What Is Polycarbonate?

Polycarbonate plastic is among the most commonly used plastics in manufacturing today. You’ll find it in everything from construction materials to eyeglass lenses, but one of its most important applications is in the polycarbonate enclosures that protect sensitive devices. 

However, that still leaves important questions: What is polycarbonate, what are its key properties and is it right for your electrical enclosure  or electronic enclosure application? Below, we’ll provide answers to some of the most common questions about polycarbonate. 

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What Is Polycarbonate? Key Info to Know

Polycarbonates (PC) are actually a group of high-performance plastic materials. Most polycarbonate plastics have similar enough properties that they’re referred to simply as polycarbonate. 

Polycarbonate is a thermoplastic, meaning that when heated, it can be easily worked into a variety of useful shapes. This includes polycarbonate enclosures, which are among the most common and durable types of electrical enclosures. 

Properties of Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate has many desirable properties that make it an excellent choice for electrical enclosures and outdoor enclosures in particular. Here are some of the main beneficial properties associated with polycarbonate: 

• Strong impact resistance
• Strong resistance to hot and cold temperatures
• UV resistant when made with UV stabilizers
• Non-conductive
• Resistant to corrosion
• Naturally transparent (excellent for a polycarbonate enclosure with clear cover)
• Relatively lightweight

Polycarbonate does have one notable downside: It’s easy to scratch. That’s why, for many applications such as eyeglass lenses, polycarbonate has an anti-scratch coating applied. 

Environmental Considerations

Polycarbonate is suitable for both indoor enclosures and outdoor enclosures when UV stabilized.  It has a fairly wide typical temperature tolerance of -40 degrees to 248 degrees F. Finally, it’s a good choice for marine enclosures due to its natural resistance to corrosion. 

Polycase ML-58F Polycarbonate Enclosure

Chemical Resistance

Polycarbonate also has some degree of resistance to many types of harsh chemicals commonly used in industrial and commercial settings. Here’s a quick summary of what you can expect from polycarbonate plastic in terms of chemical resistance:

Acids - Good

Alkalis - Fair

Solvents - Fair

Polycarbonate Enclosures from Polycase

Polycase offers a variety of polycarbonate plastic enclosures for your electronics applications. The ML Series, HD Series, ZQ Series, and ZH Series are four of our most popular polycarbonate box series. We also offer lockable electrical boxes made from polycarbonate! Thanks to the natural transparency of polycarbonate, most include options for clear plastic enclosures for electronics that provide easy visual access to the device inside.  

Polycase HD-44F Polycarbonate Enclosure

Make sure to see Polycase’s full selection of polycarbonate enclosures for more options. Need help choosing the right polycarbonate enclosure for you? Our enclosure experts will be happy to help you out. Just call us at 1-800-248-1233 or contact us online.