PERSPEX^TM / Repsol Glass^® ACRYLIC CELL CAST & EXTRUDED  

We are all guilty of it, every vacuum cleaner is a “Hoover” and every piece of clear plastics is “Perspex^TM”!

PerspexTM was the trademark, branding, used by ICI for their range of acrylic sheets. The Perspex^TM brand of acrylic is now manufactured by Lucite International.

Engineering & Design Plastics Ltd stock and distribute the Perspex^TM brand of cast acrylic sheet but we also supply Repsol Glass® cast acrylic sheet which is an alternative brand of acrylic sheet manufactured in various plants in Europe by Repsol YPF. Engineering & Design Plastics Ltd can also supply other brands of acrylic sheet, to order, if you have a specific requirement.

Acrylic sheet is manufactured in two forms; cell cast and extruded sheet. Cell cast acrylic sheet is available in a wide range of thicknesses and colours, including blocks, colours and a limited range of surface patterns.

Extruded acrylic is available as clear sheet and in a limited range of opal and tinted colours and impact modified grades although minimum orders can apply. Extruded acrylic sheet has a good surface finish and consistent properties, which make it suitable for many internal and external glazing applications. Extruded acrylic sheet usually has a tighter tolerance on the thickness than that of standard cast acrylic sheet which is surprisingly wide (see tables below). Extruded acrylic sheet can be solvent bonded to its self, however we would always recommend where possible using a cast acrylic when bonding. The extruded material has more internal stresses in it due to the manufacturing process. It is more susceptible to crazing due to the solvents in the glue than the cast product. It is always good practice to vent any fumes away from the product when bonding, even when using cast material.

Perspex^TM is the more established, better known brand, within the UK, but we find that there can be advantages for some jobs specifying the Repsol® Glass cast acrylic sheet.

For example the quoted thickness tolerance on Repsol® Glass cast acrylic sheet is tighter than that on Perspex^TM cast acrylic sheet.

Manufacturer’s thickness tolerances for their gloss finish cell cast acrylic sheets (i.e. not patterned sheet).

We have also found that the Repsol® Glass product can be more readily available in thicknesses above 25mm.

Repsol® will also manufacture non-standard cast acrylic sheet, for example colours and opals thicker (up to 25mm) than the standard range in more realistic (lower) minimum production runs than Lucite can currently offer non-standard Perspex^TM cast acrylic sheet.

Acrylic sheet, block, rod and tube have properties which are suitable for a wide variety of applications ranging from precision engineering components to domestic and commercial products. They are easy to machine / work with (we would recommend the cast product for complicated machined components due again to the inherent stress in the extruded product) using conventional equipment and can be thermoformed by inexpensive apparatus.

• Half the weight of glass
• Outstanding transparency
• Good flexural strength
• Outstanding in all climates.
• Will not noticeably yellow in less than 10 years. See Perspex warranty  Clear sheet / Coloured sheet
• Good resistance to many common chemicals
• Good resistance to breakage 7 to 10 times stronger than standard glass of same thickness.
• Cracks rather than shatter into multiple fragments.