polycarbonate?????
- Thread starter kenny77
- Start date
barbra
Active member
Here is a link that discusses both materials:
http://www.retroblast.com/articles/plastics.html
http://www.retroblast.com/articles/plastics.html
i would think that polycarbonate should be totally safe for a reef setup. Lexan is a brand of polycarbonate. Lexan is a ge product and is used commonly for drinking containers ie water bottles. I consider this to be proof that it is "food safe" and does not leech any chemicals into the water. The problem that i see is in construction as I am unsure of the best way to glue two peices together. typical chemical glues generally will not work with it and can cause fogging of the surface. One really interesting thing about it is that it can be bent without heating the plastic and it will hold its shape. like with a finger brake for sheet metal. I can see this being really handy and it would produce beautiful corners of a tank. I would also say that the price is ussually outrageous-more than stainless steel per pound. experiment talk to local plastic companies and find out the best methods for gluing it and post your results i would love to here your results.
noodles9987
New member
I don't know if this helps or not. But, pc plastic is stronger than steel. That's what I've always been told. I work with PC in my job and I've worked with so much PC over the years that I feel I know a little bit about it. Protective eye wear is made of PC and so are plastic lenses for eye glasses. Automotive head lamps and tail lamps are also made of PC plastic and so are the clear lenses that go over them.
PC is harder than acrylic, so it would not shatter as easily. And the distortion temperature of PC is much higher than acrylic. In other words, it takes higher temperatures to melt PC than Acrylic.
There are companies that make PC sheet that are coated with a very hard layer of clear paint that keeps the product free from scratching. If you've ever gone to an eye glass shop, they offer to sell you a protective hard coat on the lenses, and sheet stock producers do the same thing. I.E., you can order your sheet stock coated.
I suspect that PC will cost you alot more than acrylic and this may have something to do with why tanks are made with acrylic. IF you are serious about using PC, try to find out how to weld it, because PC becomes brittle when various solvents are applied to it, which can cause it to shatter. This may also be part of the problem. Also, I would recommend looking into which plastic is more porous. There may be no difference, but I would check this out anyway, because certain types of clear plastic can can turn cloudy if placed in water too long.
In conclusion, I would think that working with acrylic is an easier process and that's why tank manufacturers use it. And for cost reasons as well. You may want to call a custom tank shop and ask them if using PC plastic is an option and ask them about cost per sheet. They may offer to sell you the sheets you need and thus give you the information freely.
Finally and this is a guess on my part (I have absolutely no experience here), you should be able to get what ever you need imported. Your local glass shop (presuming there is one on your island), should be able to very easily import what ever you need. Ask them to add your materials to their next order.
I hope some of this helps.
PC is harder than acrylic, so it would not shatter as easily. And the distortion temperature of PC is much higher than acrylic. In other words, it takes higher temperatures to melt PC than Acrylic.
There are companies that make PC sheet that are coated with a very hard layer of clear paint that keeps the product free from scratching. If you've ever gone to an eye glass shop, they offer to sell you a protective hard coat on the lenses, and sheet stock producers do the same thing. I.E., you can order your sheet stock coated.
I suspect that PC will cost you alot more than acrylic and this may have something to do with why tanks are made with acrylic. IF you are serious about using PC, try to find out how to weld it, because PC becomes brittle when various solvents are applied to it, which can cause it to shatter. This may also be part of the problem. Also, I would recommend looking into which plastic is more porous. There may be no difference, but I would check this out anyway, because certain types of clear plastic can can turn cloudy if placed in water too long.
In conclusion, I would think that working with acrylic is an easier process and that's why tank manufacturers use it. And for cost reasons as well. You may want to call a custom tank shop and ask them if using PC plastic is an option and ask them about cost per sheet. They may offer to sell you the sheets you need and thus give you the information freely.
Finally and this is a guess on my part (I have absolutely no experience here), you should be able to get what ever you need imported. Your local glass shop (presuming there is one on your island), should be able to very easily import what ever you need. Ask them to add your materials to their next order.
I hope some of this helps.
