Colored Acrylic

Acrylic, polymethyl methacrylate, is the first choice in any light transmitting application. Acrylic offers superior clarity (92% light transmission for colorless material), and excellent weatherability (acrylics do not yellow when exposed to sunlight). Acrylics are UV stabilized and provide high resistance to breakage (17 times that of double-strength glass). Because of these characteristics, acrylics are ideally suited for all types of outdoor environments. Additionally, acrylics will not warp, crack, craze, or corrode when subjected to prolonged outdoor exposure.

Acrylic also offers exceptional stiffness and intermediate toughness. This thermoplastic material, first introduced in 1937, is now offered in molding and extrusion cubes, fine powders, film, sheet, rods, tubes, blocks, and light-conducting filaments. There are two basic classes f acrylics: unmodified and modified.

The unmodified acrylics have almost unlimited color possibilities and are stiff and tough compared to glass. Their resistance is outstanding against radiation from mercury-vapor, fluorescent, and incandescent lamps. Service temperatures range from -40 degrees F to + 240 degrees F. Dimensional stability is excellent, although, like other thermoplastics, Acrylics have large thermal coefficients of expansion. In the use of very large parts, or under extremes of temperature, provisions for expansion and contraction must be made.

Modified acrylics are acrylics that have the addition of impact modifiers, by physical blending and by copolymerization. Properties of greater toughness and better solvent resistance are imparted by modification of the basic material.