Product Properties
Product Properties
Light transmission for white and colored ACRYLITE® acrylic sheet.
Colors
Acrylic sheet can be formulated in thousands of different colors and shades. This is because colorless acrylic sheet transmits visible light uniformly throughout the entire visible light spectrum. Therefore, its transmission characteristics can be predictably modified using dyes and pigments to create a variety of colored sheets. The addition of fillers and the application of surface textures or patterns are also used to vary the light transmission and reflection properties of the sheets. Ultimately, the color of the sheet results from the combination of transmitted and reflected light that the human eye receives from the sheet. Since the ratio of transmitted to reflected light and the nature of the light source can vary based on application parameters, the perceived color of a sheet can also vary with these parameters. Therefore, it is very important to evaluate colors under the intended end use conditions. To assist in color selection, light transmission and reflectance measurements can be used but actual evaluation in the end use is always recommended to ensure the expected results.
White translucent ACRYLITE® acrylic sheet
White translucent extruded ACRYLITE® sheet is available in different densities to provide a variety of options for light transmission, diffusion, lamp hiding power and surface brightness. For lighting applications, a formulation offering maximum diffusion combined with high light transmission is usually desirable.
The color transmission of each white extruded ACRYLITE® sheet will vary with the type and concentration of the pigment in the sheet. In addition, the light transmission of almost every translucent white color will decrease with an increase in thickness. (See Table A and Graph 4.) This is due to the fact that the pigment concentration for most of the translucent white colors is not changed for different thicknesses. Although the pigment concentration remains constant, the amount of pigment absorbing the light that passes through the sheet will increase with the sheet thickness.
For instance, when light passes through a 1/4” thick sheet it will pass through twice as much pigment as when it passes through an 1/8” thick sheet. Therefore, the 1/4” thick sheet transmits less light than the 1/8” inch thick sheet.
Color Number |
Thickness | ||
3mm (0.118") | 4.5mm (0.177") | 6mm (0.236") | |
WT031 GT | 54% | 43% | 35% |
WT030 GT | 31% | 23% | 18% |