PALSUN ® Flat Polycarbonate Sheet www.palram.
PALSUN® Content 1 PALRAM - Creating Solutions Worldwide 3 PALSUN® - A Modern Transparent Steel 4 Main Benefits of PALSUN® 5 Applications - Construction 7 Applications - Safety Glazing 8 Applications - Advertising 9 Applications - Fabrication 10 PALSUN® Product Range Standard Dimensions & Surfaces 11 Color Range Quantity per Pallet 12 Physical Properties 13 Optical Characteristics Flammability 14 Solar Transmission Properties 15 SolarSmart™ Cool-Light Products 16 Weather Resistanc
40,000 square meter roof of the Qingdao Railway Station, China. PALSUN 8mm White-Diffuser sheets were specified to prevent direct sunlight from blinding the crowd and create a pleasant atmosphere.
PALSUN® PALRAM - Creating Solutions Worldwide PALRAM is a multi-national, market leading manufacturer and distributor of extruded thermoplastic sheets made of polycarbonate, PVC and other materials. PALRAM has 750 employees around the world and operates from production, warehousing and distribution bases spread over 3 continents. PALRAM specializes in extruding thermoplastic sheets and adapting them to provide solutions for agricultural, construction, advertising and DIY projects.
PALSUN® - A Modern Transparent Steel PALSUN combines a special variety of features, allowing a wide range of uses. This highly versatile and long lasting material is the answer to virtually all of the designer and contractor’s covering and glazing needs. PALSUN is also readily machined and formed into a wide variety of tough and durable fabrications. Polycarbonate is one of the most advanced polymers in the field of plastics today.
PALSUN® Main Benefits of PALSUN® ✔ Lightweight Less than half the weight of glass and aluminum. ✔ Transparent Available in clear with up to 90% light transmission (same as glass). Tinted, colored and embossed PALSUN is also available for a variety of light transmission, light diffusion and surface options. ✔ Weather Resistant PALSUN Sheets retain their characteristics for years under all conditions.
Athlete runners in the Athens "OAKA" Olympic Stadium. The stadium's roof, fitted with 24,000 square meters of 12mm PALSUN® Solar-Olympic sheets, was designed by Santiago Calatrava.
PALSUN® Applications - Construction Beijing Ring Road 5 acoustic barrier, China Stadium roofing Architectural skylights Glazing of windows Transparent acoustic barriers Ceilings in halls and shopping centers Pergolas (covered patios or walkways) Sun rooms and conservatory skylights Hobby greenhouses Skylights/roofs for buildings and halls Attic windows Man Lai Court Bridge in Hong Kong, China PALSUN canopies at the Hong Kong Ferry platform, China PALSUN White Diffuser installed in t
Applications - Glazing Armored windows in Jalame border crossing, Israel Safety glazing Protective see-through guards for machines in factories Glazing in schools and public buildings Protective enclosures for bus stops and telephone booths Transparent shields for police and security forces Glazing in boats, trains, busses and planes Windshields for cars Eye protection visors for helmets Protective shields for armed forces Skating rink barriers in Tel-Aviv, Israel Doors of the Haeco Ha
PALSUN® Applications - Advertising Long-term, high-impact fabricated signboards. Indoor/outdoor light fixtures. High-impact, anti-vandal protective covers.
PALSUN illuminated billboard and direction signage at Beijing subway station, China. Applications - Fabrication High impact fabricated items Thermoformed and bent items. Vacuum formed items. Hot-curved 8mm PALSUN® wind-shields on the Hangzhou Bay Bridge in China. PALSUN 8mm fabricated door sign.
PALSUN® PALSUN® Product Range Product Description PALTUF™ General purpose flat solid polycarbonate sheet (no UV protection). PALSUN® Flat solid polycarbonate sheet, UV protected on one side. PALSUN® UV2 UV protection on both sides. PALSUN® Embossed* Embossed surface (E102, prismatic, hair cell). PALSUN® FR* Fire retardant, with higher fire resistant rating. PALSUN® Matte* Matte finish on one side. PALSUN® Solar Control* Efficient heat-blocking, with metallic appearance.
Color Range* PALSUN & PALTUF are available in a wide variety of transparent, translucent, and opaque colors. Opaque colors do not transmit light, whereas clear or tinted transparent colors transmit light and images. Clear and opaque sheets may have a glossy or embossed surface on one side. Opal or Diffuser sheets have 8% to 86% light transmission, depending on the type of tint and the thickness of the sheet.
PALSUN® Physical Properties The following table displays physical properties of 3mm (0.12 inch) PALSUN and PALTUF sheets. Property Method** Conditions (U.S. Customary)* Units - SI (U.S. Customary)* Value (U.S. Customary)* g/cm3 (lb/ft3) 1.2 (75) Physical Density D-792 Water Absorption D-570 24 hr. @ 23°C % 0.15 Tensile strength at yield D-638 10 mm/min (0.4 in./min) MPa (psi) 62.5 (9,000) Tensile strength at break D-638 10 mm/min (0.4 in.
