Caring and cleaning of ACRYLITE® acrylic sheet

Wash ACRYLITE® acrylic sheet with a solution of mild soap or detergent and lukewarm water. Use a clean soft cloth, applying only light pressure. Rinse with clean water and dry by blotting with a damp cloth or chamois. Grease, oil or tar may be removed with a good grade of hexane, aliphatic naphtha, or kerosene. These solvents may be obtained at a paint or hardware store and should be used in accordance with manufacturer’s recommendations.

DO NOT USE: window cleaning sprays, kitchen scouring compounds or solvents such as acetone, gasoline, benzene, alcohol, carbon tetrachloride, or lacquer thinner. These can scratch the sheet’s surface and/or weaken the sheet causing small surface cracks called “crazing.”

ACRYLITE® Optical mar resistant acrylic sheet acrylic sheet can be cleaned with the following commercial cleaners without damaging the coated surface. CAUTION: Some of these cleaners may attack the uncoated side or edge of the sheet.

• Fantastik® household cleaner
• Mr. Clean® household cleaner
• Formula 409® household cleaner
• Top Job® household cleaner
• Glass Plus® cleaner

It is not recommended to use abrasive cleaners on the ACRYLITE® acrylic sheet surface.

Dusting

Dust with a soft, damp cloth or chamois. Dry or gritty cloths may cause surface scratches and create a static electric charge on the surface (see the section on neutralizing static electricity).

Polishing

Protect ACRYLITE® sheet and maintain its surface gloss by occasional polishing with a good plastic cleaner and polish. Apply a thin, even coat with a soft clean cloth and polish lightly with cotton flannel. Then wipe with a damp cloth to help eliminate electrostatic charges that can attract dust particles.

Neutralizing Static Electricity

A static charge can develop on ACRYLITE® acrylic sheet during handling and processing. This is not unique to ACRYLITE® acrylic sheet, but is common to many materials, particularly plastics.

When the paper or film masking is stripped off the ACRYLITE® acrylic sheet, a static charge is created on the sheet surface. Static electricity attracts dust, chips, etc. floating in the air or on nearby work surfaces and holds these contaminants tightly to the surface. A compressed air gun will remove some of this surface dirt, but much of it continues to cling to the sheet. Because the sheet must be dirt-free before bending, painting, or thermoforming operations, a separate step is required.

To temporarily eliminate the electrical charge on all plastic surfaces, ionizing air guns can be used. These guns provide a stream of charged particles. They effectively neutralize static charges that hold dirt to the surface. By using ionized air to clean ACRYLITE® acrylic sheet after the masking has been removed, the sheet can be directly heated, painted, or otherwise processed. Because additional cleaning is eliminated, considerable man-hours will be saved making the economic advantages obvious. The appearance of painted and/or silk-screened sheet is greatly improved by the elimination of static charges.

Several anti-static cleaners for plastics are also available which will reduce static electricity and dust attraction. Wiping with a soft damp cloth or chamois is all that is necessary to keep ACRYLITE® sheet dust-free between applications of these cleaners.

Removing Scratches

Fine scratches can be removed by hand polishing. Apply a plastic scratch remover to a soft flannel pad and rub. When the scratches have disappeared, remove all residue and polish. For deeper scratches, first sand lightly with a 400-grit “wet or dry” sandpaper, using plenty of water and rinsing the sandpaper frequently. Follow by buffing with a clean muslin wheel and a good polishing compound. For the highest gloss, use a clean-up wheel made of soft cotton or flannel sections and on which no compound is used. An electric drill with a buffing wheel is ideal.

Contact your local Authorized Distributor of ACRYLITE® acrylic sheet for information on available scratch removal kits.