All US CAST acrylic products are highly polished, crystal clear, and manufactured to the most exacting specs. US CAST's clear cast acrylic tubes and rods are made from Poly-methylmethacrylate or PMMA, more commonly known as “acrylic” or by a variety of tradenames such as Lucite®, Plexiglas®, or Perspex®, can be formed into a wide variety of sizes and shapes by casting, molding, or extruding the po
lymer. US CAST specializes in making cast acrylic rods and tubes. While cast and extruded acrylic are the same material, PMMA, cast acrylic produces an anisotropic material (physical properties are the same in all directions) with superior physical properties: higher molecular weight; higher tensile strength; greater clarity; better heat resistance; and better machinability. Cast acrylic material, while more expensive than extruded or molded acrylic, is superior for most applications. Cast acrylic is unaffected by sunlight or fluorescent light, resists aging, and maintains stability over a wide range of environmental and chemical conditions. Cast acrylic rods and tubes can be fabricated into a wide variety of end-uses, including protection for lighting displays (especially outdoors), sight tubes, display cases with extraordinary optical clarity, more - see the NEWS page on our website for more information about how cast acrylic rods and tubes are used. US CAST manufactures cast acrylic tubes in five-foot lengths and tubes can be custom cut to any length. Tubes are manufactured in twenty-nine diameters, from 1.5” to 14” ID. Standard wall thickness are 1/8”, 3/16”,1/4”, 3/8”, with 1/2” available on request. Rods are manufactured in lengths from five feet to eight feet, depending on diameter and can be custom cut to any length. Rods are manufactured in thirty-two diameters, ranging from 1/4” to 6”. US CAST's cast acrylic rods and tubes conform to specifications of ASTM D5436; are certified by the FDA for food contact according to CFR 21 177.1010; UL approved for flame resistance according to UL 94HB. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a transparent thermoplastic, often used as a lightweight or shatter-resistant alternative to glass. Although it is not technically a type of glass, the substance has sometimes historically been called acrylic glass. Chemically, it is the synthetic polymer of methyl methacrylate. The material was developed in 1928 in various laboratories by many chemists such as William Chalmers, Otto Röhm and Walter Bauer and was first brought to market in 1933 by the Rohm and Haas Company, under the trademark Plexiglas.[4] It has since been sold under many different names, including ACRYLITE®, Lucite and Perspex. PMMA is an economical alternative to polycarbonate (PC) when extreme strength is not necessary. Additionally, PMMA does not contain the potentially harmful bisphenol-A subunits found in polycarbonate. It is often preferred because of its moderate properties, easy handling and processing, and low cost. The non-modified PMMA behaves in a brittle manner when loaded, especially under an impact force, and is more prone to scratching than conventional inorganic glass. However, the modified PMMA achieves very high scratch and impact resistance.
