UV Protected Outdoor Polycarbonate - Clear and Colored

Polycarbonate with UV Protection

When you need a tough material that functions much like glass while being stronger and incredibly versatile, choose polycarbonate sheets. This plastic is up to 200 times stronger than glass while weighing half as much, making it easier to handle. Polycarbonate is a popular choice for projects that require extreme impact resistance and excellent optical clarity, and with sheets cut to your exact specifications, installation is simple.

At TAP Plastics, we proudly offer cut-to-size polycarbonate panels in multiple colors, grades, and sizes to choose from. Our polycarbonate extruded sheets are high-quality with properties comparable to UV-protected Lexan sheets. Our polycarbonate extruded sheets are designed to meet the stringent demands of many commercial and industrial applications, such as fabrication, security, machine guards, curtain-wall framing, lighting, noise reduction, signage, thermoforming, and more. Our customers use polycarbonate in a variety of commercial and residential building projects.

Cut to Size PC Plastic

Polycarbonate is the smart option for a variety of needs, including polycarbonate windows, room dividers, greenhouse side panels, store signage, dining room skylights and hockey rink barriers. These sheets are UV resistant on both sides, meaning they will block up to 99% of UV rays no matter how you mount them. You can get a polycarbonate clear sheet, partially tinted sheet or opaque white sheet for the right level of light transmission. Use our convenient calculator to enter the measurements in millimeters or inches along with the quantity for an instant price quote.

To learn more about polycarbonate and Lexan, read our guide to polycarbonate below. If you have more questions or need ordering assistance, call TAP Plastics at (888) 827-7330, email info@tapplastics.com or visit a TAP Plastics store. We have been a plastics supplier for more than 70 years and know how to help you take on all your project challenges.

What is Polycarbonate?

Plastic is an incredibly versatile material that can be used in countless applications and projects. One of the most common forms of plastic is a group of thermoplastic polymers known as polycarbonates (PCs). This synthetic resin is a naturally transparent amorphous thermoplastic that can be used to produce a variety of precision-machined parts and products. It’s also frequently used as a replacement for acrylic, glass and polyethylene. Polycarbonate sheets are often known as Lexan® sheets and Makrolon® sheets, which are trademarked names for specific versions of the material.

Polycarbonate sheets offer a wide variety of characteristics and features that are well-suited to numerous applications and industries, including agricultural, automotive, construction, electrical, medical and security, to name a few.

Features and Benefits of Polycarbonate Sheets:

• Virtually unbreakable
• High impact resistance
• High clarity and light transmission
• UV protective
• Excellent heat resistance
• Half the weight of glass
• Easy to machine, handle, and install

Polycarbonate Panel Properties

Weight, tensile strength, thermal expansion, and chemical resistance are all particularly important factors in most applications. How can using a Lexan sheet help your project? Let’s look at the properties of polycarbonate and the advantages this material provides for home, commercial and industrial needs.

In terms of impact strength, you can’t go wrong with choosing a polycarbonate sheet. This general-purpose thermoplastic is approximately 200 times stronger than glass. Plus, polycarbonate sheets have a higher relative impact strength than acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), polyphenylene oxide (PPO), acrylic, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyamides (nylons). You can rely on this rugged plastic to defend against burglaries or vandalism and reduce the risk of injury related to broken glass.

Although polycarbonate sheeting may expand and contract with temperature alterations, it does not shrink with age. Polycarbonate plastic’s thermal expansion coefficient is over 100 times smaller than polyethylene, making it well-suited to applications where temperature changes are a concern. Another pleasing characteristic of this thermoplastic is that it is very pliable. Polycarbonate’s ductile properties allow it to be cut or cold-formed on site and at room temperature without cracking or breaking, allowing you to make small angle bends in prototyping applications where aluminum sheet metal lacks viability. This ductility allows thermoplastic sheeting to be formed into curves that would otherwise be impossible to construct with laminated glass or acrylic materials.

This sturdy and highly impact-resistant material also has exceptional clarity and light transmission properties. Unlike glass, polycarbonate cannot be easily broken or damaged in harsh conditions. Polycarbonate sheets are virtually unbreakable, giving them a distinct advantage over glass in terms of safety and security. Clear polycarbonate panels are well-suited to motorcycle fairings, skylights, windows, windshields, and other barriers. Polycarbonate sheets are also resistant to harmful ultraviolet rays—but that’s not all. It is resistant to heat, cold, and water damage, making it an excellent option for building barriers, fencing, glazing, roofing, and so much more. We supply transparent and translucent sheets as well as sign-grade white polycarbonate sheeting to suit any need.

One other advantage of a polycarbonate sheet that is often overlooked is its ease of cleaning and maintenance. In terms of cleaning polycarbonate, rinse with warm water using a soft cloth or sponge to wash away any surface materials, grit, and grime. You can also use a soft microfiber cloth or non-abrasive sponge to wash with a mild diluted soap or detergent gently. To prevent water spots, you thoroughly dry the glazing with a chamois or moist sponge. Try to avoid abrasive cleaners and cleaning in direct sunlight to prevent streaking.

Polycarbonate Applications and Projects:

• Fabricating: Sawing, routing, shearing, and drilling.
• Fastening: Mechanical fastening, solvent bonding, transfer tape bonding, and welding.
• Finishing: Sanding, jointing/planing, solvent polishing, hot stamping, screen printing, and painting.
• Forming: Brake bending, cold bending, thermoforming, molding, drape forming, and strip heating.
• Glazing: Curtain-wall framing with either a wet or dry glazing system.

The possibilities of polycarbonate sheets are practically limitless. Some of the most common polycarbonate applications include cabinet doors, cell phones, countertops, eyeglass lenses, greenhouses, light bezels, machinery guards, office dividers, plant nurseries, protective visors, riot shields, swimming pool enclosures, and much more. We also offer an abrasion-resistant polycarbonate (Monogal AR) for high-traffic areas and exterior applications.

Our current polycarbonate collection allows you to choose between clear, transparent gray, and sign white. You can also specify the width, length, and quantity of polycarbonate sheeting you require to make covered walkways, POP displays, machine guards, skylights, storefronts, and so much more. Cut-to-size requests may take one to two business days to process for online stores, or you can visit one of our store locations to get customized polycarbonate panels in five minutes or less, from start to finish. We can also customize PC sheets with rounded edges, radius corners, or holes.

Whether you are looking for durability or aesthetics, polycarbonate sheets can save you time and money all while reducing the risk of injury during installation. With over 70 years of experience distributing high-quality plastics, we are confident in our ability to help you locate the materials you need to complete any project confidently. Plus, our cut-to-order services make it easy to get the exact size sheet you need. If you need any assistance in determining which grade of Makrolon^® best fits your needs, please feel free to contact us today to speak with a thermoplastic expert. Let us know how we can help you turn your vision into reality!

For More Information:   Click here for more detailed information on polycarbonate sheets    Click here for warranty information on polycarbonate sheets    Click here for the physical properties of polycarbonate sheets   Click here for the UL Fire Ratings of polycarbonate sheets   Click here for a Fabrication guide on polycarbonate sheets   Click here for a fraction, decimal and millimeter conversion chart