Get a quoteAcrylic (Perspex®) offers excellent strength and optical clarity, making it a strong alternative to glass. This guide covers attributes, applications, design notes, finishing options, UK stock sizes, and property tables.
Acrylic (Perspex®) offers excellent strength and optical clarity, making it a strong alternative to glass. This guide covers attributes, applications, design notes, finishing options, UK stock sizes, and property tables.
Acrylic (Perspex®) offers excellent strength and optical clarity, making it a strong alternative to glass. This guide covers attributes, applications, design notes, finishing options, UK stock sizes, and property tables.
Acrylic, commonly known as the brand name Perspex®, is a transparent thermoplastic with excellent strength and optical clarity and is thus widely used as a glass substitute; though it outperforms glass in several aspects.
Similar in characteristics to Polycarbonate, Acrylic plastic has a lower impact strength but still boasts 10-24 times the impact resistance of glass. It is also more flexible and lighter than glass.
Acrylic can present some challenges in machining but Penta Precision has decades of acrylic machining experience so you are in safe hands.
Cast Acrylic is preferable over Extruded Acrylic for machining purposes as it is more rigid and less prone to stress cracking after machining.
As well as a sharp cutting edge and slow feed rates, we also use plenty of coolant to aid lubrication, remove swarf and help keep the acrylic below its melting point.
You may also see Acrylic referred to as:
Although Acrylic has similar properties to polycarbonate and is used in similar applications (i.e. as impact resistant alternative to glass), it can be used when the extremely high impact strength of polycarbonate is not required. It is also BPA free which polycarbonate is not typically (although BPA-free polycarbonates are becoming available).
Once machined, Acrylic will become frosted. It will therefore require polishing to restore clarity. This process needs to be factored into time and cost. Please see the ‘finishing & treatments’ tab for further information about the processes we can facilitate.
Vapour polishing – to reduce surface roughness and improve optical clarity
Mop polishing – to improve surface finish and appearance. Requires removal of material
Heat annealing - to ensure continued stabilitiy over time
See our Finishing Processes page for further information on services that we can facilitate.
Please note we do not supply stock material, the information provided is purely for design and research purposes.
Acrylic is a readily available engineering plastic. It is available in a wide range of sizes and thicknesses in both extruded and cast sheet, rod and tube. There are solid and opaque variations as well as an extensive range of colours.
Stock sizes will vary depending on supplier. Please get in contact to discuss further.
