Why You Should Opt For Slumped Acrylic Instead of Glass
Acrylic, including slumped acrylic, is one of the most popular plastic materials. It has a wide range of applications, in various fields such as retail, medical, scientific, mining, manufacturing, and many others. If you take a look, you will notice that sleek and textured acrylic components are all around you, both in functional and decorative applications. The variety of uses is possible due to modern 3D CAD software which allows your imagination to run wild and create all kinds of amazing visual effects with decorative acrylic sheets.
This article will explain to the advantages of using slumped acrylic and whether or not its as good as glass.
What Is Slumped Acrylic?
Slumped acrylic is a high-quality textured panel with distinct aesthetic properties. Often incorporated into various applications such as displays, signage, light diffusers, partition screens and security screens. Imagination is the only limit to what you can achieve through the use of textured acrylic.
As for material properties, slumped acrylic is often described in comparison with glass and is preferred because it is lighter, safer, and easier to use and install. Just like normal acrylic, it is durable, has weather and chemical resistance, is resistant to impact, and comes at the same affordable price.
Acrylic comes in multiple colours and sheet thicknesses. This means that the acrylic sheets can be bent, cut, glued, polished, and painted. The ticker acrylic sheet offers insulation and soundproofing to your home that is highly-aesthetical at the same time.
Our customers use it both for interior and exterior applications. In a similar fashion to normal acrylic, textured acrylic can be cut to any size and shaped, machined, and processed in any form you can imagine. It can be attached to almost any surface, including block walls, plaster walls, granite, and masonry, through the use of architectural fixings.
Why Use Slumped Acrylic Instead of Glass?
There has been a constant comparison between glass and acrylic in the last years, and the topic has become more widely discussed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has encouraged the use of protection screens in public areas to avoid contamination.
Glass has been used for centuries but in the last decades a cheaper and more versatile alternative has emerged in the shape of acrylic, which includes both normal acrylic and slumped acrylic, usually offered as decorative acrylic sheets.
By analysing the characteristics of both materials we can compare and contrast the properties of each, and in most cases, we find that acrylic is the definite winner:
Weight
Acrylic weighs approximately half the weight of glass, which makes it cheaper and more convenient to transports and install.
Impact resistance
Acrylic can withstand strokes 10 to 20 times more powerful than glass. There is also the advantage that when acrylic is damaged it breaks into large pieces with relatively dull edges. While glass shatters into hundreds of pieces, causing potential risk to those nearby. Clean up can be an issue as it is near impossible to eliminate shards completely from the affected area.
Insulation
Cooler doors and skylights are made of acrylic because this material insulates better than glass.
Light transmittance
Acrylic is more transparent than glass (92% light transmission compared to 90% for glass) and allows UV light to pass through. This potential inconvenience can be avoided by installing an UV filter.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing acrylic and textured acrylic is cheaper than moulding and extruding glass as it requires less energy and is less labour-intensive.
Aspect
Acrylic provides a softer reflection of light, but the two materials can look very similar. There is even acrylic with glass look which mimics glass more convincingly due to its added tint.
Scratch resistance
Although glass is harder to scratch, acrylic can be made more resilient by supplying it with a scratch-resistant coating for additional protection. The advantage of using acrylic when it comes to scratches is that you can polish away any imperfections, while scratched glass cannot be restored so easily and may need to be replaced.
Processing
Acrylic can be shaped in almost any size because it is a thermoplastic. It can be bent, milled, and sawed, unlike glass which is hard to work with after it has cooled.
Interior and Exterior Applications of Slumped Acrylic
Glass look number plates
Slumped acrylic is a fantastic glass look-a-like material that will last for years with little instance of deterioration, even in Australian regions with the harshest climates. A very popular use of textured acrylic is for glass look plates which have the shape of the number and letters machines into the decorative acrylic sheets themselves. What you get is a unique product since there are no two plates with the exact same pattern – every product has its unique texture and wave pattern running randomly through it. When mounted to a wall of fence these plates stand out a couple of centimetres and provide and extra depth feature. High-quality decorative acrylic sheets can be used to produce number plates that look the same after years of exposure to the weather.
Shop signage
Textured acrylic will provide a refined look to your business signage without requiring extensive maintenance and regular replacement. Acrylic can create an attractive visual identity for your shop without spending too many dollars while also enjoying the advantages of low weight, durability, and safety.
Cabinets, partitions and patio tables
When used for furniture or architectural elements, slumped acrylic can ensure extra privacy without impacting light transmission and also offering a unique finish to your application.
Lighting applications
Textured acrylic can be used for ceiling lighting, LED lighting, and other architectural lighting; it is lightweight and safer than glass and easier to cut into different shapes to obtain the most original lighting applications.
Privacy panels
Textured acrylic will maintain your privacy without reducing light transmittance and without having to worry about the safety of children or pets.
Retail shopfitting
In today’s dynamic retail industry, shop fit outs are becoming increasingly more important in the success of a store. Offering your customers an interesting and beautifully designed shopping experiences enables you to build your brand recognition, attract customers and provide seamless functionality. Today’s shop fitters are using 3D CAD designers and decorative acrylic sheets to create wonderful elements to incorporate in your shopfitting.
Artistic displays and objects
Plexiglass art is very popular these days as this versatile material can be used to create all kinds of objects, such as plaques, vases, sculptures, jewellery, engraved photos, furniture, and many others. Items made of slumped acrylic can be easily painted on to give life to your most amazing artistic ideas.
Looking for a reliable manufacturer and seller of slumped acrylic? Plastic Online Australia can help you with plastic products, accessories and plastic fabrication. We create your product from scratch right here on the Gold Coast, at our state-of-the-art facility. We are up to date with the latest technology as we provide in-house and external training courses for our staff. We have the experience and resources needed to find the most innovative and cost-effective solution to your manufacturing problem.
Why Choose Plastics Online Gold Coast?
Here is what makes us different from other plastic fabrication companies:
Quality products
Excellent service
Taking pride in workmanship
Winner of G Bus Excellence Awards
20+ years’ experience in fabrication and vacuum forming of plastics
Innovative manufacturing facilities
Family owned business
Advanced cutting technologies to cut, engrave, and form many different materials into various shapes and component products
Getting the best slumped acrylic product starts with contacting us on our website or at 0755357444 (Burleigh) or 0755646744 (Molendinar).