As one of the highest-grade and most adaptable plastics in the world, the branded acrylic PLEXIGLAS® is always in demand when high requirements are placed on a material: With its versatile properties, POLYVANTIS' PLEXIGLAS® product family enables the development of new technologies, extraordinary design, visionary architecture and sustainable product and project design.
The plastics research team of Dr Otto Röhm of Röhm & Haas, derived the name PLEXIGLAS® from PLEXIGUM, the existing name of the company’s plastic resins and solutions. Fascinated by having invented an “organic glass” with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) , they called it PLEXIGLAS®.
Our Acrylic Products business line is a global producer of PMMA products marketed under the PLEXIGLAS® registered trademark in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia and under the ACRYLITE® brand name in the Americas.
Ever since the material was developed more than 90 years ago by Dr. Otto Röhm and his research team, it has been used in a wide range of projects. Applications designed with PLEXIGLAS® are often so striking that they immediately catch the eye: examples are illuminated stadium facades, gigantic aquariums, and spectacular pools. But PLEXIGLAS® can equally be found in high-quality furniture and kitchen back walls, the light guide film in a smart phone display, or car taillight covers. Taking these elements largely for granted, we hardly ever stop to think about the material from which they are produced.
PLEXIGLAS® acrylic is no ordinary plastic, however – it is a real all-rounder with fascinating properties and abilities.
The chemical name of the material, which was registered under the PLEXIGLAS® brand in 1933, is polymethyl methacrylate, or PMMA. It is a stable, transparent and impact-resistant polymer.
The product portfolio has been continuously expanded over the centuries. Today, cast and extruded solid sheets, multi-skin and corrugated sheets as well as tubes, rods, and films in a wide range of colors and surfaces and with special properties are offered under the PLEXIGLAS® brand name. Solid, multi-skin and corrugated sheets are also available as the recycled variant PLEXIGLAS® proTerra, which features a high proportion of recycled material while maintaining the proven brand quality.
Sheets—also commonly referred to as panels—and blocks made of PLEXIGLAS® are the starting point for a wide variety of potential applications. Thanks to their considerable durability and resistance to UV and weathering, sheets and blocks can be used in interior and exterior applications alike. Solid sheets are produced using two different methods: PLEXIGLAS® XT is extruded and PLEXIGLAS® GS is cast. Because their manufacturing processes differ, the two types are characterized by different properties, offering a range of advantages for various applications.
© Röhm GmbH – Acrylic Products
Multi-skin sheets, also frequently referred to as hollow sheets or twin-wall sheets, are hollow-profile materials consisting of parallel, external sheets (walls). These walls are joined together via connective ribbing. In between are hollow chambers. The unique structure of PLEXIGLAS® multi-skin sheets allows using them as high-performance thermal insulators and allows them to bear considerable loads, while weighing relatively little themselves. Uses include patio roofs, greenhouses, carports, and partitions.
© Röhm GmbH – Acrylic Products
PLEXIGLAS® corrugated sheet, extruded from the branded acrylic glass, are frequently used in exterior roofing such as carports, patios, canopies, etc. These sheets are easy to process and exceptionally convenient to install.
© Röhm GmbH – Acrylic Products
PLEXIGLAS® tubes can be used to make luminaires, product displays or shop fittings. Rods made of PLEXIGLAS® are also suitable for interior design. Both products can be processed easily and flexibly.
© Röhm GmbH – Acrylic Products
Environmental aspects during production
The section on sustainability offers information on the environmentally friendly production of PLEXIGLAS® acrylic.
There are two different methods: During the manufacturing process of cast PLEXIGLAS®, liquid methyl methacrylate (MMA) is poured between two glass sheets. Under the influence of heat, the liquid MMA then polymerizes, which means it hardens.
Extruded PLEXIGLAS® XT is produced from polymerized methyl methacrylate granulate, which is manufactured by the same company and sold under the same brand name as PLEXIGLAS® molding compounds. This granulate is melted in an extruder and can then be extruded into different shapes, such as solid or multi-skin sheets, rods, or pipes.
The PLEXIGLAS® molding compound is not only ideal for extrusion, however. The different products from the PLEXIGLAS® molding compounds portfolio all possess different physical properties, such as flow plasticity or heat deflection, and can be processed using all common thermoplastic processes, including injection molding.
Following its invention, the new kind of plastic was so successful that the term “plexiglass” entered the common vernacular. Because of this, “plexiglass” is sometimes used incorrectly or fraudulently, or is placed in the wrong context.
Anyone wishing to plan and construct something of high quality should know the difference between PLEXIGLAS® and acrylic from other manufacturers, however: PLEXIGLAS® is a branded product from POLYVANTIS GmbH. The brand guarantees reliably high quality from a product family that meets special requirements. That is why only the original from POLYVANTIS can call itself PLEXIGLAS®.
PLEXIGLAS® has been a “Brand of the Century” since 2007. This title is given to products that stand out thanks to their quality, prominence and availability.
Find out moreAs transparent as glass, half as heavy, and free of optical distortion, PLEXIGLAS® acrylic became a sought-after material soon after the trademark was registered in 1933. The branded acrylic is also distinguished by its other material properties:
One of its defining quality features is its extraordinary light transmission of 92 percent in colorless material. This means PLEXIGLAS® lets light pass through, while simultaneously providing protection from the harmful effects of UV radiation.
With UPF 50+ (Ultraviolet Protection Factor), PLEXIGLAS® sheets possess the highest level of UV protection for roofing materials. PLEXIGLAS® acrylic consists entirely of extremely strong and UV-stable molecules. Specialists in the field describe this as a “naturally UV-stable technology”. The advantage is that it does not need to be coated with a UV protection layer, as is the case with many other materials. As a result, the entire material is UV-resistant and not just the surface.
One of the most important quality characteristics of the PLEXIGLAS® branded product is that virtually all clear-transparent solid sheets, multi-skin sheets, corrugated sheets, blocks, tubes and rods do not yellow for a very long period of time and retain their high level of transparency. POLYVANTIS even offers a 30-year guarantee for this. In general, the material is extremely robust, durable and weather-resistant, and it still looks like new even after many years.
PLEXIGLAS® acrylic also has many more attractive properties: in its purest form, it is absolutely clear, which means it can be colored very precisely. The solid sheets are currently available in over 80 colors, also with different surfaces and high functionalities. Specially developed variants are extraordinarily good at conducting light, while others are able to withstand extreme pressures, while others provide protection from heat or sound.
Using different recycling processes, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) – the chemical name for acrylic – can be broken down into its original components, immediately forming pure PMMA again – for example as PLEXIGLAS® proTerra. The method allows PLEXIGLAS® products to be recycled not only in full, but at full quality. This type of circular economy, which is possible only for a very limited number of plastics, saves resources and helps to avoid waste.
