Is plexiglass shatterproof?

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Plexiglas or polymethyl methacrylate is a plastic that is quite similar to glass. The resistance to breakage, however, depends on the specific properties of the objects in question.

Acrylic looks like glass, but it is easier and easier to work with.
Acrylic looks like glass, but it is easier and easier to work with. © CFalk / Pixelio

Plexiglass is the brand name for polymethyl methacrylate

  • Plexiglass is the oldest name in the early 1930s. In the twentieth century, the plastics developed polymethyl methacrylate.
  • PMMA can be deformed at temperatures above 100 ° C and is therefore much easier and cheaper to process than mineral glass.
  • The plastic is weatherproof and even more translucent than normal window glass.
  • It is also particularly scratch-resistant, which makes it suitable as a spectacle lens, for example.
  • The plastic is much more shatterproof than glass and is therefore preferable in many areas of application.
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Make the right use of the advantages of unbreakable plastic

  • Since Plexiglas is shatterproof and thus apparently combines all the advantages of glass without its disadvantages, it is unusual in some areas that glass is no longer replaced by plastic.
  • However, an advantage in processing also limits its possible uses. Since Plexiglas melts very quickly, it can only be used to a limited extent in the kitchen, for example.
  • However, it is advantageous for roof windows, for example. If there is a fire in the house, the plastic panes melt without leaving any residue and allow the heat and smoke to escape early, for the benefit of the residents.
  • Alcoholic cleaners also lead to so-called stress corrosion, which can break the objects.
  • Since the plastic does not react to most acids and alkalis, it can be used well in medicine. It is used to fix bone fragments as well as for important laboratory tests.
  • Since normal plexiglass absorbs UV light almost completely, a special UV-permeable acrylic glass was developed for solariums.

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