Polycarbonate Sheet
Flat polycarbonate sheets and twin wall sheeting cut to size. Clear, tinted and opal, 2 to 12 mm solid and 4 to 25 mm twin wall, delivered Australia-wide.
Polycarbonate is the sheet you specify when glass or acrylic will not survive the impact. Associated Plastics supplies flat polycarbonate sheets in clear, tint and opal from 2 to 12 mm, alongside twin wall polycarbonate sheeting from 4 to 25 mm for roofing, glazing and greenhouse work. Flat polycarbonate sheeting is virtually unbreakable in service, around thirty times stronger on impact than acrylic and hundreds of times stronger than glass of the same thickness, which is why it goes into machine guards, safety screens, skylights, sports and security glazing. Sheets carry a co-extruded UV layer on one face, so with the marked side turned outwards the panel resists yellowing for years in Australian sun. Lexan and Makrolon are brand names for the same polycarbonate resin, and the material we stock performs to the same specification. Every sheet can be cut to size on our CNC router, drilled and radiused, so you receive finished panels rather than a full sheet to wrestle in the workshop. The notes below cover choosing between solid and twin wall, bending, and how polycarbonate compares with acrylic.
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Flat sheet or twin wall: which to choose
Solid flat polycarbonate is the choice wherever optical clarity and full strength matter: machine guards, safety and security glazing, sneeze screens, sign faces and replacement windows. Twin wall polycarbonate is a hollow sheet with internal ribs, so it is far lighter, spans further between purlins and insulates better, at the cost of clarity. That makes twin wall the standard for patio and carport roofing, greenhouses, walkways and skylights, while solid sheet handles vertical glazing and anything that must be seen through cleanly. For roofing, run the flutes of twin wall down the slope so condensation drains, and seal the top edge with solid tape and the bottom with vented tape.
Thickness, spans and cold bending
2 and 3 mm solid sheet suits picture glazing, small guards and lightweight screens. 4 to 6 mm is the usual range for machine guarding and safety screens. 8 to 12 mm goes into security glazing, heavier guards and unsupported spans. In twin wall, 4 and 6 mm suit greenhouses and small covers, 8 and 10 mm are the common patio and carport thicknesses, and 16 to 25 mm multiwall handles long spans and higher insulation requirements. Polycarbonate can be cold bent without heat, but keep the radius to at least 150 times the sheet thickness so you do not stress the panel: a 4 mm sheet needs a minimum radius of about 600 mm.
Polycarbonate against acrylic
Acrylic is harder, more scratch resistant, holds its optical clarity longer and costs less, but it is brittle and will crack or shatter under a sharp blow. Polycarbonate absorbs impact instead of breaking and can be drilled close to an edge or cold formed without crazing, but it scratches more easily and is softer underfoot and under cleaning cloths. Choose acrylic for display, signage and picture framing; choose polycarbonate for guards, safety glazing, roofing and anywhere a failure would be dangerous. Note also that polycarbonate does not laser cut cleanly, so we route or saw it rather than laser it, and it must never be cleaned with ammonia-based glass cleaner or solvent, which will craze the surface.
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