Plastic · Material guide
Custom polycarbonate parts from independent machine shops
Polycarbonate is the toughest clear plastic in common use: it takes impacts that shatter acrylic or glass while staying optically transparent. Upload a drawing and hear back from shops that machine and cut PC sheet every day.
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Polycarbonate shops on OpenSpindle
Real shops that machine and cut polycarbonate. See their equipment and talk to the person making your part.
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Grades
Polycarbonate grades shops run most
The grade sets clarity, stability, and how the part behaves outdoors or under load. These are the ones you will see quoted; if yours is not here, ask when you request a quote.
Standard clear / optical
General-purpose transparent PC (Lexan, Makrolon). Excellent impact resistance and roughly 88% light transmission. The default for guards, glazing, and light management.
Best for Machine guards, lenses, light pipes, sight windows
Machine grade (stress-relieved)
Extruded or cast sheet that is annealed to relieve internal stress, so it machines to tighter tolerances without cracking or crazing. Costs more than standard sheet.
Best for Precision machined parts and tight-tolerance features
Glass-filled PC
Glass fiber raises stiffness, dimensional stability, and creep resistance while lowering thermal expansion. It is opaque and more abrasive on tooling than clear PC.
Best for Structural brackets, gears, load-bearing components
FR / flame-retardant
Formulated to meet UL 94 V-0 or V-2 flammability ratings. Common in electrical enclosures and transit parts where a flame rating is required.
Best for Electrical enclosures, transit, safety-rated housings
UV-stabilized
Additives or a coextruded cap resist yellowing and embrittlement from sunlight. Use it for anything installed outdoors, since uncoated PC degrades in UV.
Best for Outdoor glazing, signage, exterior guards
Specs
Material properties
Representative values for standard clear polycarbonate. Exact numbers vary by grade and supplier.
| Property | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Density | 1.20 g/cm³ (0.043 lb/in³) |
| Tensile strength | ~9-10 ksi (62-70 MPa) |
| Max continuous service temp | ~115-120 °C (240-250 °F) |
| Impact resistance (notched Izod) | Very high, among the toughest clear plastics |
| Light transmission | ~88% (standard clear) |
| Moisture absorption | Low, ~0.15% |
| Machinability | Good with sharp tooling and coolant; anneal to relieve stress |
Polycarbonate is heat-sensitive: dull tooling or high spindle speeds can gum or melt the surface. Annealing before and between machining relieves internal stress and prevents cracking or crazing on toleranced parts.
Processes
Manufacturing methods for polycarbonate
The right process depends on part geometry, tolerances, and production volume.
Finishing
Finishes for polycarbonate
Polycarbonate ships as-machined; there is no plating or anodizing. The choices are edge clarity and how you protect the scratch-prone surface.
As-machined (clear)
No finish. Cut and milled edges are translucent and slightly frosted. Fine for guards, fixtures, and non-cosmetic parts.
Flame or vapor polishing
Polishes machined edges back to optical clarity for lenses, light pipes, and viewing windows. Adds cost and is applied to accessible edges.
Hardcoat / abrasion-resistant film
Polycarbonate scratches easily; sheet is available with a hardcoat cap or protective film that resists scratching and, on some grades, UV.
Masking-preserved surface
Sheet ships with protective masking on both faces. Leaving it on through machining keeps the cosmetic surfaces free of handling marks.
Polycarbonate does not plate or anodize. If a part needs a scratch-resistant or optical face, specify a hardcoat sheet or edge polishing with your drawing.
Applications
Where polycarbonate parts are used
Polycarbonate shows up wherever a part must be clear and survive impact, heat, or repeated handling.
Compare
Polycarbonate vs other materials
How polycarbonate stacks up against the other engineering plastics shops quote most.
Polycarbonate vs Acrylic
- Acrylic is clearer, more scratch-resistant, and polishes to a brighter edge
- Acrylic is brittle and cracks under impact; polycarbonate is far tougher and bends before it breaks
- Polycarbonate has a higher service temperature but yellows in UV unless stabilized
Choose acrylic for the clearest, most scratch-resistant look. Choose polycarbonate when the part has to take impacts without shattering.
Polycarbonate vs Delrin
Delrin →- Delrin (acetal) is stiffer, lower friction, and machines to tighter tolerances, but it is opaque
- Polycarbonate is transparent and much more impact-resistant
- Delrin resists creep and wear better for moving mechanical parts
Choose Delrin for stiff, low-friction mechanical parts. Choose polycarbonate when you need clarity and impact resistance.
Polycarbonate vs Nylon
Nylon →- Nylon is tougher in fatigue and abrasion and is a common bearing and wear material
- Nylon is opaque and absorbs moisture, which swells the part and moves dimensions
- Polycarbonate is transparent, dimensionally stable, and absorbs almost no moisture
Choose nylon for wear and bearing parts. Choose polycarbonate for clear, dimensionally stable, impact-resistant parts.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Both are clear plastics, but they trade off differently. Acrylic (PMMA) is clearer, more scratch-resistant, and polishes to a brighter edge, but it is brittle and cracks under impact. Polycarbonate is far tougher, bending rather than shattering, and handles higher temperatures, at the cost of easier scratching and UV yellowing unless it is stabilized.
Get polycarbonate part quotes
Upload a drawing once and compare quotes from independent shops that machine, route, and cut polycarbonate.
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