Strength: Acrylic and Polycarbonate are both half the weight of glass and yet both of these plastics are much stronger than glass. Acrylic has 17 times the impact resistance of glass. Polycarbonate has 250 times the impact resistance of glass. Acrylic is very rigid whereas polycarbonate can be bought in flexible grades. Acrylic cracks more easily than polycarbonate under stress.

Light & Clarity: Acrylic has better clarity than glass, with a light transmittance of 92 percent. Polycarbonate has a light transmittance of 88 percent. Acrylic can be polished to restore its clarity, while polycarbonate cannot.

Polishing: The edges of Acrylic can be polished smooth if necessary; Polycarbonate cannot be polished.

Heat bending: Heat bending works better with acrylic than polycarbonate. Polycarbonate can be cold formed or bent without heating.

Durability: Both acrylic and polycarbonate are weather resistant and expand and contract with temperature changes without long-term or permanent shrinkage. Both acrylic and polycarbonate can scratch, so wool rags and paper towels, which are made from abrasive binding agents, should be avoided. Acrylic is more likely to chip than polycarbonate because it is less impact-resistant. It does not scratch easily, however, and will not yellow over time. Polycarbonate has low flammability, while acrylic will burn slowly and is not recommended in areas where flames may be present.

The key differences between these types of acrylic stem from the method used in manufacturing. Extruded acrylic is made by extruding acrylic polymer over long production runs, whereas cast acrylic is made by casting the acrylic resin into a mold. Therefore cast acrylic is less uniform in thickness than extruded acrylic, however it displays greater thermal stability and can be reworked hot. It also has better impact resistance than extruded acrylic, and is less prone to developing cracks when exposed to solvents.

Extruded acrylic sheeting is a more economical option than cast acrylic, and has more advantages when it comes to vacuum forming making it a great general purpose sheeting. However it has limitations in its ability to be machined and fabricated.

Extruded acrylic sheet has reduced mechanical properties, however it does give process advantages when heating, bending and vacuum forming, and has a better thickness tolerance than cast acrylic sheet. Extruded sheets are ideal for general glazing applications and the much lower viscosity when hot, makes it more ductile than Cast Acrylic.

Cast Acrylic sheets offer greater thermal stability and better resistance to crazing when exposed to solvents. The thermoforming range for cast sheets is wider. They can be reworked hot, which is not always possible with extruded sheets. The surface finish, flatness and optical properties of Cast Acrylic are all superior to those of Extruded Acrylic sheets.

This is not recommended. Acrylic must be heated in order to mold its shape, otherwise it will crack and break into pieces. However, it is flammable at certain temperatures so heating by open flame is not recommended, and other methods of heating may cause it to adhere to the heating device itself. Only professional technicians with the proper tools and safety equipment should attempt to heat and reshape acrylic items.

Yes. Sheets can be cold-curved and serve in arched shapes, provided the relevant POLICAM specifications for minimum radius in cold curving are followed. These specifications can be found in the Installation Instructions of the relevant sheets.
Polycarbonate Solid sheets can be cold-curved in any direction.
Polycarbonate Multiwall sheets can be arched so that the corrugations themselves are curved (lengthwise).
Polycarbonate Multiwall sheets can be arched so that the actual ribs will be curved (lengthwise).
Curving is not recommended across the ribs direction.

Yes some of them do block the UV. Polycarbonate sheets are practically opaque to UV radiation, making them a perfect barrier against this harmful radiation. On the other hand, acrylic roofing sheets generally transmit a considerable portion of the UV radiation.

POLICAM supplies individual product warranties against most types of failures.
The life expectancy can be as much as 30 years, depending on professional installation practice and environmental factors like sun exposure, air pollution, winds, and erosion by sand particles.