Lexan Polycarbonate Sheets are clear and tough

Polycarbonate plastic products give you a balance of beneficial features including temperature resistance, impact resistance and optical properties position polycarbonates between commodity plastic materials and engineering materials.
Polycarbonate is definitely a rugged material. Though it offers very high impact-resistance, it has got a lower scratch-resistance and thus a hard coating is applied to polycarbonate eye wear lenses and polycarbonate exterior automobile equipment. The characteristics of polycarbonate are generally similar to those of common Acrylic materials, although polycarbonate is undoubtedly stronger, it is usable in a wider temperature range and is a bit more expensive. This plastic polymer is highly transparent to visible light and it has better light transmission characteristics than many different types of glass.
Polycarbonate carries a glass transition temperature near 150 °C (302 °F), as a result it softens gradually above this point and flows above about 300°C (572 °F). Tools need to be held at high temperatures, generally above 80 °C (176 °F) to make strain- and almost stress free products.
Unlike many thermoplastics, polycarbonate can undergo dramatic shape changes without cracking. Because of this, it may be processed and formed   cold using standard sheet metal techniques, for instance forming bends on a brake. Even for sharp angle bends with a tight radius, no heating is usually necessary. This makes it useful for prototyping applications where transparent or electrically non-conductive parts are required, which can not be made from sheet metal. Remember that PMMA/Plexiglas, that is similar in looks to polycarbonate, but is brittle and cannot be bent without heating.

The light weight of polycarbonate, in contrast to glass, has led to advancement of electronic touch screens that replace glass materials with polycarbonate, for use in mobile and portable devices. Such displays include newer e-ink as well as LCD screens, though CRT, plasma screen and other LCD technologies which still require glass for its higher melting temperature and the ability to be etched with finer detail.
Other miscellaneous items made from Polycarbonate include durable, lightweight luggage, MP3/digital audio player cases, computer cases, police riot shields, instrument panels, and blender jars. Many toys and hobby products are constructed from polycarbonate parts, e.g. fins, gyro mounts, and flybar locks for use with radio-controlled helicopters.
For use in applications subjected to weathering or UV-radiation, a special surface treatment is needed. This either can be a coating (e.g. for improved abrasion resistance), or perhaps the coextrusion for enhanced weathering resistance.
Bayer Makrolon Polycarbonate is a thermoplastic that starts as a solid material in the form of small pellets. In a manufacturing process called injection molding, these small pellets are heated until they melt in to a thick liquid. The melted liquid polycarbonate is then rapidly injected into a mold, compressed under high pressure and cooled to create a finished product , that only takes about a minute to complete.

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