Acrylic

From Open Source Ecology
Revision as of 00:53, 20 May 2020 by Eric (talk | contribs) (Added some more information)
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Basics

  • A Common thermoplastic
  • Also known as:
    • Poly(methyl methacrylate)
    • PMMA
    • acrylic glass
    • plexiglass
    • the trade names Crylux, Plexiglas, Acrylite, Astariglas, Lucite, Perclax, and Perspex
  • Is often clear
  • Is also a waste product from some sites (offcuts from laser cutters etc)
  • Can also be made into a Bubblegram which only it, and glass can do
  • VERY easy to work with:
    • Can be laser cut if in sheet form
    • Melts ~160 °C near PLA and ABS
    • Doesn'thave the hydrolysis issues of PET
  • Altogether GREAT material
  • It is a plastic, but supposedly some organisms may be evolving to break it down:
    • From wikipedia:
      • The Futuro house was made of fibreglass-reinforced polyester plastic, polyester-polyurethane, and poly(methylmethacrylate); one of them was found to be degrading by cyanobacteria and Archaea

Sourcing

Notes

  • You can get 1/32" polycarbonate, 4x8 sheets, at about $70. This is about $2/sf. Would need appropriate structural support, but otherwise it's pretty much indestructible.

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