Bayer Makrolon Polycarbonate materials have a balance of beneficial features this includes temperature resistance, impact resistance and optical properties position polycarbonates between commodity plastic materials and engineering materials.
Polycarbonate is definitely a rugged material. Even though it has very high impact-resistance, it has a lower scratch-resistance and so a hard coating can be applied to polycarbonate eyewear lenses as well as polycarbonate exterior automotive equipment. The properties of polycarbonate are like those of common Acrylic materials, although polycarbonate definitely is 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 most grades of glass.
Polycarbonate carries a glass transition temperature of approximately 150 °C (302 °F), consequently it softens gradually above this point and flows above about 300°C (572 °F). Tools are required to be held at higher temperatures, generally above 80 °C (176 °F) to make strain- and reduced stress products.
Unlike most other thermoplastics, polycarbonate can undergo dramatic changes in basic shape without cracking or breaking. For this reason, it can be processed and formed  cold using standard sheet metal techniques, for instance forming bends with 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 needed, which can not be created from sheet metal. Please keep in mind PMMA/Plexiglas, which happens to be similar in appearance to polycarbonate, but it’s brittle and can’t be bent unless it is heated.
The light weight of polycarbonate, unlike 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 many LCD screens, though CRT, plasma screen and other LCD technologies which still require glass for its higher melting temperature and the ability to be etched in finer detail.
Other kinds of items fabricated from Polycarbonate include durable, lightweight luggage, MP3/digital audio player cases, computer cases, high impact riot shields, instrument panels, and common style blender jars. Many toys and hobby products are made out of polycarbonate parts, e.g. fins, gyro mounts, and flybar locks for use with radio-controlled helicopters.
For use in applications exposed to weathering or UV-radiation, a special surface treatment could be needed. This 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 starts as a solid material in the form of small pellets. In a manufacturing process called injection molding, the pellets are heated until they melt and become a very thick liquid. The liquid polycarbonate is then rapidly injected into the mold – shaped like the part, compressed under high pressure and cooled to create a finished product , all in just a minute or so.
