The difference between plastic and acrylic is not so glaring. Acrylic is a type of durable, transparent polymer that is produced from natural gas. Acrylic plastic is commonly used in manufacturing, particularly for applications where it will be placed in sunlight. It can also be easily dyed or painted, and its transparency allows light to pass through it, making acrylic the ideal material for windows or signs. So, Acrylic can be considered as one of the clear plastics.
it is important to note that not all plastic are clear plastic and they are not build with the same material.
Plastic unlike acrylic refers to a wide array of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials. Plastic is also one of the most popular material used by the construction industry. Acrylic, also known as polyacrylate, is one of the most popular plastic material in the world. Commonly marketed under brand names like Plexiglas, Lucite, and Perspex, it’s often used as a glass substitute.
Acrylic
Acrylic is an umbrella term for thermoplastic products derived from petroleum and natural gas, with a chemical makeup roughly halfway between hard plastics and soft plastics. Acrylics are very versatile, able to be injection molded and extruded into several different shapes.
Acrylics can be made from two methods: the injection molding process and the hand-crafted method. In the injection molding process, fluid acrylic is forced into a mold at high pressure and cooled down. The hand-crafted method, on the other hand, uses no molds at all. These are often used for display risers, bakery bins, and sunglasses — giving off that warm, “hand-crafted” feel.
Characteristics of Acrylic
Acrylic is a stronger material yet lightweight, transparent material that’s easy to clean and made of plastic. The translucent color allows the creation of aesthetic pieces which can be used in a variety of applications. Here are a few highlights: Acrylic is an impact-resistant, shatterproof, and highly durable material. The plastic can withstand up to -27 degrees Fahrenheit and 175 degrees Fahrenheit, making it ideal for use in any climate.
Advantages of Acrylic
- Excellent optical clarity & transparency
Acrylic plastic is a transparent material that is both light and strong. It can transmit 92% white light, which is similar to glass and offers excellent optical clarity. Unlike glass, acrylic plastic can transmit light and withstand impact. Acrylic plastic is most often used in manufacturing lenses and light guides, such as Perspex.
- Highly resistant to variations in temperature
Acrylic plastic is an excellent option for medical manifolds and microfluidics devices. It can withstand temperature variations and be fully heated, treated, and bonded.
- Up to 17 times the impact resistance of ordinary glass
Acrylic sheet is the perfect material for precision applications. With seven times the impact resistance of regular glass, it is also half the weight. It can be machined into precise parts with incredible accuracy. Acrylic sheets are also super resistant to scratches and have 17 times the impact resistance of regular glass.
- Highly resistant to many different chemicals
Acrylic plastics are great for medical and microfluidic manifolds and devices because they’re resistant to many different chemicals.
Acrylic Materials
There are different types of acrylic materials.
Cast Acrylic Sheets are an excellent choice for people who are looking for high-quality materials. Made of cast acrylic material, they are more labor-intensive to make but are also more durable and long-lasting. They also come in various thicknesses and are resistant to outside elements.
Frame Grade Acrylic Sheets – these acrylic sheets are inspected for quality and size to ensure that they will provide the best picture framing experience.
Acrylic Plastic
Plexiglass, also known as acrylic plastic, is a transparent acrylic material that have glass like qualities but is lighter. Plexiglass is different from natural glass and also known as one of the finest materials, offering a transparency rate of 93%. It can be used in a wide variety of applications, such as armored windows, bullet proof glass, or airplane windows.
Types of Acrylic Sheets
Clear Acrylic Sheeting
When it comes to acrylic, the most common form of acrylic is the Clear Acrylic Sheeting, whose flexibility of clear sheeting can be noted because it is ordered in many different dimensions. And built with transparent polymers.
White Acrylic Sheeting
White acrylic sheeting is mainly used when you have an unusual dimension to fulfill, especially if you prefer to use an opaque material. This acrylic sheeting is mostly standard.
Other color acrylic sheet
Normally clear, white and black are widely used in the production of all kinds of acrylic products. But acrylic sheet also has many other colors for options. Moreover, we can do custom color acrylic sheets as panton color numbers.
