Material for headlamp covers 1

[sbrats]

Putting together a concept model - part of the prototype are aero covers for the headlamps - what material to use (sheet form) that could be vacu formed to shape and be usable/durable - functional as opposed to something as a static display.
I had thought about polycarb - looking for conformation that this would be the choice.

Thanks

 

[patprimmer]

Acrylic or polycarbonate are the obvious choices with Cellulose Butyrate also being possible.

Acrylic has the best light transmission, natural scratch resistance and UV light resistance. It is hard and rigid and very easy to mould.

PC is tougher and has only moderate UV and poor scratch resistance in it's natural state, but it can be UV stabilised and coated to give good scratch resistance. It is very tough but has poor resistance to many common solvents and is relatively difficult to mould.

Cellulose Butyrate is easy to mould, tough and scratch resistant. It has moderate UV resistance, relatively low light transmission and is expensive.



Regards

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[TVP]

For vacuum forming, acrylic (PMMA) will probably be your best option. PC is not very friendly with this process. Polyesters like PETG are the most amenable to vacuum forming, but do not really have the optical and other properties needed for this type of component.