Optical Characteristics All PALSUN products completely screen out potentially the harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation (discussed in detail on page 19) and a significant amount of Near Infrared (NIR) radiation. Over the visible range, a typical 3mm (0.12in.) PALSUN and PALTUF clear sheet transmits, on average, 90% of incident light. The % light transmission of a typical 3mm (0.12in.) PALSUN and PALTUF clear sheet is presented in the left-hand graph below.
PALSUN® Solar Transmission Properties Various types of PALSUN can be used to help reduce energy costs throughout the year. Textured, tinted, opal, diffused, and new PALSUN SolarSmart™ sheets feature properties that affect energy efficiency beyond what is depicted on the next page. Each of these products transmit different amounts of direct light in varying levels of light diffusion, which may help to spread the light throughout the structure or enclosure.
SolarSmart™ Cool-Light Products SolarSmart™ products have special tints that provide "cool-light" effect through a selective screening of daylight solar energy. Their advanced tints break the traditional linkage between the different zones of the solar spectrum: they transmit high levels of visible light and reflect Near Infra-Red that causes extra heat buildup. Their low shading coefficient values are a result of low IR transmission, not light transmission.
PALSUN® Zhanxi Road Soundproof Tunnel has clear PALSUN skylight integrated into its arched structure. The 1.1 mile tunnel stretches over the Beijing Zoo (China) and minimizes traffic noise for the surrounding environment.
Weather Resistance Though both PALSUN and PALTUF are impervious to high temperature encountered in the environment, only PALSUN will effectively withstand the affects of solar UV radiation. The changes in optical properties of a typical 3mm PALSUN and PALTUF sheet under accelerated weathering tests are presented in the graphs below. 100 hours of accelerated weathering in a QUV machine are roughly equivalent to 1 year of actual outdoor exposure in Israel or in Phoenix, Arizona (USA).
PALSUN® Protection from the Harmful Effects of UV Radiation Exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation is widely known as a major health concern by now. The adverse affects were once thought to be associated with solar UV radiation in the 270-320nm (UV-B) range. However, in recent years it has become apparent that exposure to UV-A (320-400nm) is also detrimental. In addition to skin cancer, premature aging has been associated with exposure to UV-A.
Thermal Characteristics Thermal Expansion Temperature (°C) The thermal expansion of PALSUN & PALTUF is higher than that of glass. This important factor must be taken into account when mounting the sheets. The graph on the right shows the degree of expansion/contraction as a function of temperature.
PALSUN® Other Physical Characteristics Mechanical Characteristics PALSUN & PALTUF maintain their mechanical properties over their entire performance temperature range. Guidelines for thickness as function of span and wind-load may be found in the appropriate tables on page 23. Acoustic Properties PALSUN & PALTUF sheets have excellent sound insulation properties as indicated in the table on the right.
Chemical Resistance The mechanism of chemical attack on PALSUN & PALTUF differs significantly from the mechanism of corrosion of metals, which results in a gradual loss of surface material as a result of electrolytic action by the relevant chemicals. In the cases where chemical attack on polycarbonate sheet occurs, all or a portion of a range of effects can be observed. Ethylene-chloride, chloroform, tetrachloroethane, m-cresol, pyridene and other chemicals can cause partial dissolution of polycarbonate.
PALSUN® Determination of Required Sheet Dimensions The information below is presented to assist in ordering the required dimensions. Determination of Thickness In order to determine the required thickness, the following table lists the sheet thickness required for a given wind load and width (at the narrow side of the sheet). Wind Load - Pa* or N/m2 (psi) Width 400 (0.06) Thickness mm in. 800 (0.12) Thickness mm (in.) 1200 (0.17) Thickness mm (in.) 1600 (0.23) Thickness mm (in.) 2000 (0.
Adjusting The Sheet to Frame Dimensions (“c” and “d” refer to the indicated dimension in the diagram shown below). Sheet Thickness Required for Given Sheet Width* and Rabbet Depth. (“a” and “e” refer to the indicated dimensions in the diagram shown below). If sash dimension “c” or “d” is: Trim sheet by: 300 mm (11.8 in.) 1 mm (0.04 in.) Width* (a) Thickness Rabbet Depth (e) 300 mm (11.8 in.) - 700 mm (27.6 in.) 2 mm (0.08 in.) 700 mm (28 in.) 3 mm (0.12 in.) 15-20 mm (0.6 - 0.8 in.
PALSUN® Working With PALSUN® & PALTUF® PALSUN & PALTUF can be cut, sawed, drilled, bent - hot or cold, bonded and thermoformed. Detailed instructions appear in the “PALSUN Technical Manual”. Cleaning PALSUN & PALTUF sheets can easily be cleaned with a soft cloth made from 100% cotton using generous amounts of detergent and water. It is best to use mild dish cleaning preparations. Commercial spray cleaners are available.
Thermoforming PALSUN and PALTUF sheets intended for thermoforming with masking must be ordered specially and is supplied with a polyethylene masking intended for thermoforming. This masking must not be printed or labeled except for ink jet along the edge because printing affects the optical quality of the thermoformed article. Thermoforming machines vary in their performance. It is essential that you test PALSUN and PALTUF sheets with masking in your thermoforming process before starting production.
Inasmuch as PALRAM Industries has no control over the use to which others may put the material, it does not guarantee that the same results as those described herein will be obtained. Each user of the material should make his own tests to determine the material's suitability for his own particular use.
