What is the difference?
The key difference between Lucite and Acrylic is that Lucite is the trade name for polymethyl methacrylate whereas Acrylic is the general chemical name for polymethyl methacrylate.
Acrylate polymers are what we call plastics. They have transparency, fracture resistance, elasticity, etc. therefore, they are called acrylic polymers.
The most common type among these polymers is polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). This polymer is called “acrylic”, its trade name is “Lucite”, “Plexiglas” and others.
What is Lucit?
Lucite (from the English Lucite) is the trade name for polymethyl methacrylate. Other notable brand names are Crylux, Plexiglass, Acrylite and Perspex. It is a transparent thermoplastic polymer. It is used as an alternative to glass. Produced mainly in sheets. In addition, it is used as a cast resin in inks and coatings.
The systematic name of this polymer is Poly(methyl 2-methyl propanoate). The chemical formula of the repeating unit of the polymer is (C5O2H8)n, and the molar mass changes.
The density is 1.18 g/cm3 and the melting point is 160°C. There are three main ways to synthesize this polymer: emulsion polymerization, solution polymerization and bulk polymerization.
In addition, this polymer is durable and has a fairly low weight. The density of this polymer is less than half that of glass. However, it has a higher impact strength than glass and polystyrene. In addition, this polymer can transmit about 92% of visible light, so it can also filter UV light below 300nm.
What is acrylic?
Acrylic is the general chemical name for polymethyl methacrylate.
However, this polymer has many other uses:
Acrylic fiber (synthetic fiber made from polyacrylonitrile)
Acrylic glass (Perspex)
Acrylic paint (paint with pigments in acrylic polymer suspension)
Acrylic resin (a group of thermoplastic or thermosetting polymers)
Acrylate polymer (polymer group having marked transparency)
What is the difference between lucite and acrylic?
Lucite is the trade name for polymethyl methacrylate. Acrylic is the general chemical name for polymethyl methacrylate. Therefore, both names refer to the same chemical compound.
The only difference between Lucite and Acrylic is their usage. That is to say, acrylic is a well-known thermoplastic polymer that is very transparent and has many uses, including its use as an alternative to glass. In addition, acrylic is often produced in color.
Basic Information – Lucite and Acrylic
The difference between lucite and acrylic is that lucite is the trade name for polymethyl methacrylate while acrylic is the general chemical name for polymethyl methacrylate. Therefore, both names indicate the same chemical compound, only the use of these names is different.
Plastic beads properties and differences
Today, jewelry can be made not only from natural materials. Technological progress drives us to use all new types of raw materials for the manufacture of costume jewelry. Most modern beads are made from acrylic, thermoplastic and their derivatives.
Plastic is a general term for a number of synthetic materials.
There are different types of plastic, examples include celluloids and acrylic. Most modern beads are made from acrylic, thermoplastic and their derivatives. Plastic has been used to make beads since its invention, starting in the second half of the 18th century.
Today, the development of technology makes it possible to manufacture plastic beads at home. To do this, it is enough to buy thermoplastic or polymer clay.
By the way, thermoplastic, after hardening, can be melted with high temperature and remodeled. Apart from beads, various types of pendants are made of plastic, which also find their place in the production of jewelry.
Plastic is good because it allows you to effortlessly give the bead the desired shape. The shape can be geometric – a ball, a square, flat oval and round beads. Or a bead can be curly, for example, drop-shaped or have the form of a flower, stars, butterflies, hearts.
Holes in beads can be either longitudinal or transverse, as well as central or marginal. When buying beads, always pay attention to the location of the hole – the look of your product will depend on this.
Beads with patterns are often made from plastic. Such beads often imitate another material – metal, wood. There is an infinite number of patterns – stripes, flowers, mesh. Their pattern can be clear or blurry, there are polka dot and checkered beads, even with landscapes.
The coating of plastic beads can be matte, glossy, satin (more grainy than gloss), and let’s not forget the coating with sparkles (which crumble very effectively while remaining on clothes).
In transparent plastic beads, blotches can often be found. Sequins, rhinestones, smaller beads, wire can be soldered into plastic.
Plastic crystals
Plastic crystals deserve special mention. These are transparent plastic beads of various colors and sizes with a wide variety of shapes (oval, round, square, drop-shaped, etc.).
Plastic crystals can be called glass and crystal imitators. Such beads are very useful, they can make the decoration “play” and make it more saturated.
Plastic beads are not limited to glass imitation. There are plastic beads with a pattern similar to various natural minerals, ceramics, wood, bone, pearls, metal.
One of the tangible advantages of plastic is its lightness. So beads made “under the metal” do not give much weight and over time do not oxidize like metal ones.
There are some types of plastic beads that can be classified as vintage. These beads are about 30 years old and usually made from lucite. At this point in time, this material is no longer used for the manufacture of beads and, such beads, are of a certain historical value.