Acrylic is an optically transparent thermoplastic material unaffected by moisture and offers a high strength-to-weight ratio. An economical. general purpose material. acrylic can be easily heat-formed without loss of optical clarity. Acrylic is used in a wide variety of applications because it can be easily cemented. welded. thermoformed. and machined. making it an extremely versatile material suitable for a wide range of applications. Compared to all other types of transparent thermoplastics. acrylic has outstanding resistance to the damaging effects of sunlight and outdoor weathering. Most commercial acrylics have been UV stabilized for good weatherability and resistance to prolonged sunlight exposure. It has FDA approval.
Cell Cast acrylics are generally considered to have the best optical clarity. It also has greater surface hardness and machines more cleanly than continuous cast or extruded. Cell cast acrylics are not recommended in applications where thickness tolerance is very important. Cell cast acrylics are available in many more colors and thickness' and is easier to get custom colors and special effects.
Continuous Cast acrylics are the next best option for clarity. along with the benefit of maintaining uniform thickness as sheets and in thermoformed parts. During thermoforming. it does not exhibit the differences in the amount of shrinkage that extruded materials exhibit. Not as hard as cell cast material. continuous cast acrylics scratches more readily. It does not machine as cleanly as cell cast without adjustments to feed rates. bit or blade geometries. and technique. Continuous cast acrylics are not offered in as many color and thickness options.