PMMA / Acrylic Sustainable Solutions
Properties and Benefits
Light Transmission
Polymethyl Methacrylate – PMMA – is widely used in various applications for its many advantageous properties. The most well-known of these properties is light transmission. Typical PMMA grades allow at least 92% of light to pass through it, which is more than glass or other plastics. This outstanding clarity enables the use of PMMA in many different optical and related applications.
UV-Stability
Because it is inherently stable to UV-light, PMMA is used for many outdoor applications, in which it maintains its original colour and finishes for many years.
Surface Hardness
PMMA also has excellent scratch resistance and is able to be processed to a very high gloss finish. These properties, combined with PMMA’s dimensional stability, enables its use in many different applications where lasting beautiful appearances are important, such as automotive body parts, luminaires, on furniture or kitchen or bath walls or cabinet facades.
Unique Properties for Specific Performance
PMMA can be further modified by incorporating different additives. These modifications are typically performed to improve specific properties of the polymer, usually targeted toward specific applications. Examples of properties that can be adjusted in this way are impact resistance, chemical resistance, light diffusion, UV light filtering, or optical effects.
PMMA features a range of other benefits
- Myriad of colour choices with excellent stability and surface effects.
- Lightweight
- Easily machined and processed by standard mechanical and thermal techniques.
- Insoluble in water, resistant to salty water.
- PMMA is fully recyclable.
- Some grades are approved for food contact.
- PMMA does not contain any toxic materials or heavy metals, which may cause environmental damage or health risks.
- When acrylic burns, it does not produce toxic or corrosive gases which is compliant with international standards.
- Easy maintenance (cleaning & polishing)