Polycarbonate, especially in an industrial setting, is used for various purposes including roofing and walling.
Unfortunately, a sizeable number of polycarbonate enthusiasts are still unaware of the types of polycarbonate sheets available in the market. Eventually, they end up using the wrong sheets for the wrong purpose.
The financial consequences of using the wrong materials are quite dire, seeing that one will have to make periodic replacements and renovations just to keep the structure functional.
In this article, we will discuss seven types of polycarbonate sheets that you can consider when looking for walling and roofing solutions.
Colored Polycarbonate Sheets
The choice of the polycarbonate sheets to use in for your structure largely depends on its functional requirements.
Colored polycarbonate sheets are convenient when you want a certain theme color for your structure. For instance, you might decide to choose colored sheets for your shaded outdoor carwash if you want the color to match or complement that of your car.
Colored polycarbonate sheets are preferred for their translucency, ensuring that your setting has the right amount of light. What’s more, colored polycarbonate sheets regulate the temperatures inside your structure by reflecting heat waves from the sun.
Clear Polycarbonate Sheets
Clear sheets are used in structures that need significant natural lighting and heating. However, it would help to note that both the colored and clear polycarbonate sheets have the same quality in terms of strength and durability. The only differentiator between the two sheets is their appearance.
Clear polycarbonate sheets are ideal for roofing and walling in a greenhouse structure, where an ample supply of light and heat is necessary. The transparency of these sheets lets through and traps light and heat waves from the sun inside the greenhouse.
Bullet-proof Polycarbonate Sheets
Complete valuables’ safety is hard to achieve with an ordinary glass. However, polycarbonate sheets are made of multiple sheet layers that ensure the resultant sheet is thick enough to withstand impact loads from bullet shots.
Employing the use of bullet-proof polycarbonate sheets enables you to not only protect your valuable items, but also reduce repair and maintenance costs in case of an incident.
Bullet-proof polycarbonate sheets are ideally used to glaze bank-teller booths and doors. You can also use these sheets in armored vehicles and correctional facilities.
Mirrored Polycarbonate Sheets
Many people love the look of a mirrored finish on a building. However, regular glass pane can be easily broken or cracked with as little impact as a bird slam.
Mirrored polycarbonate sheets, on the contrary, are tampered to ensure they efficiently absorb shock from impact and imposed loads. As a result, the mirrored sheets let you enjoy the same finish you would have with the ordinary glass but with less risk of breaking.
You can use mirrored polycarbonate sheets on the front wall of a barber shop or a grocery store since most mirrored sheets are transparent.
Anti-Static Polycarbonate Sheets
Ordinary plastic sheets may seem like an ideal cladding material in a laboratory setting due to their inert nature. However, plastic sheets can easily generate and store static charges.
Anti-static polycarbonate sheets are usually employed in heavily regulated research environments where protection against static electricity, impact loading, and chemical reactions is required.
Abrasion-Resistant Polycarbonate Sheets
Ordinarily, polycarbonate sheets are very strong against impact loading but compromise on scratch resistance. Although the scratching does not affect the structural integrity of the polycarbonate sheets, it affects their aesthetic appeal, which in turn calls for periodic replacements.
In places such as schools, using abrasion-resistant polycarbonate sheets not only allows you to protect your sheets against constant scratches.
Fire Retardant Polycarbonate Sheets
Generally, polycarbonate sheets can withstand high temperatures. However, there is a limit to how much temperatures can be contained.
When working in settings with great exposure to open fires, consider cladding it using fire-retardant polycarbonate sheets; polycarbonate sheets maintain their structural integrity for long in an open fire.
Conclusion
Every structure has its own unique functional requirements, which call for different walling and roofing solutions. Therefore, the detailed varieties of polycarbonate sheets discussed above will help you match your needs with the appropriate roofing, walling, and glazing solution that your structure requires.
