Durable, energy-efficient and cost-efficient, polycarbonate panels are gaining favour among architects and designers for their contemporary looks and high-performing features. Used internally and externally, polycarbonate allows light to enter your facility without having to leave your windows or doors open. This way you won’t have to worry about your safety or privacy. Polycarbonate panels come in several forms including windows, doors, skylights and shutters. Today, polycarbonate shutters are used widely in malls, exhibitions and other residential and commercial facilities as they provide the dual benefit of security and visual merchandising.
Here’s everything you need to know about this translucent and versatile material.
What is polycarbonate?
Polycarbonate is a thermoplastic polymer that contains carbonate groups in their original chemical structures. Polycarbonate is a sturdy and robust material and is optically translucent in some grades. Polycarbonate can be worked, moulded or thermoformed into any shape or form, making it useful for several applications.
The benefits of polycarbonate
Polycarbonate sheets or panels can withstand a tremendous amount of force and are virtually unbreakable. The fact that bulletproof police shields are made of polycarbonate is a testament to its strength. They are also impressive at blocking UV rays, making them perfect for use in commercial buildings and homes. Here are a few more benefits they offer.
Impact protection
Polycarbonate sheets and panels are almost 200 times stronger than glass panels. This is one of the main reasons why they are so widely used across residential and commercial projects. Their excellent strength and durability make them the perfect choice for homes and facilities that need to withstand the forces of nature including snowstorms and severe winds.
Sound resistant
Polycarbonate sheets offer the ultimate sound barrier. Use them in your shop to reduce the sound of traffic. They also act as excellent sound barriers for private cabins, conference rooms, etc. Installed at home, polycarbonate shutters or sheets can reduce neighbourhood sounds, and is particularly useful for families with babies and young children and senior citizens.
Energy efficiency
Depending on the structural design of each sheet or panel, polycarbonate can offer different degrees oh heat insulation. Multi-wall panels have an air-space between each sheet and provide some of the best heat insulation available. With a polycarbonate shutter installed in your store, you can reduce or completely eliminate the need for additional heating or cooling, ultimately reducing your energy bills.
Distinctive design
Like we mentioned before, polycarbonate can be manipulated to fit a variety of design applications – they can be cut into different shapes, printed with different colours or even moulded into different textured forms. Our polycarbonate shutters are the best example of this. You can opt for a complete polycarbonate shutter or one that is partially covered with polycarbonate panels. You can alternatively choose our aluminium shutters with alternating polycarbonate panels. This will give your facility a sophisticated façade and help with keeping the dust out.
Excellent light transmission
Polycarbonate sheets transmit close to 88% of visible light. As the thickness of each sheet or panel increases, light that passes through it scatters more and become more diffused. This phenomenon is possible only through polycarbonate panels, as light coming through glass cannot reach the same areas.
This is particularly helpful for stores and other facilities that require keeping their products on display. Natural sunlight will enter your shop and light up your products, ensuring you have sufficient illumination.
Cost-effective
Installing polycarbonate shutters, sheets or panels can help reduce your overall expenses when it comes to lighting, cooling and heating. These panels are also lightweight and require much less structural support than glass. This means lesser effort to operate the door. In addition, because of how durable and easy to clean they are, your maintenance costs will also reduce significantly.
Polycarbonate shutters thus have several benefits and are one of the most ideal construction materials. You can use them inside your home as a divider or as a skylight or even to add colour on the exterior of your home or commercial facility. Gardeners can make use of polycarbonate shutters for their greenhouses as they provide some control over the amount of light coming in and deflecting harmful UV rays.
With their versatility and ease-of-use, polycarbonate shutters are the ideal choice for homeowners, architects and other end-users. Like most building materials, polycarbonate, too vary in quality and price. Speak to the professionals at Dura Ultima to find the perfect polycarbonate shutters for your property.