From frost to heat:
Temperature behavior of PLEXIGLAS®
PLEXIGLAS® is well suited for many outdoor applications such as greenhouses, noise barriers, and illuminated advertising signs. Used such, the material is subjected to shifts between high and low temperatures in the course of the year. Due to its intrinsic properties the branded acrylic is well able to meet this challenge.
It can withstand temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius, and even the fiercest summer heat cannot damage the material: PLEXIGLAS® GS can be used at temperatures up to about 80 degrees Celsius and PLEXIGLAS® XT to about 70 degrees. Only at about 200 degrees Celsius does the material start to fuse.
Forming temperature of PLEXIGLAS®
PLEXIGLAS® is very easily processed and can, for example, be formed into many different shapes. For this the material is first heated to make it formable; malleability is achieved at about 150 to 160 degrees Celsius, known as the forming temperature of PLEXIGLAS®. More information on thermoforming of PLEXIGLAS® is available in the guide Bending and Forming PLEXIGLAS®: Perfect Thermoforming in just a few steps.
Considering expansion
As temperature and/or atmospheric humidity increase the acrylic expands - depending to an extent on the material - in cold or dry conditions it contracts. The allowance for expansion is typically 5 to 6 millimeters per linear meter of sheet. This temperature behavior of PLEXIGLAS® must be considered when, for example, using the material as roofing.
