Acrylic tinted

Tinted acrylic (PMMA), also known under the brand names Plexiglas and Perspex, is a hard, transparent plastic. The material is available in various colors, UV resistant, and suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. This material is available in the colors: orange, yellow, brown, red, green, blue, gray, anthracite, dark blue, dark green, and glass-look.

Applications

Tinted acrylic has many applications, mainly in decorative industries. Tinted acrylic is used in showcases, interior construction, displays, facade advertising, (name) signs, and architectural models.

Because the material has high impact resistance and is 25x stronger and 50% lighter than glass, it is often used as a glass substitute.

Design considerations

There are few restrictions when cutting acrylic. For finger joints, it is important to take the thickness tolerances of acrylic into account to avoid internal stress, and thus cracks or breakage. Acrylic is also relatively brittle in thin or long strips and prone to warping due to the heat released during cutting, so keep this in mind during design.

Laser cutting

Acrylic has protective film on both sides, so the sheets are fully protected before, during, and after cutting. The cut is tight, clean, and the same color as the material. Engraved areas have a slightly whiter color compared to the material.

If the design only includes cut and engraving lines, we leave the film on both sides. If the design includes engraved areas, we must remove the film from the top side, which may, in some cases, result in a small amount of smoke residue on the material.

Post-processing

In principle, acrylic does not need post-processing due to the high quality of the material. The material can be glued, printed, sawn, sanded, milled, and bent afterward. With any processing, it’s important to consider that the cutting process puts pressure on the cut edge, and if the acrylic is then further processed, small cracks may occur in some cases.

To give line and area engravings more contrast, they can be filled with paint (color fill). When the excess paint is removed, the paint remains in the grooves.

Appearance

Depending on whether there are engraved areas in the design the material has protective film on both the front and back or only on the back. The material is scratch-sensitive without protective film.

Tinted acrylic has a slight surface gloss and is semi-transparent. Area engravings have a matte white appearance, engraving lines are clearly visible up close. All parts are firmly packed in a box and, if necessary, supported with wood.

Technical information

Delivery time: Delivery possible from 1-2 working days