In terms of the appearance of prototypes, if customers want to make a high quality prototype, they will choose transparent materials. In the prototype industry, the materials that can make transparent effects are mainly acrylic and PC materials, but these two materials are different. So how do you choose materials when making transparent prototypes?

In the production of prototypes, from the perspective of grinding and polishing, the PC prototype takes a long time, because its material is relatively hard, and in some small places, it can’t polish it hard. The time required is longer than PMMA . On the contrary, it is much more convenient to use a soft acrylic material to make a transparent hand.

In terms of the surface gloss of the prototype, the PC material is not completely transparent. If you carefully observe the prototype made of the PC material, you will find that its surface is purple. If you want to make it completely transparent, you need to infuse it in a potion for a while time (this is a chemical reaction); and the acrylic material is completely transparent, so the acrylic prototype is already transparent after grinding, no need to do any processing.

Do you think that PC materials are inferior to acrylic materials in all aspects? In fact, PC materials also have its advantages, such as high strength and good heat resistance. These are incomparable with acrylic materials, so some products are used as prototypes. PC material must be used. For example, automobile wheels have to bear heavy pressure, so the wheel prototype is made of PC material, and the coffee pot prototype is also made of PC material because of its high heat resistance.

In summary, if you want to make a transparent prototype, and there are no special requirements for the opponent board, it is better to use acrylic material. If you need a high-strength or high-temperature prototype, it is better to use PC material.

If you have customization requirements for rapid prototyping, you can contact us at enquiry@nice-rapidtooling.com and leave your requirements, we will provide you with the most affordable quotation.