Tempered Glass VS PMMA

Recently, we are receiving quite a lot of inquiries regarding whether to replace their old acrylic protector with a tempered glass protector.

Let’s state what is tempered glass and PMMA firstly as a brief classification: 

What is tempered glass?

Tempered glass is a type of safety glass processed by controlled thermal or chemical treatments to increase its strength compared with normal glass. 

Tempering puts the outer surfaces into compression and the interior into tension.

It shatters into small granular chunks instead of jagged shards as ordinary annealed glass does with no injury to humans. 

It mainly applies in 3C electronic products, buildings, vehicles, and many other areas. 

What is PMMA?

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), a synthetic resin produced from the polymerization of methyl methacrylate. 

A transparent and rigid plastic, PMMA is often used as a substitute for glass in products such as shatterproof windows, skylights, illuminated signs, and aircraft canopies. 

It is sold under the trademarks Plexiglas, Lucite, and Perspex.

 

They are mainly differing in the below aspects:

Differences	1.1mm Tempered Glass	1mm PMMA
Moh’s Hardness	≥7H	Standard 2H, after strengthened ≥4H
Transmittance	87~90%	≥91%
Durability	Without aging & color fake off after years	Easy get aging & yellowish
Heat Resistant	Can bear 280°C high temperature without broken	PMMA start to soften when 80°C
Touch Function	Can realize touch & protective function	Only have a protective function

The above is clearly shows the advantage of using a glass protector better than a PMMA protector, hope it will help to make the decision soon.