Polycarbonate products offer a unique balance of beneficial features including temperature resistance, impact resistance and optical properties position polycarbonates in between commodity plastics and engineering plastic materials.
Polycarbonate is definitely a rugged material. Even though it features extraordinary impact-resistance, it's got lower scratch-resistance and so a hard coating is applied to polycarbonate eyewear lenses and polycarbonate exterior vehicle equipment. The characteristics associated with polycarbonate are generally similar those of common Acrylic materials, yet , polycarbonate is definitely 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 many different types of glass.
Polycarbonate carries a glass transition temperature of around 150 °C (302 °F), therefore it softens slowly above this point and flows above about 300°C (572 °F). Tools must be held at high temperatures, generally above 80 °C (176 °F) to help make strain- and stress-free products.
Unlike most other thermoplastics, polycarbonate can undergo massive deformations without cracking or breaking. For this reason, it may be processed and formed at room temperature using standard sheet metal techniques, for example forming bends on a brake. For even 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 important, which can not be crafted from sheet metal. Note that PMMA/Plexiglas, which happens to be similar in looks to polycarbonate, but is brittle and can't be bent with out a heating process.
The light weight of polycarbonate, compared with glass, has led to advancement of electronic view screens that replace glass with polycarbonate, for use in mobile and portable devices. Such displays include newer e-ink and a few LCD screens, though CRT, plasma screen and other LCD technologies which still do require glass for its higher melting temperature and its ability to be etched in finer detail.
Other kinds of items made out of Polycarbonate include durable, lightweight luggage, MP3/digital audio player cases, computer cases, riot shields, instrument panels, and blender jars. Many toys and hobby items are made out of polycarbonate parts, e.g. fins, gyro mounts, and flybar locks for use with radio-controlled helicopters.
For use in applications subjected to weathering or UV-radiation, a special surface treatment could be needed. This either can be a coating (e.g. for improved abrasion resistance), or as a coextrusion for enhanced weathering resistance.
Bayer Makrolon Polycarbonate is a thermoplastic that begins as a solid material in the form of small pellets. In a manufacturing process called injection molding, the pellets are heated until they melt in to a thick liquid. The liquid polycarbonate is then rapidly injected into molds, compressed under high pressure and cooled to form a finished product , that only takes about a minute to complete.
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