What Are Acrylic Sheets? Features and Types Explained

1. What Is Acrylic?

Acrylic, also known as PMMA or plexiglass, originates from the English term “acrylic” (acrylic plastic). Its chemical name is polymethyl methacrylate, a thermoplastic polymer material. It offers excellent transparency, chemical stability, weather resistance, easy dyeing, and workability, with an aesthetically pleasing appearance. It finds extensive applications in the construction industry. Acrylic products are typically categorized into cast sheets, extruded sheets, and molded plastics.

Beyond construction and decoration, high-transparency acrylic sheets serve as an ideal material for light guide plates (LGP), extensively used in LCD displays and LED backlight modules.

2.What Are Acrylic Sheets?

Acrylic sheets are essentially a type of organic glass sheet material. They encompass monomers, sheets, pellets, resins, and composite materials. Acrylic plate are formed by the polymerization of methyl methacrylate monomer (MMA), resulting in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) sheets—commonly known as organic glass. Also known as specially treated plexiglass, acrylic represents the next generation of organic glass. Lightboxes made from acrylic feature excellent light transmission, pure colors, rich hues, aesthetic flatness, dual daytime/nighttime effects, extended lifespan, and uncompromised functionality. In electronic displays, precision-machined acrylic sheets form light guide plates (LGP) that ensure uniform light distribution, enhancing screen brightness and visual performance.

3.Key characteristics of acrylic plate include:

1). Crystal-clear transparency with over 92% light transmittance, delivering soft illumination and sharp visual clarity. Dye-colored acrylic also exhibits excellent color rendering.

2). Exceptional weather resistance, high surface hardness and gloss, along with superior high-temperature performance.

3). Excellent workability, suitable for both thermal forming and mechanical processing.

4). Transparent acrylic sheets match glass in light transmission but possess only half the density. Unlike glass, they are less brittle and do not shatter into sharp fragments upon impact.

5). Acrylic sheets exhibit abrasion resistance comparable to aluminum, excellent dimensional stability, and resistance to various chemical corrosions.

6). Acrylic plate possess good printability and sprayability. With appropriate printing and spraying techniques, acrylic products can achieve ideal surface decorative effects.

7). Flammability: Non-spontaneously flammable but classified as combustible; lacks self-extinguishing properties.

4.Acrylic sheets Classification

Acrylic sheets are categorized by production method into cast sheets and extruded sheets.

Cast Acrylic Sheets: Primarily produced using molds through the aqueous polymerization of MMA, these sheets feature high molecular weight, delivering outstanding rigidity, strength, and superior chemical resistance. Characterized by small-batch processing, they offer unmatched flexibility in color systems and surface texture effects, with comprehensive product specifications suitable for various specialized applications.

Extruded Acrylic Sheets: Compared to cast sheets, extruded sheets have lower molecular weight and slightly weaker mechanical properties. However, this characteristic facilitates bending and thermoforming processes, enabling rapid vacuum forming for large-sized sheets. Additionally, extruded sheets exhibit tighter thickness tolerances than cast sheets. Due to automated mass production, color and specification adjustments are limited, resulting in restricted product diversity.

Acrylic plate are versatile materials with wide-ranging applications, from signage to architectural designs. One of their most important uses is in Light Guide Plates (LGP), which are essential for LCD displays and LED lighting systems.

If you are looking for high-quality light guide plates made from premium acrylic sheets, our company provides custom solutions to meet your needs. Contact us today for more details.