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These are the five best UV-resistant plastics on the market today

Just like human skin, plastics are prone to UV damage. When designing components, you should anticipate the effects of UV corrosion and prepare your materials to handle the harsh sun. Luckily, there are many ways to increase a material’s UV resistance.To get more news about nylon uv resistance, you can visit runsom.com official website.

UV resistance refers to a material’s ability to avoid degradation caused by the absorption of UV radiation. The sun’s UV rays break down chemical bonds in polymers, causing plastics to wear down and disintegrate over time. This is known as photodegradation.

Photodegradation can cause discoloration (especially yellowing or whitening known as “chalking”), contributing to loss of impact and tensile strength and making plastics brittle and prone to cracking or breaking. UV damage also negatively impacts elongation, which is the ability of a material to resist changes before irreversible deformation.

Your material will need to have more or less UV resistance depending on your product’s application and other project requirements. As expected, components for outdoor use and industrial applications generally require higher UV resistance in order to maintain optimal quality and performance.

Five plastics with high UV resistance
Before we dive into the plastics that can best resist the sun’s rays, it’s important to understand that almost no material is completely UV-resistant. Different materials may offer varying degrees of UV resistance, but most plastics require stabilizers or additives to improve UV resistance. As mentioned above, components for outdoor applications — such as greenhouse films, window frames, automotive parts, and stadium seats — are most susceptible to UV radiation and long-term photodegradation.
Acrylic is among the only manufacturing materials that is inherently UV-resistant. It is a transparent plastic that suffers as little as 3% degradation over a 10-year period when used in outdoor applications. Acrylic also offers good scratch resistance, making it an excellent choice for long-term use.

Acrylic is a popular choice for outdoor signs and displays, light fixtures, decorative panels, and colored lenses. Unfortunately, acrylic is not very strong — in fact, acrylic is so rigid and brittle that it is rarely used for any load-bearing parts or parts that require long-term durability. But for some components, acrylic’s UV resistance makes it a worthwhile investment.

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
HDPE is a thermoplastic often utilized in playground equipment due to its durable yet soft qualities. It easily melts and molds into shapes, and unlike other thermoplastics, doesn’t form sharp, dangerous edges when it breaks.

HDPE is extremely resistant to acids, alcohols and bases, and can even repel graffiti. This, along with its fierce protection against photodegradation, makes HDPE an excellent candidate for open-air infrastructure, containers, plastic toys, outdoor furniture, and pipes. Although HDPE is tough and difficult to wear down, it is only somewhat stronger than acrylic and is therefore not well-suited for high-pressure applications.