Developed by General Electric in the 1950’s, polycarbonate resin is an amorphous engineering thermoplastic, which is characterized by high levels of mechanical, optical, electrical and thermal properties.
Polycarbonate resin is one of the most widely used engineered materials in the world and has contributed to product revolutions in virtually every industry.
Typical properties of Polycarbonate include:
- High impact strength
- Inherent “water-clear” transparency
- Dimensional stability at elevated temperatures
- Flame resistance
- FDA compliance
- Lightweight
- Weatherability
- Formability
Standard Grades of Polycarbonate Shapes
Polycarbonate as a raw material for manufacturing comes in a variety of grades and shapes.
General purpose polycarbonate sheets and tubes are used extensively in school and factory glazing for protection against both accidental breakage and deliberate vandalism.
In manufacturing environments, this high-impact material excels in applications like machine guards, noise abatement shields, clear work station partitions, freight doors, and other in-plant glazing.
- Trizod® OP is an Optically Clear Polished, ultraviolet-stabilized polycarbonate sheet specially engineered for superior optical performance. It also offers improved flammability performance over General Purpose PC. Trizod® OP can be used in applications requiring excellent impact strength, outstanding clarity, and UV resistance.
- Trizod® FG‐P is made from Lexan® Polycarbonate resin that complies with FDA food additive regulations (21 CFR 177.1580) and USP‐VI criteria to meet the requirements of specialty applications as food handling/contact, medical device/apparatus, and other cleanroom needs.
- Trizod® OP‐ESD Polycarbonate sheet is designed to control static electricity for a wide range of end uses. It is a premium Optical Grade polycarbonate sheet which has been surfaced with a proprietary, clear, C‐300™ static dissipative surfacing. This unique technology prevents charge generation on the sheet surfaces, thereby controlling particulate attraction and preventing electrostatic discharge (ESD) events. This performance is permanent and totally independent of humidity. Trizod® OP‐ESD offers exceptional design versatility since it fabricates simply, is lightweight and is available in large sheet sizes. It also exhibits superior impact resistance and flame spread properties, plus excellent clarity, chemical resistance, and mar resistance.
- Trizod® MG is an unpolished, ultraviolet-stabilized polycarbonate available with excellent dimensional stability and good strength and stiffness over a wide range of temperatures. It also offers improved flammability performance over General Purpose PC. Trizod® MG can be used in applications requiring excellent impact strength, outstanding clarity, and UV-resistance.
Trident manufactures and stocks several grades of Glass-reinforced Polycarbonate made from Sabic-IP Lexan® resin including: 10% Glass-reinforced Lexan® 500R, 20% Glass-reinforced Lexan® 3412R, 30% Glass-reinforced Lexan® 3413R, 40% Glass-reinforced Lexan® 3414R.
Trizod® is a registered trademark of Trident Plastics Inc.
Makrolon® and Lexan® are the most common tradenames for Polycarbonate resins. Makrolon® and Lexan® are registered trademarks of Covestro and SABIC respectively.
Trident uses advanced cutting equipment from Schelling and CR Onsrud to produce the finest quality cut to size plastic parts in the industry. Trident’s CNC Routing is an excellent method for producing high volumes of precision cut plastic parts with repeatability, speed, and accuracy.
Trident can cut complex flat shapes as large as 60”x144” in most materials from up to 2.00” thick using our 3-axis CNC routers holding tolerances as close as +/-.005”.
For more information about our polycarbonate capabilities and services, please contact us.