Polycarbonate materials have a unique balance of beneficial features including temp resistance, impact resistance and optical properties position polycarbonates between commodity plastics and engineering materials.
Polycarbonate is definitely a tough material. Whilst it has considerable impact-resistance, it has a lower scratch-resistance and thus a hard coating is often applied to polycarbonate eye wear lenses and polycarbonate exterior motor vehicle components. The characteristics associated with polycarbonate tend to be like those of Acrylic PMMA materials, except polycarbonate is going to be 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 it has better light transmission characteristics than many different types of glass.
Polycarbonate has a glass transition temperature of about 150 °C (302 °F), in order that it softens gradually above this point and flows above about 300°C (572 °F). Tools will have to be held at warm to high temperatures, generally above 80 °C (176 °F) to make strain- and almost stress free products.
Unlike many thermoplastics, polycarbonate can undergo large deformations without breaking. Subsequently, for small changes in shape, it can be processed and formed cold using standard sheet metal techniques, for instance forming bends on a brake. Even for sharp angle bends with a tight radius, no heating is usually necessary. This makes it useful for prototyping applications where transparent or electrically non-conductive parts are necessary, which can’t be made from sheet metal. Understand that PMMA/Plexiglas, which is similar in looks to polycarbonate, but it’s brittle and cannot be bent with out a heating process.
Polycarbonate is commonly utilized in eye protection, and also in other projectile-resistant viewing and lighting applications that would normally be thought of as requiring the use of glass, but require much greater impact-resistance. Many different types of lenses are produced from polycarbonate, including automotive headlamp lenses, lighting lenses, sunglass/eyeglass lenses, swimming and SCUBA goggles, and safety glasses for use in sporting helmets/masks and police riot gear. Windscreens in small motorized vehicles are commonly made of polycarbonate, such as for motorcycles, ATVs, golf carts, and small planes and helicopters.
