Acrylic ACRYLITE® Gallery AR-2 UltraClear Sheet

Overview

ACRYLITE® Gallery UltraClear Sheet is ideal for picture framing and museum applications, offering an ultra-clear, anti-reflective, and fingerprint-resistant surface. With over 99% UV blocking capability and abrasion resistance, this sheet provides excellent protection for artwork and photographs, ensuring longevity and visual integrity. It is also lightweight, making it a superior alternative to glass, reducing both breakage and shipping costs.

Characteristics

ACRYLITE® sheet is a lightweight, robust thermoplastic material that boasts many times the breakage resistance of standard glass and is highly resistant to weathering. ACRYLITE® cell cast can be effortlessly sawed, machined, thermoformed, and cemented. It also absorbs ultraviolet light up to approximately 360 nanometers.

Applications

• Retail store displays
• Security glazing
• Industrial and residential glazing
• Luminaries
• Aquariums
• Decorative paneling
• Spectator shielding
• Skylights
• Signs

Physical Properties

ACRYLITE® cast acrylic sheet is meticulously produced to meet stringent standards, providing outstanding optical qualities, precise thickness tolerances, superior light stability, and minimal internal stress for consistent performance.

Technical Properties

Safety & Environmental Resistance

ACRYLITE® sheet is more impact-resistant than glass. In case of impact beyond its resistance limit, it does not shatter into small slivers but instead breaks into larger pieces. ACRYLITE® sheet meets the requirements of ANSI Z 97.1 for use as a Safety Glazing material in Buildings for thicknesses ranging from 0.080” (2.0 mm) to 0.500” (12.7mm).

ACRYLITE® cast acrylic sheet offers superior weather resistance compared to other transparent plastics. It withstands harsh conditions like intense sunlight, extreme cold, rapid temperature changes, saltwater spray, and more. Its inherent stability ensures it does not degrade over time, making it a preferred choice for skylights, school buildings, industrial plants, aircraft glazing, and outdoor signage.

Handling & Machining

ACRYLITE® sheet can be cut using circular or band saws. It can also be drilled, routed, filed, and machined similarly to wood or brass, with slight tool modifications. Cooling the cutting tool is recommended to prevent heat buildup and stress in the sheet, which could lead to stress crazing. Tool sharpness is crucial to prevent gumming and other issues during machining.

Laser Cutting

Laser technology is highly effective for cutting, welding, drilling, scribing, and engraving plastics. CO2 lasers can cut complex shapes in ACRYLITE® sheet with precision. Although laser cutting produces a clean, polished edge, it also introduces high stress levels; therefore, annealing the acrylic sheet after laser cutting is recommended to reduce the risk of crazing.

Cementing

ACRYLITE® sheet can be cemented using common solvent or polymerizable cements, such as ACRIFIX®. Proper edge preparation is critical for successful cementing, as the edges must be machined to a square, flat surface without stress. Annealing the part before cementing is recommended.

Annealing

Annealing is recommended to eliminate stresses caused by machining or polishing. ACRYLITE® cell cast acrylic can be annealed at 180°F (82°C), with the heating and cooling times determined by the sheet thickness. A general guideline is to anneal for one hour per millimeter of thickness and to cool the sheet for a minimum of two hours, ending when the sheet temperature falls below 140°F.

Thermal Conductivity

ACRYLITE® sheet has a k-Factor of 1.3 B.T.U. / (hour) (sq. ft.) (°F /inch) or 0.19 W/m.K. The U-Factor, representing the overall coefficient of heat transfer, is used to calculate the total heat loss or gain through a window. ACRYLITE® sheet is a better insulator than glass, with a U-Factor approximately 10% lower than glass of the same thickness.

ACRYLITE® sheet also resists thermal shock and stresses caused by significant temperature differences between a sunlit and shaded area of a window, or between the opposite surfaces of a window, making it more resistant than glass to such conditions.

Chemical Resistance

ACRYLITE® sheet demonstrates excellent resistance to various chemicals, including:

• Solutions of inorganic alkalis like ammonia
• Dilute acids such as sulfuric acid up to a concentration of 30%
• Aliphatic hydrocarbons such as hexane

However, it can be attacked by substances like aromatic solvents, chlorinated hydrocarbons, and some organic acids. For a comprehensive list of chemicals and their effects on ACRYLITE® sheet, refer to the detailed table in the original document.

Expansion and Contraction

ACRYLITE® sheet expands three times as much as metals and eight times as much as glass when subjected to temperature changes. For instance, a 48” panel can expand and contract about 0.002” for each degree Fahrenheit change. In outdoor settings where temperature variations can be as much as 100°F, the panel may expand and contract approximately 3/16”. Glazing channels should be sufficiently deep to accommodate this movement.

Light Transmission & UV Resistance

Colorless ACRYLITE® cell cast acrylic has a light transmittance of 92% and is warranted to not lose more than 3% of its light-transmitting ability over a 30-year period. ACRYLITE® sheet also absorbs ultraviolet light up to approximately 360 nanometers, offering superior protection against UV rays, making it an ideal choice for outdoor applications and glazing.

Spec Sheet

View ACRYLITE® Gallery UltraClear Spec Sheet