Bayer Makrolon Polycarbonate materials give you a balance of beneficial features which include temperature resistance, impact resistance and optical properties position polycarbonates in between commodity plastics and engineering plastics.
Polycarbonate is a very durable material. Whilst it offers very high impact-resistance, it possesses lower scratch-resistance and thus a hard coating is applied to polycarbonate eyeglasses lenses as well as polycarbonate exterior vehicle components. The characteristics associated with polycarbonate are similar to that of those of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA, acrylic), and yet polycarbonate is actually 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 has better light transmission characteristics than many kinds of glass.
Polycarbonate carries a glass transition temperature of about 150 °C (302 °F), so it softens gradually above this point and flows above about 300°C (572 °F). Tools ought to be held at high temperatures, generally above 80 °C (176 °F) to make strain- and reduced stress products.
Unlike almost all other thermoplastics, polycarbonate can undergo large deformations without breaking or cracking. Subsequently, for small changes in shape, it can be processed and formed cold using sheet metal techniques, for instance forming bends on a brake. Even for sharp angle bends with a tight radius, no heating is generally necessary. This makes it valuable in prototyping applications where transparent or electrically non-conductive parts are crucial, which can’t be produced from sheet metal. Keep in mind that PMMA/Plexiglas, which happens to be similar in looks to polycarbonate, but it’s brittle and can’t be bent at room temperature.
The light weight of polycarbonate, as opposed to glass, has led to growth and development of electronic touch screens that replace glass with polycarbonate, for use in mobile and portable devices. Such displays include newer e-ink as well as LCD screens, though CRT, plasma screen and other LCD technologies still generally require glass for its higher melting temperature and its ability to be etched with finer detail.
Other kinds of items made out of Polycarbonate include durable, lightweight luggage, MP3/digital audio player cases, computer cases, riot shields, instrument panels, and blender jars. Many toys and hobby items are manufactured from polycarbonate parts, e.g. fins, gyro mounts, and flybar locks for use with radio-controlled helicopters.
For use in applications subjected to weathering or UV-radiation, a special surface treatment maybe needed. This either can be a coating (e.g. for improved abrasion resistance), or perhaps the coextrusion for enhanced weathering resistance.
The Makrolon Polycarbonate is a thermoplastic that begins as a solid material in the form of small pellets. In a manufacturing process called injection molding, this pellet material is heated until they melt. This liquid polycarbonate is then rapidly pushed into a mold, compressed under high pressure and cooled to form a finished product in a matter of minutes.