roads has also developed rapidly. Shop facades, display boards and exhibit racks are often made of plexiglass plates, especially for billboards and light boxes.
Light boxes mostly use transparent or translucent plexiglass plates to ensure good light transmittance and create a good The light and shadow picture effect is not only bright and vivid, but also artistic and advertising to achieve the purpose of attracting consumers.
The transparent display stand complements the product under lighting, and the product looks more exquisite when matched with the display stand.
Plexiglas panels have special physical properties that make them extremely versatile. In addition to being used as canopies, windshields and windshields and windows on airplanes and jeeps, it also plays an explosion-proof role in fighter cockpit windows.
When jet aircraft fly at high speed in the clouds, they often encounter special conditions such as severe vibrations, sudden changes in temperature, and pressure from the airflow. This is a severe test for the window glass of the aircraft cockpit. The plexiglass plate can withstand this test.
If it is a fighter jet and the plexiglass plate is hit by a bullet while chasing the enemy, it will not break completely or only have a small hole, so that accidents like glass fragments that hurt people will not happen again.
The high mechanical strength and shatter resistance of the plexiglass plate and the special stretched glass cannot penetrate even bullets. Therefore, the stretched plexiglass plate can be used as bulletproof glass and is also used in the canopy of military aircraft.
Plexiglass panels can be used as baby incubators because of their safety, non-toxicity and high transparency. Plexiglas also has a characteristic. As long as the curvature of a curved plexiglass rod is less than 48 degrees, light can be projected along it like water through a water pipe.
Taking advantage of this rule, organic glass plates have become a treasure for manufacturing light-transmitting glass instruments with outer shells. It brings great convenience to surgical operations.
Plexiglas also has a wonderful use in medicine, that is, in the manufacture of artificial corneas. If the transparent cornea of the human eye is covered with opaque material, light cannot enter the eye.
This is blindness caused by pankeratotic leukoplakia, and it cannot be treated with medication. Therefore, artificial cornea is used in medicine to replace the cornea covered with white spots.
Artificial cornea uses a transparent material to make a mirror column with a diameter of only a few millimeters. Then a small hole is drilled in the cornea of the human eye, and the mirror column is fixed on the cornea.
The light enters the eye through the mirror column, and the human eye Can see the light again. Artificial corneas are made of organic glass plates, which have good light transmittance, stable chemical properties, non-toxic to the human body, can be easily processed into the desired shape, and are compatible with the human eye for a long time. Artificial corneas made of plexiglass plates have been commonly used clinically.
In addition, with the COVID-19 pandemic in previous years, plexiglass panels also have certain uses in the prevention of infectious diseases.
Plexiglas panels are widely used as partitions in restaurants, shops, etc., and hospitals also use plexiglass panels as partitions to maximize the use of medical space, avoid cross-infection, and improve the cure rate to a certain extent.
With the arrival of the winter influenza in 2024, some countries have returned to masks, and acrylic masks also play an important role in the prevention of infectious diseases.
If the thickness of ordinary glass exceeds 15 centimeters, it will turn green and make it impossible to see clearly through the glass.
The plexiglass plate is 1 meter thick, so you can clearly see what’s on the opposite side. Because its light transmittance is quite good, and ultraviolet rays can also penetrate it, it is often used to make optical instruments.
Applications such as television and radar screens, protective covers for instruments and equipment, housings for telecommunication instruments, optical lenses on telescopes and cameras, etc. all rely on the good light transmittance of plexiglass plates.
With the acceleration of urbanization, many street lamps and street lamps use acrylic lampshades, with various shape changes, increasing their artistry.
The fluorescent lamps and chandeliers in the interior design will also be color matched according to the characteristics of the interior decoration to create an atmospheric indoor environment.
G. Bathroom & Sanitary Ware
Plexiglas plates are the best new material for manufacturing sanitary ware after ceramics.
Compared with traditional ceramic materials, in addition to unparalleled high brightness, plexiglass plates also have the following advantages: good toughness, not easy to break; strong repairability, just use soft foam dipped in toothpaste to wipe the sanitary ware as new; soft texture , there is no biting cold feeling in winter; the colors are bright and can meet the individual pursuits of different tastes.
In terms of sanitary ware, plexiglass panels can be used to make bathtubs, washbasins, dressing tables, toilets and other products. At present, China’s annual output of plexiglass bathtubs is about 1.5 million, and its annual consumption of PMMA extruded sheets or cast sheets is more than 5,000 tons.
Plexiglas bathtubs are widely used due to their luxurious appearance, depth, easy cleaning, high strength, light weight and comfortable use. Use on shower shelves, for example, as they are non-slip and non-breakable, reducing the risk of serious injury.
In addition, these advantages make Plexiglass panels a useful furniture material, especially for shelves, stools and tabletops. Plexiglas sanitary ware first appeared in the United States and now accounts for more than 70% of the entire international market.
There are many kinds of daily necessities made of plexiglass plates, such as buttons made of pearlescent plexiglass plates, various toys, fruit plates,chairs,desk, tissue boxes, acrylic art paintings, etc., all of which are particularly special because of the decorative effect of colored plexiglass plates. of beauty.
Using acrylic to make basins, fish tanks, and aquariums is not only exquisite in style and durable, but also environmentally friendly.
Displaying products is also the most common use of acrylic sheets, such as flower boxes, shoe boxes, jewelry racks, supermarket food boxes, jewelry exhibition stands, etc. that are common in our daily lives.
J. Fish Tank
With the improvement of living standards, more and more people are applying plexiglass sheet to fish tanks. Even the aquariums we often go to are made of plexiglass sheet. At the same time, many private villas also use acrylic sheet. Use it as the first choice material for their swimming pool!
Today, plexiglass panels have an extremely wide range of applications. As a transparent glass substitute, it is often used in aquariums, submarine observation windows, motor vehicle lampshades, spectator protection measures in sports venues, aircraft windows, vehicles used by police to control riots, lighthouse lampshades, etc.
It is also used in some medical fields, including some surgeries, dental materials and goggles.
Among them, data shows that the market for building lighting bodies, bathtubs, street advertising light boxes and telephone booths is growing rapidly, with large room for future development and a very broad market prospect.
There are many kinds of daily necessities made of plexiglass plates, such as buttons made of pearlescent plexiglass plates, various toys, fruit plates, tissue boxes, acrylic art paintings, etc., all of which are particularly special because of the decorative effect of colored plexiglass plates. of beauty.
Using acrylic to make basins, fish tanks, and aquariums is not only exquisite in style and durable, but also environmentally friendly.