Plastic
Plastic sheets have been produced through human industrial systems for years. They are a wide range of semi-synthetic or synthetic materials in which polymers are a primary and ever-present ingredient. Plastics can be molded, pressed, or extruded into solid objects in different shapes, and this happens thanks to their plasticity.
Plastics are a material made up of many smaller base units called polymers. The simplest way to make plastic is with carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms. For example, the primary team for polythene is carbon atoms with two hydrogen atoms to each carbon.
Plasticity is known majorly for its adaptability, aside from many other properties or qualities it possesses. Plastic can be inexpensive to produce, lightweight, flexible, and durable; all of this has brought about its widespread use.
Modern plastics have been derived from fossil fuel-based chemicals like petroleum or natural gas, but other industrial methods have been used to derive plastic sheets from renewable materials and other plastics.
Plastic Materials
High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
Quite extraordinary compared to the other types, HDPE has long virtually unbranched polymer chains, which makes them dense and, thus, more robust and thicker than PET. HDPE is commonly used as a grocery bag, opaque milk, juice container, shampoo bottles, and medicine bottle.
Not only recyclable, but HDPE is also relatively more stable than PET. It is considered a safer option for food packaging and drink use. However, some studies have shown that it can leach estrogen-mimicking additive chemicals that could disrupt a human’s hormonal system when exposed to ultraviolet light.
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE or Polyester)
PET is also known as a wrinkle-free fiber. It’s different from the plastic bag we commonly see at the supermarket. PET is mainly used for food and drink packaging purposes due to its strong ability to prevent oxygen from getting in and spoiling the product inside. It also helps keep the carbon dioxide in carbonated drinks from getting out. PET is usually used to produce low cost consumer goods.
Although PET is most likely to be picked up by recycling programs, this type of plastic contains antimony trioxide—a matter considered a carcinogen—capable of causing cancer in living tissue.
The longer a liquid is left in a PET container, the greater the potential for releasing the antimony. Warm temperatures inside cars, garages and enclosed storage could also increase the release of hazardous matter.
Polypropylene (PP)
Stiffer and more resistant to heat, PP is widely used for hot food containers. Its strength quality is somewhere between LDPE and HDPE. Besides thermal vests and car parts such as license plate frames. PP is also included in the disposable diaper and sanitary pad liners.
Like LDPE, PP is considered a safer plastic option for food and drink use. And although it bears all those unique qualities, PP isn’t entirely recyclable and could also cause asthma and hormone disruption in humans.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
PVC is most commonly used in toys, blister wrap, cling wrap, detergent bottles, loose-leaf binders, blood bags, and medical tubing. PVC or vinyl used to be the second most widely used plastic resin in the world (after polyethylene) before the manufacture and disposal process of PVC was declared as the cause of severe health risks and environmental pollution issues.
In terms of toxicity, PVC is considered the most hazardous plastic. The use of it may leach a variety of toxic chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, lead, dioxins, mercury, and cadmium.
Several of the chemicals mentioned may cause cancer; they could also cause allergic symptoms in children and disrupt the human hormonal system. PVC is also rarely accepted by recycling programs. This is why PVC is best to be avoided at all costs.
Polystyrene (PS)
Polystyrene (PS) is the styrofoam we all commonly used for food containers, egg cartons, disposable cups and bowls, packaging, and bike helmets.
When exposed to hot and oily food, PS could leach styrene that is considered a brain and nervous system toxicant. It could also affect genes, lungs, liver, and immune systems. On top of all of those risks, PS has a low recycling rate.
Classification of Plastics
- Natural
Plastic is a material that can be molded when in its natural form. Some examples are tortoiseshell, amber, horn, gutta-percha, and rubber.
- Semi-synthetic
A semi-synthetic is material made of a chemically altered material. Some examples of semi-synthetic materials are cellulosic plastics and rubbler.
- Synthetic
This plastic is wholly made from a laboratory, which is the case for many poly-plastics and phenol-formaldehyde.
What are Semi-Synthetic Materials?
Fabrics that use semi-synthetic fiber are made from natural materials and have been partly modified. They have higher performance than usual, natural fibers. Some of these fibers are regenerated, meaning they come from a cellulose source and have been chemically processed to rebuild the molecular structure. The most common example of this is rayon.
