Black LED Acrylic
This material is 2.6mm (0.1") thick and is made of special cast acrylic that makes it perfect for glowy projects, especially matrices or NeoPixels.
Unlike smoke or other-tinted acrylic, this material sharpens the pixels and reduces the glare. You get a great looking display, all colors are vivid and readable indoors and out!
HDPE (High Density Polyethylene)
From the Tap Plastics website:
HDPE stands for high density polyethylene sheets. HDPE is a thermoplastic made from petroleum. HDPE cutting board sheets are NSF listed and FDA approved, making them perfect for commercial cutting board needs and safe for direct food applications. We produce custom sized high-density polyethylene plastic (HDPE) cutting boards in addition to the standard 24x24 plastic cutting board.
HDPE comes in a wide variety of forms: black commercial cutting boards are commonly found in restaurant back room prep areas and white plastic cutting boards and cutting sheets are commonly found in front of house prep areas or buffet lines.
If you need just a small piece for a project, plastic milk jugs are typically made from HDPE (look for the “2” recycling mark).
Prismatic P12
Used to cover and diffuse fluorescent lights. This stuff is mostly clear and fairly flexible. It makes a very interesting prismatic diffusion pattern. It's about $6–7 per square foot for a large piece, but I found a small sample size at Tap Plastics for just a couple dollars.
P95 Lighting Sheets
From the Acme Plastics Website: What is P95?
Coming in at around $10/square foot, this P95 lighting plastic does a great job of diffusing the lights. It looks especially good at a slight distance. This is the matte white version from Tap Plastics.
Innsbruck
Textured acrylic Innsbruck in white, 1/8" thick. This is a nice lightweight textured plastic that gives a fuzzy look to the lights. It doesn't do a great job up close but looks lovely a few inches away.
Satinice White
From the Tap Plastics website:
The surface of ACRYLITE® Satinice is robust, pleasant to the touch, and good at discreetly diffusing light. Satinice white acrylic sheets are continuously manufactured with an appearance of glass and a frosted finish to enhance any design or backlit applications. As an added benefit for areas with high traffic, the textured surface resists fingerprints and is easy to clean. From store fixtures to outdoor displays, the possibilities are endless with Satinice white acrylic at the ready. Stimulate the imagination by stocking up today for whatever project awaits you.
Characteristics of Satinice White Acrylic Sheets:
- up to 59% transmission
- translucent
- UV absorbent
- light matte surface (two-sided) with light diffusing beads embedded in the acrylic
Smooth Matte Acrylic
Cast acrylic is one of the less expensive types of plastic available. This is a 1/8" thick piece of matte white acrylic from the Tap Plastics sample bin.
Quarter Inch Acrylic
All the above samples were 1/8" or less in thickness. This is a piece of 1/4" thick acrylic plexiglass from Amazon. It's a little more expensive than the thinner stuff, at almost $15 for a square foot. It does a good job of diffusing the lights, but it's thick enough that it dims the light strips noticeably. It will also add a lot of weight to your project, but also a lot of strength.
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