Polycarbonate
American Made Plastic Sheet, Plate and Rod
Makrolon®, Lexan®, Zelux®, Unicar®, Ensicar®
Why use Polycarbonate:
- Very Tough Material
- Extremely High Impact Strength
- U.V. Stabilized and Light Weight
- Bondable, Paintable, Printable and Silk Screenable
This material is…
excellent for impact strength (one of the highest in the plastics family), is UV Stabilized and light weight. Has excellent transparency in thin gauge (.030″ – .500″ in glazing grade / also .250 – 2.0″ in Zelux ‘W’). Can be heat bent and formed (requires drying prior to heating). Can be bonded and fabricated well with standard cutting tools. A very durable and high performance thermoplastic resin.
- Extremely High Impact Strength
- Good optical properties in thin gauge
- Can hammer a nail through sheet without breaking the material
- Can be formed, bent, cut and worked with standard cutting tools
- More than 25 times more impact strength than Acrylic (Plexiglass)
- Can be cold formed or bent – eliminating some heat forming
This material is used frequently for shields, guards and containment barriers. Can be cold or heat bent to most configurations. A popular material manufactured by several companies: Lexan® by SABIC, Makrolon® by Sheffield/Bayer, Zelux® by Westlake, Unicar® by Nytef, Ensicar® by Ensinger, Cyrolon, Tuffac, Apec, Trirex, Paltuf, Texin.
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 Machining Guidelines |  Chemical Resistant Chart |
Applications – material is frequently used in:
- Machine Guards, Break Resistant Glazing and Containment Parts
- Riot shields, Face Shields, Bullet Resistant Glazing, Skylights
- Roofing Panels, Green House Glazing, Window Glazing
- Fabricated Boxes, Break Resistant Displays and Manifolds
Materials Available As
xtruded Sheet: .030″ – .500″ in 48″ X 96″ Clear Masked General Purpose Sheets
Molded Sheet: .500″ – 4.0″ Thick Natural (Transparent) and Optical Grade in 48″ X 96″
Film: .010″ – .040″ in 24″ X 48″ Transparent – Film Masked Sheets
Rod: .125″ – 12.0″ Diameter – Natural (Machine Grade – Non Pigmented) in 96″ Lengths.
Black is Available in some sizes as a Standard – Contact For Details
Tube: .250″ ID – 4.0″ ID in 96″ Lengths (variety of wall thickness based on diameter)
Special Formulations: Medical Grade, Conductive, Static Dissipative, Glass Filled, Custom Sizes, Formulations, Profiles or Colors.
Typical Resin Properties:
| General Property | ASTM Test | Typical Value |
| Specific Gravity | D792 | 1.2 |
| Tensile Strength Yield | D638 | 8,900 – 9,000 |
| Tensile Modulus | D638 | 340,000 |
| Izod Impact – Notched | D256 | 12.0-16.0 |
| Hardness – Rockwell | D785 | M70 |
| Deflection Temp @ 264psi | D648 | 270 |
| Deflection Temp @ 66 psi | D648 | 280 |
| Co. Thermal Expansion | D696 | 3.7X10-5 |
 Data Sheet |  Typical MSDS Sheet |
| Machining Guidelines | Chemical Resistant Chart |
These Properties are for evaluation purposes only. This information is not to be construed as a warranty, guarantee or assurance that you may achieve the same results. Materials made from different resin types, manufacturing techniques and manufacturers will react differently. The information should be used to compare against other materials only, and each user should make his own tests to determine suitability. No warranty as to this materials suitability are either expressed or implied.