PMMA Plastic: Properties, Uses, and Manufacturing Processes!

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)

 

Acrylics began to be developed in the 1930s, primarily for use in the rotating tops of safety glass. Acrylic material was first registered in 1934 as the well-known Plexiglas. The perfect combination of transparency and lightness made it an interesting new type of plastic. By the 1960s, this material was discovered by avant-garde furniture designers and applied in modern furniture and other interior environments.

 

Because acrylic offers a wide range of color options, its functionality naturally expanded from lighting equipment to the manufacture of company logos. Now all international brands use this material for signage. Acrylic has a hard surface and is easily mistaken for glass from a distance. It can be manufactured into sheets through casting and extrusion molding to meet the requirements of different applications. Cast acrylic sheets can serve as high-quality glass and are suitable for mass production.

 

Its high molecular weight makes it very strong, elastic, and easy to handle and manufacture. This casting method is particularly ideal for large products and small-batch coloring. Extruded sheets have a lighter molecular weight, making them easy to thermoform. The extrusion process results in products with excellent thickness consistency and is very inexpensive for large-scale production.

 

Material Characteristics:

 

Multiple manufacturing and processing methods, easy to process, a variety of transparent, translucent, and opaque colors and surface effects available, excellent chemical and weather resistance, high print adhesion, fully recyclable, excellent visual clarity, special color creativity and matching, high surface hardness, and good durability.

 

Typical Uses: Display products, retail signage, interior products, furniture, lighting equipment, glass assembly.