Acrylic is a transparent plastic that was first developed in 1930 by German chemist Otto R ö hm. It is a high-strength, lightweight, impact resistant, transparent plastic with numerous characteristics that can be used to make various creative products.
Acrylic is a semi permanent chemical resistant material that will not be corroded or contaminated by acidic or alkaline solutions, and can also withstand significant temperature changes. Therefore, it is often used to make guardrails, ventilation devices, coverings, and various surface decorations. In addition, acrylic also has strong optical properties. If there are special requirements in optics, people will choose it to make lenses or other optical instruments. Author: Acrylic sheet manufacturer
The difference between acrylic and glass:
- Differences in materials
(1) Acrylic, also known as PMMA or methyl methacrylate, is a type of organic glass and a high molecular weight polymer extracted from petroleum. Acrylic has many properties similar to glass, but its impact resistance and stability are stronger.
(2) Glass is made by firing a large amount of silicates, mainly composed of silicon dioxide, and belongs to inorganic glass.
- Differences in Performance
(1) Acrylic has a transparency of up to 97%, and its impact resistance is 17 times that of glass. It is not fragile, but its weight is only half that of glass. Good coloring performance, can be made into colored acrylic by adding pigments.
(2) The transparency of glass is comparable to that of acrylic, with higher hardness and better scratch resistance; However, it is prone to breakage and ordinary glass has poor impact resistance. Sharp fragments can easily injure people, but tempered glass and heat-resistant glass can be made through special processing and production methods; If colored glass needs to be made, specific colored inorganic salts or metal oxides need to be added during the production process, such as adding manganese dioxide (MnO ₂) to turn purple, adding gold chloride (AuCl ∝) to turn red, etc.
- Differences in functional applications
(1) Acrylic is widely used in furniture decoration, outdoor advertising, sound barriers, lighting covers, etc. due to its superior impact resistance, lightweight, drop resistant, and non fragile properties.
(2) Although glass is prone to breakage, it surpasses acrylic in both hardness and aesthetics. Moreover, glass has more special properties than acrylic, such as fire-resistant beakers used in chemical experiments, tempered glass used in buses and high-rise buildings, etc.
So, in terms of material, performance, and application, we cannot confuse acrylic and glass. Acrylic is essentially plastic and belongs to organic matter; The main component of glass is oxide, which belongs to inorganic non-metallic materials. Both have their own advantages and cannot be confused.