Polycarbonate sheet has become very popular because of its extreme durability and resistance to harsh conditions especially when compared to glass. Glass can be easily broken and damaged, causing a potentially hazardous situation. Polycarbonate can save you time, money, efficiency, and significantly reduce the risk of injury when replacing glass in buildings and construction.
Impact Resistance
Polycarbonate is considered almost unbreakable, giving it a very clear advantage over glass in safety. It can withstand extreme force during harsh weather and can replace glass in places like schools, subways, bus shelters, greenhouses and hospitals.
For security purposes, polycarbonate sheet protects much better against burglaries and vandalism because of it’s unbreakable properties. Compared to safety glass, polycarbonate is 250 times more resistant to impact, not only protecting valuables inside but also reducing the risk of injury due to broken glass.
Heat Resistance
Unlike glass, polycarbonate can withstand extreme temperatures making it safer to use in building construction, and household items. Polycarbonate can be exposed to temperatures around 270 degrees for several hours or sudden bursts of heat up to 1166 degrees without distortion, breakage, or absorption of heat. Traditional glass can’t withstand high temperatures and can absorb heat, making it impossible to touch and increasing the chances of it breaking.
Longer Lifespan
Because polycarbonate sheet is durable, impact resistant, and can withstand heat, it has a long lifespan, cutting down on the cost of replacement. Glass tends to break and damage easily and needs to be replaced more often, especially when using thin panels. This can become very costly in building construction for schools, greenhouses, and hospitals that have hundreds or even thousands of windows that need to be constantly maintained.
Better Insulation
Traditional glass has very poor insulation quality compared to polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is essential for building construction because it’s thermal efficiency stabilizes and evens out the temperature of a space, cutting down on the cost of utilities and reducing your carbon footprint.
Polycarbonate sheeting has a distinct advantage over glass when it comes to greenhouse construction. Because polycarbonate has better thermal efficiency, growing seasons can be extended much longer. Because glass isn’t insulated, it will allow cold temperatures to significantly affect plant life, resulting in a dramatically shorter growing season and a higher cost to keep the heat running longer.
Greenhouse Construction
Whether you’re replacing panels on your greenhouse or starting from scratch, multiwall is the best material to use. It’s essential to have material that is going to maximize light while reducing the amount of heat that leaves. Glass is a poor insulator and can cost a lot more money over the long run to keep a greenhouse running at the proper temperature. Multiwall polycarbonate sheeting has a very high thermal value and can reduce heating costs up to 30%, saving businesses and individuals are large amount of money over lifespan of the greenhouse. Mulwiwall is also one of the best plastics to use for the roof because of it’s durability against heavy snow, strong winds, and debris impact like hail. Because it’s so durable and rigid, multiwall polycarbonate has a significantly longer lifespan compared to greenhouses built with glass panels.
Light diffusion and UV protection
Polycarbonate often provides soft light, while traditional glass does not and will allow harsh lighting in. This is especially important in the construction of greenhouses and other buildings where direct sunlight could be a problem. Polycarbonate can help prevent burning or scorching of plants, extending their lifespan and helping them grow more efficiently than when grown within glass panels.
Easy Installation
Polycarbonate sheeting is six times lighter than standard glass panels, making installation quicker and easier than installation of glass. This can be a big advantage over glass when it comes to construction because less material is needed to support polycarbonate than standard glass.
Polycarbonate also cuts easily using a standard circular saw, while glass typically needs a specialty saw, especially on thicker glass. Because it’s easy to cut and form, polycarbonate can be cut on-site, unlike glass that is typically cut and formed prior to installation. This leaves room for potential sizing errors, resulting in costly replacements.
Polycarbonate custom solution
Polycarbonate sheet has many advantages over traditional glass because of safety and durability. AC Plastics provides polycarbonate sheet that easily replaces glass or acrylic for building construction, subways, bus shelters, schools, greenhouses, and more. AC Plastics will design a custom solutions to your business needs and always offer the largest inventory of polycarbonate sheet in a variety of colors and custom sizes. Let AC Plastics turn your design ideas into a reality.
