Many customers may find that the reflectors of our high bay lights choose to use PC material. This is because the performance of PC material is better than PMMA material? Actually not. Both of these are transparent plastics. Under the same thickness, PMMA is even 2-3% higher in light transmittance than PC. Light transmittance is very important for lights, but other factors also need to be considered. Today we will analyze the reasons.

First, let us understand what PC and PMMA are.

PC: The full name of PC plastic raw materials is Polycarbonate, or PC for short. It is a general term for a class of polymer compounds with a carbonate structure in the molecular chain and various materials prepared on the basis of it. Mainly used in glass assembly industry, automobile industry and electronics and electrical industry, followed by industrial machinery parts, optical discs, packaging, computers and other office equipment, medical and health care, film, leisure and protective equipment. In recent years, they have also begun to be widely used Lighting industry.

PMMA: The chemical name is Polymethylmethacrylate, abbreviated as PMMA, and the English name is Acrylic. It has the advantages of high transparency, low price, and easy machining. It is a commonly used glass substitute material. Mainly used in the automotive industry (signal light equipment, instrument panels, etc.), the pharmaceutical industry (blood storage containers, etc.), industrial applications (video discs, light diffusers), electronic product buttons (especially transparent). Daily consumer goods (beverage cups, stationery, etc.).

Next, let us compare their performance through several aspects to analyze the reasons.

1. Physical: PC has better toughness and impact strength than PMMA, PMMA is a brittle material.

2. Temperature resistance: PC has better temperature resistance than PMMA. PC's TG reaches 120°, while PMMA is only 85°.

3. Wear resistance: PC has better wear resistance than PMMA, but the surface scratch resistance is far inferior to PMMA, so the scratch-resistant high-gloss ABS material has been added with PMMA for alloy modification.

4. Fire resistance: PC has better fire resistance than PMMA, that is, it has better flame resistance. It belongs to Class B flame retardant, and it is UL94-V2 internationally.

5. Light transmittance: PMMA has much better light transmittance than PC. PMMA has a light transmittance of 92~93%, which is the best among transparent materials. Therefore, multiple light guide plates and medical equipment are often used, and PC is only 86~89 %.

6. Weather resistance: PMMA has excellent weather resistance and is often used as outdoor products. When PC is used as outdoor products, UV agents and antioxidants should be added.

Finally, let's summarize that although PMMA has better light transmittance than PC, it is not as good as PC in other properties. Moreover, for the light, the temperature resistance and fire resistance of the material are more important, and safety standards need to be met. In addition, PMMA has failed to meet environmental protection standards in some aspects, and now it has gradually faded out of the market in many industries. In summary, our reflector and some light parts are using PC materials, this is to make our customers feel better and safer!