Perspex is acrylic plastic. Perspex is a trade name.
It a cheap crappy plastic that breaks easily and would be no use as glass replacement in a car - too dangerous. Most older light fittings had the plastic as there diffuser. It not as common these days. Quite brittle. It chips easily when cut with a jigsaw.
Plexiglass/lexan are trade names for polycarbonate. This is the plastic you would use. It is nearly indestructable. Very impact resistant - it is quite flexible but retains it's shape well. Cuts and drills very easily. Although quite expensive(2x) compared to perspex it is better to use in nearly all applications.
Polycarbonate is bullet proof to a degree. I've put it to the test personally using standard 8mm sheeting. Fired from around 15-20 metres, the plastic stopped a standard .22, a .22 hornet round as well as a regular 12 gauge buckshot cartridge. It however did not stop a 5.56, 7.62 or a 12gauge solid as you would expect. 12mm sheeting might stop a 12 gauge solid I feel but certainly not the others.
Sun, 05 June 2005 07:07
