Plastic Products for Glass Glazing
Products for Clarity, Strength, & Design
About Glass Glazing Industry Plastics
Glass revolutionized architecture. Panes of glass set in windows or doors, also known as glazing, allow for natural light and give us a view of the outdoors from the comfort of our home or office. However, glass is incredibly heavy, and can create a major safety hazard when it cracks, breaks, or shatters. Fortunately, there are clear plastic options that retain the transparency of glass but are much more durable. They can even be infused with different qualities for more tailored performance needs. Since plastic is significantly lighter than glass, it’s easier to install and less expensive to transport. Plastic is easy to cut and fabricate and can be sloped or curved, giving you more design flexibility. It’s also often a better thermal insulator than glass, preventing heat from escaping and lowering your energy costs.
Contact us today to speak to a Polymershapes specialist about overcoming common challenges associated with glass and selecting the best material and grade for your glazing application.
The most common glass and glazing alternatives are acrylic and polycarbonate
Both are clear, durable, lightweight plastics with tremendous capabilities. Depending on the demands of your application, one material may be better suited than the other. Acrylic is hailed for its dimensional stability and strength. At a fraction of the weight of glass, it’s significantly less prone to breakage and shattering. If it does break, the pieces are large, making cleanup easy. It’s also inherently UV-resistant, making it a go-to for outdoor applications. Polycarbonate is an even stronger material than acrylic. At 200x the strength of glass, it’s widely considered virtually unbreakable. It can even be modified for additional strength, making it fantastic for ballistic and security applications. Visit our Blog to learn more about how these materials compare and which may be best for you.
Plastic Products from Industry Leading Brands
Polymershapes provides North America with durable, long-lasting architectural and security grade glazing options made by SABIC and Plaskolite, world leaders in polycarbonate and acrylic manufacturing. If you have safety or product weight concerns, Polymershapes has a clear plastic solution.
Plastic Products from Industry Leading Brands
Polymershapes provides North America with durable, long-lasting architectural and security grade glazing options made by SABIC and Plaskolite, world leaders in polycarbonate and acrylic manufacturing. If you have safety or product weight concerns, Polymershapes has a clear plastic solution.
Features & Benefits
Optical Clarity
•Impact Resistant
•Shatter Resistant
•Lightweight
•Easy to Fabricate
•Thermal Insulation
•Recyclable
Optical Clarity
Transparent performance comparable to glass.
Impact Resistant
Far stronger than glass under mechanical force.
Shatter Resistant
Breaks safely or not at all, reducing injury risk.
Lightweight
Reduces install labor and structural support needs.
Easy to Fabricate
Cut, routed to spec and size.
Thermal Insulation
Help regulate indoor temperature, and increase energy efficiency.
Recyclable
Supports green building initiatives.
Applications
Clearboarding
When windows or doors need to be protected against vandalism or severe weather, consider LEXAN™ 9034 Polycarbonate instead of plywood for a long-lasting solution. Instead of drawing attention to an abandoned building, polycarbonate is unobtrusive. It’s also more impact resistant than plywood and won’t warp or rot, making replacement unlikely.
Dry-Erase Boards
Erasable acrylic, such as OPTIX® E-DA, features unique surface additives that reduce adhesion, allowing marker and graffiti to be removed with ease.
Greenhouses
Polycarbonate is a cost-efficient and highly effective material for all types of greenhouses because it’s an excellent thermal insulator, easy to bend and fabricate, and virtually shatterproof. Its light weight also makes plastic greenhouses much easier to construct than those made of glass. For top performance, LEXAN THERMOCLEAR™ is a multi-wall polycarbonate sheet with exceptional light diffusion, optical clarity, and weatherability.
Mirrors
Plaskolite offers an entire line of mirror-grade acrylic, known as FABBACK®, manufactured with reflective additives available in an array of colors and shades. Acrylic mirrors are roughly half the weight of glass and less likely to shatter, making them easy to install and a safe alternative for high-traffic areas such as gyms, martial arts studios, and dance studios. They’re also easier to cut and fabricate than traditional glass mirrors.
Pergolas
Pergolas are outdoor structures that bring the comfort of an indoor living space into an open concept. PolymerOutdoor partners with Plaskolite to provide lightweight, cost-effective corrugated polycarbonate pergola solutions.
POP/POS Displays
Point of purchase/point of sale displays need to be both functional and stylistic. They must showcase a crystal-clear view of premium products while also being strong enough to protect them from smash and grab theft. Impact-Grade Acrylic, such as OPTIX L, features better impact resistance than standard acrylic and is designed with heavy duty frames in mind.
Privacy Partitions
Frosted Acrylic, such as Frosted OPTIX by Plaskolite, comes in an array of opacities and colors. The frost limits the amount of light that travels through the pane, obscuring vision and protecting the privacy of those behind it.
Skylights
Skylights are becoming increasingly popular in residential and commercial buildings alike. They allow for natural light to enter a living space from above, which can reduce energy costs and improve mental health. Acrylic and polycarbonate provide many of the same benefits as glass, but at a lower cost. Plastic can even block infrared rays that would otherwise heat up a room, improving energy efficiency.
Transport Shelters
Outdoor structures such as bus shelters often encounter graffiti and vandalism. LEXAN Margard™ MR10 offers additional impact strength and abrasion resistance plus a chemically resistant coating that makes it easy to remove graffiti.
Transaction Windows
For security applications such as transaction windows or counter line systems, POLYVANTIS offers a line of LEXGARD® ballistic grade laminated polycarbonate with exceptional bullet, blast, impact, and wind resistance to provide protection against a multitude of threats.
Windows
Both acrylic and polycarbonate are excellent alternatives to glass windows, especially in public or high traffic areas where safety or vandalism is a concern. Both materials weigh less than glass, are easy to fabricate even in sloped and curved designs, and are extremely impact and shatter resistant. If they are damaged, both plastics are easy to recycle, making them an environmentally responsible option. Specialized grades are available depending on the requirements of your glazing project. For the most extreme environments, LEXAN MARGARD MR10 is virtually unbreakable with a UV and scratch resistant coating that also resists chemicals such as spray paint.
Aisle Containment
Multiwall polycarbonate is a go-to solution for hot and cold aisle containment systems in data centers. Lightweight and easy to install, it offers excellent thermal insulation to support energy efficiency and airflow management. Its rigidity and impact resistance make it a durable alternative to glass or acrylic, while its clear or frosted finish options maintain visibility and aesthetics.
Visit our Aisle Containment page to learn more!
Products for Glass Glazing Applications
Acrylic (Polymethyl Methacrylate, PMMA)
Acrylic, also known as Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA), is a thermoplastic that can be formed into a number of shapes, making it suitable for use in a broad range of industries and products.
Silicone and Adhesives
Silicone sealants and adhesives are inert, synthetic compounds with a wide variety of forms and uses. They are typically heat-resistant and rubber-like.
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