FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
What materials could I use for……….Glazing?
ACRYLIC (also known as perspex)
Acrylic is a a glassy thermoplastic material available in sheet form, ideal for a wide variety of applications in the display, fabrication and building industries due to its excellent thermoforming capabilities. Acrylic offers good optical clarity and outstanding weatherability, however It is not as strong as polycarbonate.
POLYCARBONATE (also known as lexan)
Polycarbonate is a transparent plastic material with an incredibly high resistance to impact. For this reason it is sold as a ‘virtually unbreakable’ plastic material. Matched with the same thickness in glass, polycarbonate is over 200 times more impact resistant and also half the weight. For this reason its major uses include roofing, protective screens, safety glazing, visors and fabrication for a variety of interior and exterior uses.
Polycarbonate Multi-wall is a hollow, fluted UV protected sheet used in conservatory roofing and exterior roofing applications.
What materials could I use for……….Industrial/Chemical applications?
POLYETHYLENE (PE)
A thermoplastic material composed of polymers of ethyelene. In its standard form, it is a translucent, tough, waxy solid which is unaffected by water and and a large range of chemicals.
POLYPROPYLENE (PP)
A tough, light weight plastic similar to polyethylene but stiffer and having a higher softening point. Exceptional shock resistance properties, scratch resistant and used in a wide range of industries including automobile parts, household goods, fibres, film and even Australian bank notes!.
Polytetrafluoroethylene is also known as Teflon®. Invented in 1938 and used throughout the medical sector, microwave circuitry and also as a coating on frying pans! It is a slippery, chemically inert plastic and when used in applications on bearing surfaces, the material exhibits a natural lubricity, meaning manual or machine lubrication is completely unneccessary. As such, it has an inherent low coefficient of friction.
What materials could I use for……….Food Prep Applications?
Polyvinylchloride. Used in soft flexible films for food packaging and in molded rigid products such as pipes, fibers, upholstery, and bristles. PVC can be com-pounded into flexible and rigid forms through the use of plasticizers, stabilizers, fillers, and other modifiers; rigid forms are used in pipes; flexible forms are used in the manufacture of sheeting and roof membrane. PVC is very popular as a wall cladding material.
PET sheets are high quality, extruded, solid plastic sheets made from amorphous polyethylele terephthalate (aPET). PET can be used in a variety of applications ranging from printed substrates in advertising to complex thermoformed components used in the food industry.
What materials could I use for……….Signage Applications?
A hollow fluted polypropylene sheet popular, used in election posters and one of the cheapest signage materials available. The exterior surface has a slightly corrugated effect, caused by the internal walls througout the sheet.
ALUMINIUM COMPOSITE (also known as Probond, Di Bond)
A sheet composed of a bond of aluminium exterior skin and a polyethylene interior core. ideal for outdoor applications and providing exceptional rigidity and flatness as a printing surface.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film used in sign making, is backed with an adhesive that creates a strong bond to fix it to a surface when pressure is applied. Available in a range of colours and width sizes.
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