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Joining and painting polycarbonate sheet
While a one-piece thermoformed part provides the best performance, size limitations and other factors often call for fabricating a polycarbonate part from several components.
Typical joining techniques include: solvent cementing, adhesive bonding and mechanical fastening. Your choice of method depends on strength requirements and whether the components must be disassembled periodically for repair or replacement. Avoid cemented joints if high impact resistance is necessary.
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Technical advisory
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• The light weight and toughness of clear plastic sheet qualifies it for many jobs formerly held by glass. Materials in this category include acrylics, cellulosics, polyarylates, polysulfones and polycarbonates.
• Despite the durability of these materials, their surfaces are softer than those of glass, making them more susceptible to hazing by surface abrasion and to damage by scratching. But progress is being made, and more abrasion-resistant materials and surface treatments are being developed.
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Sustainability of plastic:
Did you know…
• Polycarbonate sheet saves energy by insulating better than glass and can be conveniently cut using common tools.
• Polycarbonate sheet can help save energy because of its thermal insulating capability. Compared to fiberglass, which has a U-value of 1.56, Corrugated Polycarbonate sheet insulates with a U-value of 1.2.
• This means that a greenhouse located in Denver, CO, would save an average of 300 gallons of oil annually for each 1000 sq.ft. of glazing with corrugated polycarbonate sheet over fiberglass. |
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Introduction to Plastics is more than an introduction
It's everything you need to know about more than 50 plastic materials commonly used today in industry; signage and visual merchandising; building and construction; and pipe, valves and fittings. This book provides such details as:
- Their comparative properties
- How they're made
- Appropriate applications
- Processing and fabrication techniques
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Get to know your distributor
IAPD distributors are your best source for finding materials for your application. Go to www.iapd.org to find a distributor in your area. You can search by company name, location or product category.
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The IAPD Magazine
This bi-monthly magazine contains articles, written by industry experts, on innovative plastic materials and applications. Each issue focuses on different materials and industries. Subscribe today to stay informed of what’s going on in the plastics distribution market.
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