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About Acrylic

Most frequent questions and answers

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) belongs to a group of materials called engineering plastics. It is a transparent thermoplastic.

PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, plexiglass, as well as by the trade names and brands Crylux, Plexiglas, Acrylite, Astariglas, Lucite, Perclax, and Perspex.

This plastic is often used in sheet form as a lightweight or shatter-resistant alternative to glass. It can also be used as a casting resin, in inks and coatings, and for many other purposes.

Yes, all acrylic or plexiglass has UV properties and lasts around 10 years in the sun.

Due to new formulations for modern plastics, acrylic is able to hold up to UV and outdoor stresses for a reasonable amount of time. We also specifically sell acrylic sheets with a UV coating.
Acrylic does not break or shatter like glass, making it a safer alternative. All acrylic and plexiglass can get scratches. 
 
Deep scratches cannot be removed, but small scratches can be removed by using Novus 1, 2, or 3. 
 

Types of Acrylics

General purpose acrylic sheets in a variety of colors and effects. 

Reflective colored mirrors.

Our acrylic rods come in 6″ Lengths in a variety of colors. Cutting, End Squaring, and End Polishing is available.

ABS sheet has high-impact strength with a textured hair-cell finish on one side.

Great for appliance covers, crisper trays, instrument panels. ABS has high impact strength and is ideal for making prototypes.

It can be sawed, routed, glued and heat formed.

Styrene High-Impact sheet has excellent forming properties, is nontoxic, odorless, and dimensionally stable.

Indoor applications: signs, models, boxes, toys, and more.

PETG is used as a Midrange priced product between Acrylic & Polycarbonate. The clearity of PETG approcies that of Acrylic & Impact Resistance of Polycarbonate. Also is used in Signing, Glazing, POP Displays.

Our polycarbonate sheet plastic is clear as glass and is 250 times more resistant to breakage. It’s 30 times more impact resistant than acrylic sheet plastic. It’s half the weight of glass, durable, energy efficient and easy to fabricate.

It’s the perfect choice for glazing, skylights, store fronts, covered walkways, machine guards, displays, and personal security applications.

Lightweight: Just 1/8 the weight of glass. Wall panels are self-supporting and do not require extensive structural support.

Highly Flexible: Twin-Wall panels can be cold formed to many bending radii and can be fabricated on site to precise dimensions.

Virtually Unbreakable: Able to stand extreme abuse, its impact strength is 200 times greater than glass and 10 times greater than acrylic.

Saves Energy: The Twinwall construction gives excellent thermal insulating values while blocking UV transmission.

Home Improvement: For easy do-it-yourself projects like window replacements, shower enclosures, greenhouses, partitions, light covers, patio covers, carports, windbreaks.

A less expensive material with a Twinwall design made from Polyethelyne.

Ideal for the indoors such as Trade-booth applications and architectural accents.

Clear fiberglass panels that are smooth on both sides in an 1/16″ sheet thickness – sturdy material for green house walls or shoji type screens and industrial designer fencing.

Polyethylene makes a perfect cutting board.

We carry black and natural white and available colors in various thickness.

Standard thicknesses: 1/2 inch and 1/4 inch.

A sheet material with two thin metal layers surroundings a plastic layer on the inside.

Great for giving signs and plaques the prestige of metal with half the cost in weight.

Resins

Epoxy resin is significantly stronger than polyester resin. It is not as clear as polyester resin and has almost no odour. It is however, more expensive. Epoxy resin adheres better than polyester resin, and therefore can be added on top of polyester resin (but not vice versa).

Polyester resin does not require sanding between layers and can be used for making surfboards because it is UV resistant. You can also speed or slow the cure time for polyester resin by increasing or decreasing the ratio of the catalyst.

One gallon of resin will usually cover 51 sq. ft. with a typical coating thickness.

Any flexible plastic recyclable container should work as moulds, but it always recommended to do a trial run first.

Fabrication & Services

We cut any size and shape in acrylic. We cut circles of a minimum of 2″ diameter and the largest of a 72″ diameter. We have a +/- tolerance of 1/8″. We cut acrylic rods and tubes with a minimum of 2″ in length and a tolerance of +/- 1/8″. However, it the desired dimensions are really large to ship, give us a call and we can discuss the options.

We do fabrication and can make boxes, display cases, stands, etc. by gluing together pieces of acrylic. We also have different finishes (beveling, sanding, frosting, rounding) to give you your desired look.

A CNC (computer numerical control) machine processes a piece of plastic to meet specifications by following coded programmed instructions and without a manual operator directly controlling the machining operation.

No, we do not offer a service of cutting other acrylic material bought somewhere else.

We are not a framing shop but we do make sandwich frames and frames with standoffs for the customer to add their artwork on their own.

Turnaround & Returns

Turnaround times will vary depending on volume of current orders as well as type of order.

Most standard cut-to-size turnaround times will be within a week (excluding shipping time). If we expect a delay we will contact you. If you need your order faster, email us at info@santamonicaplastics.com or call us at (310) 403-2849 to see if we can accommodate you.

We will discuss turnaround estimates on custom projects.

If the order is damaged in shipping, please take photos of the packaging and the ordered item(s) and email it to us so we can resolve any issues.

Plexi Print Info & Tutorials

Visit the specific FAQs page on Plexi Prints for information and tutorials.
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