When many people's perception of transparent materials is still stuck with glass products, ACRYLIC is gradually replacing glass with its performance advantages. ACRYLIC, a plastic material that is as transparent as glass and comes in a rich array of colors, has brought significant changes to our lives and has also opened a new door for furniture designers to explore their imagination.

 

How excellent is this material that also possesses a transparent texture, dazzling colors, patterns, and shapes?

 

I. What is ACRYLIC?

ACRYLIC, commonly known as specially treated organic glass, is chemically named polymethyl methacrylate. Its transparency and light transmittance are similar to glass, making it an important thermoplastic plastic developed early on.

 

ACRYLIC is an important malleable polymer material that has been developed for a long time. It features good transparency, chemical stability, weather resistance, high hardness, easy coloring, easy processing, strong light transmittance, high printing adhesion, aesthetic appearance, and recyclability. It is widely used in furniture.

 

II. ACRYLIC Manufacturing Processes

The forming processes of ACRYLIC include casting, injection molding, extrusion, and thermoforming.

 

III. Features of ACRYLIC

1. Light in density, ACRYLIC is a relatively lightweight material with a density of only 1.17 to 1.20g/cm³, about half that of ordinary glass and 43% of aluminum.

 

2. High light transmittance, pure ACRYLIC transparent sheets have a light transmittance of over 90%. As a reference, the light transmittance of ordinary glass is generally between 82-83%, and that of 6mm ultra-clear glass is between 90-92%.

 

3. Strong impact resistance, it is 16 times that of ordinary glass, with almost no risk of breaking.

 

4. ACRYLIC has excellent electrical insulation properties, which are widely used in many electronic products, such as some very small component insulators in tablets, mobile phones, computers, speakers, televisions, and other products.

 

5. Not afraid of moisture, water, mildew, or bacteria. ACRYLIC's waterproof and moisture-proof capabilities are very strong, making it suitable for making fish tanks, bathtubs, and can also be used for infinity pools and aquariums.

 

6. ACRYLIC is highly malleable and can be easily processed into the required shapes. ACRYLIC material is lighter in texture than ordinary glass, and the cutting and processing technology is not complicated, so ACRYLIC products can basically meet the customization needs of the furniture industry, such as bed legs, sofa legs, coffee table legs, lamps, brackets, etc.

 

7. The wear resistance of ACRYLIC sheets is close to that of aluminum, with good stability and resistance to various chemical corrosions.

 

8. ACRYLIC sheets have good printability and paintability. With appropriate printing and painting processes, ACRYLIC products can be given the desired decorative surface effects.

 

9. Flame resistance: It does not spontaneously ignite but is considered flammable and does not possess self-extinguishing properties.

 

10. Recyclable: Discarded ACRYLIC can be recycled by melting to remove impurities and mixed with raw materials to be made into ACRYLIC sheets again for sale.

 

IV. Types of ACRYLIC

1. Colorless Transparent ACRYLIC

Colorless transparent ACRYLIC is the most common material, with many thickness options. Transparent ACRYLIC looks no different from glass, with a light transmittance that even surpasses ordinary glass, and it can also undergo various secondary processing, making it widely used.

 

2. ACRYLIC Colored Transparent

Colored transparent ACRYLIC sheets, commonly known as colored sheets, have a softer light transmittance compared to colorless transparent ACRYLIC, with a wide range of colors, making them very suitable for decorative use. Depending on the light transmittance, they are divided into transparent colored, semi-transparent colored, and opaque colored.

 

3. Pearlescent ACRYLIC

Pearlescent ACRYLIC is made by mixing pearlescent powder or fluorescent powder into general ACRYLIC. It has a bright color and a high surface gloss, used for creating unique shapes, food, etc.

 

4. Embossed ACRYLIC

It comes in transparent, semi-transparent, colored, and colorless types. You can refer to the textures of embossed glass; ACRYLIC can also present these shapes, used for decoration, doors and windows, etc., and can also achieve the effect of being translucent but not transparent.

 

V. Applications of ACRYLIC

The application field of ACRYLIC sheets is very extensive, from screens to sofa leg brackets, small bottles of cosmetics, all can be made with ACRYLIC. Its application in furniture is even more extensive, and with the ability to customize embossing, design colors, it is even simpler than metal furniture processes.