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Questions You Should Know about Acrylic Polymers for Construction Solutions

11 Aug.,2025

Everything You Need to Know About Acrylic and Its Uses - Xometry

As far as the list of versatile plastics goes, it wouldn’t be complete without mentioning acrylic. It gets worked into vastly different uses, from canopies for aircraft to supplies for manicures. Grouped into a category called engineering plastics, acrylic has proven its worth for several reasons. Here’s what you should know about its composition, properties, how it’s made, and what it can be made into.

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What Is Acrylic?

Acrylic is the shortened name for polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), which is a type of rigid plastic with a great level of transparency—so impressive it’s often used in place of glass. It also happens to be the number-one plastic for laser cutting.

You may see both PMMA and MMA out in the world, and they are related. PMMA is a polymerized version of MMA, which is methyl methacrylate and is a vital part of creating acrylic polymers.

How It’s Made

This synthetic resin is made through polymerization and it’s a breeze to mold it into numerous shapes. The process starts with filling methyl methacrylate into a mold with a catalyst. This causes its structure to form (into long polymer chains) and once this process is finished, the acrylic will be extruded or cast and go through post-processing.

Properties and Features

There are a few key features that make acrylic stand out from other types of plastic, which we’ve put in the table below:

Types of Acrylic

There are two common types of acrylic that you’ll come across when looking for manufacturing materials. Their differences come down to how they’re made, which in turn gives them different characteristics.

Cast Acrylic: This style comes to life by pouring liquid MMA and PMMA pellets into a vat, and that liquid is then transferred to a mold made of glass sheets. This gets heated up and the acrylic goes through polymerization. Then it cools and you have cast acrylic. It’s known for being a little more expensive, but it’s strong, durable, clear, stable, and has great thermal properties.
Extruded Acrylic: This other type of acrylic gets created through extrusion. First pellets will be turned into resin, then this will be poured into an extruder that will melt it down and push or extrude the material out where it will cool. This is a more affordable process, and it’s great as a glass substitution because it’s consistent and easy to machine. Although its strength is lower, this actually makes it easier to shape.

Outside of these two types, there are many other grades, colors, and formats of acrylic. Some have special coatings to help them resist fogging, flare, and scratches. Others come in paint form, which can be rolled onto walls, products, and even fingernails and cured with UV light.

Uses and Applications

Acrylic can be used in so many different ways across a vast range of industries. Here are some of the most common applications you’ll find:

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Lights for cars, trucks, and other automotives
Lenses for eyeglasses
Signs and displays
Skylights and windows
DIY projects
LCD screens
Bathtubs, furniture, storage containers, and other home goods
Acrylic for manicures
Bulletproof security barriers
Coatings that remain stable in various conditions
Medical and dental applications, like hip joint replacements, bone cement, and intraocular lenses
As an alternative to glass and polycarbonate

FAQs About Acrylic

Here are a few other handy answers to common questions that come up about acrylic.

Disclaimer

The content appearing on this webpage is for informational purposes only. Xometry makes no representation or warranty of any kind, be it expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or validity of the information. Any performance parameters, geometric tolerances, specific design features, quality and types of materials, or processes should not be inferred to represent what will be delivered by third-party suppliers or manufacturers through Xometry’s network. Buyers seeking quotes for parts are responsible for defining the specific requirements for those parts. Please refer to our terms and conditions for more information.

Acrylic Polymers

What Are Acrylic Polymers and How Are They Used?

Acrylic polymer emulsions are one of the great success stories of modern industrial chemistry. The science behind this versatile class of polymers was perfected just after World War II, driven by an unprecedented housing boom and the demand for more versatile, more efficient paints. The result was household acrylic paint, an aqueous technology that required less preparation to use, was easier to clean up, had less odor, and performed better than paints made with solvents.
Today, acrylic acid remains an essential building block in the production of some of our most commonly used industrial and consumer products. Approximately two-thirds of the U.S. supply of acrylic acid is used to produce the acrylic esters methyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate. Taken together, acrylic acid and its esters are known as acrylates, and they are used as ingredients in a wide variety of products, including paints, coatings, textiles, adhesives and plastics.

The versatility of acrylic polymers is made possible by the number of building blocks available for polymer synthesis, as well as diverse ester functionality. Chemists select appropriate hard and soft monomers in order to build acrylic polymers with specific attributes for a variety of end-use applications. Pure acrylic polymers are also possible, resulting in polyacrylic acid or crosslinked polyacrylic acid compounds, which are used in the manufacture of hygienic products, detergents, and water purification and wastewater treatment.

Household Paints and Beyond

As previously discussed, acrylic resins offer a significant advantage as ingredients in latex paint. They provide greater resistance to blistering and cracking, are extremely waterproof and can last for decades without yellowing when exposed to UV light. As chemists tweak their formulas, they can increase the desirable properties of the paint. Today’s latex paints often deliver enhanced dirt pick-up resistance, superior gloss and excellent color retention, all while providing long-lasting wood protection against the effects of weathering damage.

But acrylic polymers have a number of other practical applications beyond paints. Acrylic polymers are commonly used in pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs), which rely on subtle pressure to create a bond. Applying this pressure enables the adhesive to “wet out” — to flow and cover a substrate to maximize the contact area and the attractive forces between the adhesive and bonding surface. For an adhesive to effectively wet out a surface, the surface energy of the adhesive must be as low or lower than the surface energy of the substrate to be bonded. In addition to surface energy, the usual tack, peel and shear properties must also be considered. PSAs are found in a number of applications, from shipping labels to foam insulating tape to laminating adhesives.

The construction industry has also found great success modifying Portland cement with acrylic-based polymers. The polymers improve several functional attributes of the cement, including adhesion to the old surface, flexural strength, tensile strength, and freeze/thaw durability. They also reduce permeability, halt the intrusion of chlorides and increase abrasion resistance. Acrylics and styrene-acrylics as well as styrene-butadiene polymers are used in applications involving cement.

Finally, acrylic emulsion polymers products are important components for graphic arts and barrier coatings applications. Acrylic emulsion polymers are readily formulated into overprint varnishes and inks to impart water resistance, rub resistance, alkaline resistance, and high gloss. They also can be incorporated into barrier coatings for paper and paperboard products, improving oil, grease and water resistance.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Acrylic Polymers for Plastic Manufacturing. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

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