Acrylic product parameters and production technology

Acrylic product parameters and production technology

1. Product parameters Acrylic, also known as plexiglass, is an important plastic polymer material with good transparency, chemical stability and weather resistance. The following are its main product parameters：

(1) Physical performance parameters

1. Density: Generally between 1.17-1.20g/cm3, it is lighter than glass and only about half that of glass. This characteristic makes acrylic products more convenient in transportation, installation and other links, which can effectively reduce costs and difficulties.

2. Hardness: Hardness is one of the important indicators to measure the quality of acrylic. It is usually expressed in terms of Pap hardness. The Pap hardness of high-quality acrylic can reach 85-90. Acrylic products with higher hardness have stronger scratch resistance and longer service life.

3. Impact strength: The impact strength is high, about 20-30kJ/m2, which is 10-18 times that of ordinary glass. This means that acrylic products are not easy to break when they are hit, and they are safer, and they are suitable for use in places with high safety requirements, such as children's activity areas, shopping mall display areas, etc.

4. Tensile strength: The tensile strength is generally 50-77MPa, which has good toughness and tensile resistance, and can withstand the tensile force of external forces to a certain extent without breaking easily.

5. Bending strength: The bending strength is about 90-130MPa, and it can be bent to a certain extent, which can meet the needs of different modeling designs, such as the production of curved display racks, lampshades, etc.

(4) Other parameters

1. Thickness: Acrylic sheet has a wide range of thicknesses. The common thicknesses are 1mm, 2mm, 3mm, 5mm, 8mm, 10mm, 15mm, 20mm, etc. The appropriate thickness can be selected according to different use needs.

2. Color: In addition to transparent acrylic, there are also various colored acrylic, such as red, blue, yellow, green, etc., as well as frosted, mirror and other special effects acrylic, which can meet different decoration and design needs.

Second, the production process The production process of acrylic products is more complex, and multiple processes are required to produce high-quality products. The following is its main production process：

(1) Design and layout According to customer needs and product usage scenarios, carry out detailed design, including product shape, size, structure, etc. Then use professional design software (such as CAD, CorelDRAW, etc.) for typesetting to ensure maximum material utilization and reduce production costs.

(2) Cutting Cutting is the first process in the production of acrylic products. The commonly used cutting equipment is laser cutting machines, CNC engraving machines, cutting machines, etc.

1. Laser cutting: Laser cutting has the advantages of high precision, fast speed, smooth incision, etc., and is suitable for cutting various complex shapes. After the laser beam is focused, the energy is highly concentrated, which can instantly melt and evaporate the acrylic material, thereby achieving cutting.

2. CNC engraving machine cutting: CNC engraving machine can not only cut, but also perform engraving and other processing. It controls the trajectory of the tool through a computer to achieve precise cutting of acrylic materials.

3. Cutting bed cutting: The cutting bed is mainly used for cutting larger Acrylic sheets. The cutting speed is faster, but the accuracy is relatively low. It is suitable for products with low accuracy requirements.

(3) Polishing The edges of the cut acrylic products are often rough and need to be polished to improve the aesthetics and safety of the products. Commonly used grinding tools are artificial sandpaper, belt sanding machine, sanding machine, etc. When polishing, the appropriate sandpaper particle size should be selected according to the requirements of the product, and gradually polished from coarse to fine until the edges are smooth and flat.

(4) Hot bending For acrylic products that need to be bent and formed, hot bending treatment is required. There are mainly the following methods of hot bending：

1. Open flame heating method: Use an open flame such as blowtorch, alcohol lamp, etc. to heat the parts of the acrylic sheet that need to be bent. When the material is heated to a certain temperature (about 100-120℃), it is softened, and then bent and shaped according to the desired shape. This method is simple to operate, but the heating is uneven, which can easily cause the product to deform.

2. Oven heating method: Put the acrylic sheet in the oven for overall heating, and after the material is evenly softened, take it out and put it on a pre-made mold for bending and shaping. This method has uniform heating and high dimensional accuracy of the bent product, which is suitable for mass production.

3. Heating method of hot bending machine: The hot bending machine is a kind of equipment specially used for acrylic hot bending. It uses an electric heating tube to heat the acrylic sheet locally, which can accurately control the heating temperature and range, with good bending effect and high efficiency.

(5) Bonding Bonding is an important process for connecting multiple acrylic parts together. The commonly used adhesives are special glues for acrylic (such as chloroform, dichloromethane, etc.). When bonding, the bonding surface should be cleaned first to remove dust, oil and other impurities from the surface, and then glue should be evenly applied to the bonding surface, the two parts should be aligned and pressed tightly, and the glue can be cured. During the bonding process, pay attention to controlling the amount of glue to avoid glue spilling and affecting the appearance of the product.

(6) Screen printing and inkjet In order to make acrylic products have a better decorative effect, screen printing or inkjet processing can be carried out.

1. Screen printing: Screen printing is a process of printing patterns or text onto the surface of acrylic products through screen printing. First, a screen version is made, and then the ink is printed on the acrylic surface through the screen version. After drying, a beautiful pattern or text can be formed. Screen printing has the advantages of bright colors, clear patterns, and strong adhesion.

2. INKJET: Inkjet is a process that uses a inkjet printer to print patterns or text directly onto the surface of acrylic products. The inkjet printer can accurately print ink to the acrylic surface according to the design pattern, which has the advantages of fast speed, high accuracy, rich colors, etc., and is suitable for large-area pattern printing.

(7) Assembly and inspection The various components are assembled in accordance with the design requirements to form a complete acrylic product. After the assembly is completed, the product is comprehensively inspected, including dimensional accuracy, appearance quality, performance, etc., to ensure that the product meets customer requirements and related standards. For unqualified products, they should be repaired or scrapped in time.

(8) Post-processing According to the needs of the product, some post-processing can also be carried out, such as film, polishing, electroplating, etc. Film can protect the surface of the product from scratches and pollution; polishing can further improve the surface finish of the product; electroplating can make the product have a metallic texture and improve its decoration and durability.