ACRYLIC vs GLASS
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Since 2010, AcryliCo has produced over 33,000 hard-coated hullside windows. Of these, less than 0.08% have had claims under warranty. W ith the advent of hullside windows on most cruisers and yachts, designers and engineers must weigh up between using either acrylic or glass whether tempered or in laminated form. Both Acrylic and laminated glass are transparent materials capable of withstanding high impact and weathering under all conditions per ISO 12216. Acrylic is a polymer with excellent characteristics, offering superior formability, yet delivering excellent optical quality. Laminated glass is manufactured using a different method, principally created using numerous layers of float glass fused together, interleaved with sheets of an adhesive polymer such as PVB. This makes the assembly very strong. Nevertheless, polymers have evolved considerably and are now available in new formulations surpassing the characteristics of glass. Key advantages are outlined in this document. If you wish discuss a particular project, or receive further details, please click here:

Ten times stronger than glass, acrylic has far greater strength than glass and does not shatter when exposed to high strains or blunt force. This superior crack resistance is especially valuable when manoeuvring yachts close to docks. This is just one advantage why acrylic is the preferred choice for viewing ports on deep sea submarines and bathyscapes. Equally, where safety issues may arise, the added strength affords acrylic a great advantage over glass. GLASS: LOW IMPACT RESISTANCE At less than half the weight of glass — (SG: 1.19 vs. 2.45) — acrylic is an excellent alternative,...

Although glass can be formed into curved shapes, due to its restrictive malleability, the finished shape will be quite limited, with complex shapes being far more challenging to achieve. By contrast, acrylic can be formed into sustantially more radical compound shapes with ease, yet able to retain excellent optical properties with a minimum of aberration. ACRYLIC CANOPY WINDSHIELD New acrylic formulations are now capable of offering 99% UV blocking. Most people are familiar with ultraviolet exposure to skin which can lead to cancer. Similarly, UV also has a detrimental effect on furniture...

Acrylic transmits more light than glass; in fact, up to 92% of visible light is transmitted through acrylic. By contrast, mineral glass transmits between 80-90%, depending on the type of glass. In cases where laminated glass has several layers, such as ballistic formulations, the image observed through the pane tends to adopt a greenish hue, which is not observable in acrylics. SUPERIOR OPTICAL TRANSMISSION Portlights and hullside windows can be inserted just about anywhere when manufactured in acrylic. By contrast, with laminated glass, while it is possible to drill through glass, it’s...

Laminated glass is also subject to delamination, whereupon the bonding between layers fails. This is displayed as unsightly patterns known as “travelling air pockets”. Aside of being unsightly, over time these air pockets can seriously diminish visibility around the edges of the affected transparencies. By comparison, acrylic is not laminated, and hence will not deterioraste over time. LAMINATED GLASS DELAMINATION AcryliCo º 2633 Lantana Rd º Suite #6 º Lantana º FL 33462 º (561) 304-2921 º www.acryl