Covestro Makrolon Polycarbonate Flat Sheet are clear and tough

Makrolon Polycarbonate materials have a great blend of helpful features which include temp resistance, impact resistance and optical properties position polycarbonates in between commodity plastics and engineering materials.
Polycarbonate is definitely a tough material. Even though it offers significant impact-resistance, it possesses low scratch-resistance and so a hard coating is often applied to polycarbonate eye protection lenses as well as polycarbonate exterior automotive components. The characteristics relating to polycarbonate are generally like those of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA, acrylic), except polycarbonate is 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 most grades of glass.
Polycarbonate has a glass transition temperature of around 150 °C (302 °F), consequently it softens slowly above this point and flows above about 300°C (572 °F). Tools need to be held at higher temperatures, generally above 80 °C (176 °F) for making strain- and almost stress free products.
Unlike almost all other thermoplastics, polycarbonate can undergo large shape changes without cracking or breaking. For that reason, it can be processed and formed   at room temperature using sheet metal techniques, which include forming bends with a brake. Even for sharp angle bends with a tight radius, no heating is usually necessary. This makes it attractive prototyping applications where transparent or electrically non-conductive parts are important, which can not be produced from sheet metal. Be aware that PMMA/Plexiglas, that is certainly similar in appearance to polycarbonate, but is brittle and cannot be bent at room temperature.

The light weight of polycarbonate, unlike 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 and some LCD screens, though CRT, plasma screen and other LCD technologies which still require glass for its higher melting temperature and its ability to be etched in finer detail.
Other miscellaneous items made from Polycarbonate include durable, lightweight luggage, MP3/digital audio player cases, computer cases, high impact riot shields, instrument panels, and blender jars. Many toys and hobby items are constructed from polycarbonate parts, e.g. fins, gyro mounts, and flybar locks for use with radio-controlled helicopters.
For use in applications exposed to weathering or UV-radiation, a special surface treatment is needed. This may be a coating (e.g. for improved abrasion resistance), or perhaps the coextrusion for enhanced weathering resistance.
The Makrolon Polycarbonate is a thermoplastic that starts as a solid plastic material in the form of small pellets. In a manufacturing process called injection molding, this pellet material is heated until they begin to melt. The melted liquid polycarbonate is then rapidly pushed into molds, compressed under high pressure and cooled to form a finished product in less than a minute.

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