Lexan and other polycarbonates *can* be used but I'd advise against it.
It's actually softer than acrylic, this is why it's virtually unbreakable. Because of it's softness, it scratches easier than acrylic. Also because fo the softness, it can be very dangerous to work with, it gets "grabby" and can easily pull away from you or take you with it - right into the machine.
The AR (abrasion resistant) coatings make them abrasion resistant but by no means scratch-proof, and when these coated plastics do scratch - are not repairable as the coatings do not "blend" with the base material.
There are many solvents that one can use to glue PC such as methylene chloride (primary ingredient in Weld-On 3, 4, 16) & tetrahydrafuran (primary ingredient in most PVC pipe cements) but the joints have nowhere near the strength of acrylic joints. When glued, it is common for the joints to fog, this is due to the high latent moisture content in the material and is just one of the causes for early joint degradation.
For clarity, PC is about equivalent to that of float glass (85-88% light transmission), so while adequate - is not as good as acrylic.
Thicknesses up to about 3/16" can be easily bent on a brake but above that a strip heater must be used. It is adviseable to anneal the material first though as the latent moisture can "fry" the material easily (bubbling). Cold bending (using the brake) does affect strength though and strip heating affects the molecular structure of the material so makes it brittle.
Price is about 20% higher than that of acrylic in 1/4" (6mm) but skyrockets above that. 3/4" & 1" PC is usualy "machine plate" but is available in an "optical grade" at a *very* high price. On the flip-side of this - a .45 caliber bullet wil simply bounce off the thicker stuff leaving a dimple - welcome to my job
All that said, it *can* be used, just not the best material for the job and the reasons above are why it is not used for tanks.
HTH,
James
It's actually softer than acrylic, this is why it's virtually unbreakable. Because of it's softness, it scratches easier than acrylic. Also because fo the softness, it can be very dangerous to work with, it gets "grabby" and can easily pull away from you or take you with it - right into the machine.
The AR (abrasion resistant) coatings make them abrasion resistant but by no means scratch-proof, and when these coated plastics do scratch - are not repairable as the coatings do not "blend" with the base material.
There are many solvents that one can use to glue PC such as methylene chloride (primary ingredient in Weld-On 3, 4, 16) & tetrahydrafuran (primary ingredient in most PVC pipe cements) but the joints have nowhere near the strength of acrylic joints. When glued, it is common for the joints to fog, this is due to the high latent moisture content in the material and is just one of the causes for early joint degradation.
For clarity, PC is about equivalent to that of float glass (85-88% light transmission), so while adequate - is not as good as acrylic.
Thicknesses up to about 3/16" can be easily bent on a brake but above that a strip heater must be used. It is adviseable to anneal the material first though as the latent moisture can "fry" the material easily (bubbling). Cold bending (using the brake) does affect strength though and strip heating affects the molecular structure of the material so makes it brittle.
Price is about 20% higher than that of acrylic in 1/4" (6mm) but skyrockets above that. 3/4" & 1" PC is usualy "machine plate" but is available in an "optical grade" at a *very* high price. On the flip-side of this - a .45 caliber bullet wil simply bounce off the thicker stuff leaving a dimple - welcome to my job
All that said, it *can* be used, just not the best material for the job and the reasons above are why it is not used for tanks.
HTH,
James
Pbrown3701
New member
...er.....FISH tanks
noodles9987
New member
James,
Thanks for the clarification. I thought there were some very good reasons for not using PC........
Thanks for the clarification. I thought there were some very good reasons for not using PC........
kenny77
New member
that already found a place that will sell acrilic for me. I was looking for a place that will sell the 8x4 sheet and i need 10. building a LFS ain't easy jjeje.
Also I won't be doing it of PC since the compnay told me how it weld and I teh procces is much tricki than with acrilic.
gman0526 thanks for your help. I will PM you if I need any extra help
Also I won't be doing it of PC since the compnay told me how it weld and I teh procces is much tricki than with acrilic.
gman0526 thanks for your help. I will PM you if I need any extra help
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