How Do I Pick Between Polycarbonate and Acrylic?

Oh no! Jon got official permission to break things in this week's How Do I...? video. Polycarbonate and Acrylic seem similar at first glance, but have very different uses and properties when it comes to use in robotics settings. Learn how to use each at the appropriate times (hint: Polycarb is almost always the answer)

PRODUCT USED:

0.060 in. Thick Polycarbonate Sheet
(am-0982)


Music:
Newer Wave by Kevin MacLeod

[Narsuitus]

For stopping bullets, how do polycarbonate (or trademark Lexan) and acrylic (or trademark Plexiglas) compare to AR500 steel and Porcelain tile?

[Christopherbrown-id]

what is the best for the sun, so that it doesnt get yellow

[hanif-plhd]

what about abs, is it stronger than acrylic/polycarbonate

[mohammad_rafiq]

can you share what type of material (blue color) you used in your video background ?

[xinglinjiang]

what is the thickness in this video? can u compare pc with pet?

[fatisummer]

Is Polycarbonate the same as plexiglass, I am bit confused with all the terms

[chrismiller]

I have successfully drilled through acrylic near corners and edges by starting with a very small, less than 1/16", drill bit and gradually working up to the desired diameter.

[TheSakisaki]

I would been interested of how the light comes out of sides comparison. I want to scratch a picture with laser and light it. Can you do that with polycarbonate?

[eslam]

What is the best material for TV screen protector Acrylic Or Polycarbonate

[deebo]

Good video, I got the feel for how flexible PC is. Was the PC sheet 1mm thickness?

[roy]

great video! i have a question about the contact with alcohol such as isopropyl alcohol and ethanol alcohol (for surface cleaning). I've done some research suggesting that Polycarbonate has a much better resistance against alcohol than Acrylic? continuous contact with alcohol turns the plastic white or create cracks on the plastics?

[noyza]

my team wants to combine the LED system with the polycarbonate side shield of our robot and make an edge lit shield with our sponsors engraved on it.
is polycarbonate clear enough for an engraved edge lit sign?
is thick (3-4mm) acrylic strong enough for a robot side plate/protector?

[jakerazmataz]

What's the easiest way to etch poly or acrylic? I have an xTool 40w diode. Or a 5w., if that will work better.