Bayer Makrolon Polycarbonate materials give you a unique balance of beneficial features which include temperature resistance, impact resistance and optical properties position polycarbonates between commodity plastic materials and engineering plastic materials.
Polycarbonate is a very tough material. Even though it has higher impact-resistance, it has a lower scratch-resistance and so a hard coating may be applied to polycarbonate eyewear lenses as well as polycarbonate exterior automotive equipment. The characteristics relating to polycarbonate are similar those of common Acrylic materials, although polycarbonate is undoubtedly 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 it has better light transmission characteristics than many kinds of glass.
Polycarbonate carries a glass transition temperature of approximately 150 °C (302 °F), consequently it softens gradually above this point and flows above about 300°C (572 °F). Tools need to be held at higher temperatures, generally above 80 °C (176 °F) in order to make strain- and stress-free products.
Unlike most other thermoplastics, polycarbonate can undergo massive shape changes without breaking or cracking. Hence, it is sometimes processed and formed cold using standard sheet metal techniques, for instance forming bends on a brake. For even 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 necessary, which can’t be created from sheet metal. Note that PMMA/Plexiglas, that is similar in appearance to polycarbonate, but it is brittle and cannot be bent with out a heating process.
The light weight of polycarbonate, as opposed to glass, has led to continuing development of electronic touch screens that replace the traditional 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 created from Polycarbonate include durable, lightweight luggage, MP3/digital audio player cases, computer cases, high impact riot shields, instrument panels, and common style blender jars. Many toys and hobby products are produced 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 may be a coating (e.g. for improved abrasion resistance), or perhaps the coextrusion for enhanced weathering resistance.
Bayer Makrolon Polycarbonate is a thermoplastic that begins as a solid material in the form of small pellets. In a manufacturing process called injection molding, the pelletized resin is heated until they begin to melt. The melted liquid polycarbonate is then rapidly pushed into a mold with the empty part being the size and shape of the part you want, compressed under high pressure and cooled to produce a finished product in a matter of minutes.
