It is made of clear, thermoplastic resins that are found in acrylic acid and natural sources like petroleum. Like all thermoplastics, acrylic becomes pliable when heated and rigid when cooled. Read More…
Leading Manufacturers
All Plastics and Fiberglass, Inc.
Mobile, AL | 800-226-1134All Plastics and Fiberglass performs fabrication for fiberglass and plastics. Among the standard products we produce are ducts, grating, structural shapes, pipe hangers and tanks. We do custom fabrication on tanks and pipe hangers. We also make prefabricated piping systems, handrails and more. We have built a reputation on high quality and superior service for more than two decades.

Cope Plastics, Inc.
Alton, IL | 800-851-5510Cope Plastics maintains one of the industry's largest inventories, stocking a wide variety of plastics to meet our customers’ needs for engineering materials, sheet plastics, specialty industrial products and tubing. We assist with design and we manufacture production parts in our ISO-certified facilities.

San Diego Plastics, Inc.
National City, CA | 619-477-4855San Diego Plastics, Inc has a huge selection of plastic materials. Call us today for plastic sheet, rod, tube, film, expanded foam sheet, corrugated sheet, boards, panels and structured sheet. An assortment of acrylic, polycarbonate, PVC, polypropylene & polyethylene in various colors, patterns, textures, thicknesses & grades.

Auburn Plastics & Rubber
Indianapolis, IN | 317-352-1565Since 1967, Auburn Plastics & Rubber has been a leading manufacturer of plastic and rubber products. We are a family-owned company built on creating relationships with our customers and manufacturing high-quality products. Auburn Plastics & Rubber is your one-stop shop for all your plastic needs.

CS Hyde Company
Lake Villa, IL | 800-461-4161CS Hyde has been providing high-end plastic materials since our founding in 1996, and has become a leading distributor and converter to a wide variety of markets. Materials we have available include Teflon Fluoroplastic, PTFE, Mylar®, Kevlar®, and more. We utilize the most high-tech converting equipment to provide superior products to our customers in a short time frame. It is our continuous mission to provide the highest quality products, innovate new solutions, and exceed expectations.

Professional Plastics
Fullerton, CA | 888-995-7767Supplier of engineering plastic materials—plastic sheets, plastic rods, plastic tubing & film. Products include Delrin®, Nylon, Teflon®, Vespel®, Torlon®, PEEK, Techtron®, PPS, Semitron®, Ultem®, PVDF, PVC, Acrylic, Polycarbonate, PCTFE, PFA, FEP and more.

Acrylic resembles glass aesthetically, but is half its weight as well as being resistant to sun and salt damage. Other positive characteristics that make acrylic a desirable thermoplastic that buyers want to purchase are its excellent insulation and transparent nature, which is actually clearer then glass.
Acrylic is able to be cut in thick chunks while still being fully transparent, while glass cutting may be a much more varied and expensive process. Glass also develops a greenish tint when cut thick. Acrylic manufacturers can fabricate products in a diverse range of shapes. Stock shapes, including sheet, rod, tube, film and plate forms, are most common.
However, acrylic manufacturers often accept special and custom orders to fit any need. Acrylic can also refer to paints used by artists that contain acrylic resin. Acrylic paints are desirable because they can take on a variety of looks when diluted but become water-resistant when dry. Artists have been using acrylic paint since the 1950s. Sometimes the artworks created with these paints are called acrylics as well.
Other uses for acrylic plastics are wide spread and varied. Because of its favorable qualities, including its ability to be flawlessly shaped, acrylics are utilized by many industries. The fact that there are two major types of acrylics also provides buyers with a variance in price. The extruded process creates a softer and cheaper product, but this kind of acrylic also scratches easily and contains impurities.
The cell cast process generates a more expensive but higher quality acrylic material. Acrylic manufacturers would most likely use the cell cast process for more rugged applications or applications where aesthetics are important. For example, aquariums would probably use the cell cast acrylic, since they can have them seamlessly shaped through chemical welding, and require a sturdy and scratch resistant material to give viewers the best aquatic experience safely.
Homes and offices often have acrylic windows and sliding doors, while shower doors and skylights are also often made from the thermoplastic. Since windows and doors are essential to most industries, such as hospitals, manufacturing plants, commercial buildings and so forth, acrylic is pretty popular. Also, because acrylic that is one inch thick or thicker is bullet-proof, prisons and security construction companies and automotive shops all use acrylic for specialized products where safety is a concern.