Industrial Fabrication

Acrylic Polishing

Creating bespoke designs focused upon practicality in a range of materials.

We have over 100 years worth of combined experience

The items we design and manufacture at ASH Plastics are often destined for use in retail spaces in which the appearance of display stands is vitally important. The visual appeal of items such as Branding Blocks, free standing and counter display units can play a huge role in the marketing efforts of a retailer. In addition to this, items ranging from shelf risers and leaflet holders to bespoke display cases often have to be designed and manufactured so that they chime with the wider branding of a retailer. Acrylic polishing plays an important part of this process in order to achieve the quality finish that your retail displays deserve.

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    Quality Solutions since 1982

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    Flexible design process

    Clients who work with ASH Plastics come back to us time and time again because they know that we have the skills and technology needed to deliver this visual appeal. Every time we work with a retail client we enter into a genuine partnership.

    This involves appointing a designated project manager tasked with keeping the lines of communication open at all times and ensuring that each stage of product manufacture delivers exactly what the client is looking for.

    Initially, this will involve working their brief up to a detailed CAM design and then using our 20,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility, and a range of plastic forming and CNC machining techniques, to manufacture and assemble the item in question.

    A range of materials

    The visual appeal of that item can then be maximised thanks to the range of finishing techniques we offer. As well as using UV digital printing to create branded components we can polish the finished product to create a genuinely pleasing item, creating a high quality finish without delaying the final delivery of the project.

    Our acrylic polishing services include diamond polishing, flame polishing and mop polishing. Our automated diamond polishing equipment can be used to deliver high quality, precision targeted finishes to the acrylic surface of items such as point of sale display stands, and the same is true of mop polishing, which buffs the surface of an item to a high polished finish.

    In some cases the acrylic surface of an item can be polished using flame polishing which, as the name suggests, applies a highly directional, extremely hot flame to the surface of an object and can be used with a wide range of materials.

    Acrylic Polishing

    Using the latest and most innovative materials

    Our expertise and the state of the art acrylic polishing equipment we’ve invested in means that we can deliver high quality finishes at speed, enabling us to meet the kind of tight lead times retailers often depend upon without the standards of the end results slipping in any way.

    Contact Our Experts

    If you’d like to learn more about the end-to-end one stop service we could provide for your company please get in touch. Our experts are ready and waiting to answer any questions and explain exactly what we could do to turn your ideas into a reality.

    Call us or send an email and we’ll start the process of delivering the solutions you’re looking for.

    Tel: +44(0)1902 450 300

    Email: hello@ashplastics.co.uk

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Flame polishing is a polishing method used on both glass and thermoplastics. Acrylic is a thermoplastic, and can be very successfully flame polished. Flame polishing is a commonly used method of polishing acrylic, both on a domestic and industrial level. Flame polishing acrylic is an efficient process, which produces a clear finish on acrylic, perfect for professional display stands.

    When looking to polish acrylic, it is important that the surface is first sanded and cleaned to remove any surface imperfections or debris.

    Acrylic polishing can be achieved in several ways – including flame polishing, diamond polishing, and mop polishing.

    Flame polishing uses a concentrated flame, held a few inches away from the acrylic, to melt the acrylic; the melted acrylic then sets as a perfectly transparent surface.

    Mop polishing uses an abrasive soap or paste, and several polishing discs of varying rigidities to remove the surface material; a drilling machine may also be used to achieve this. Similarly, diamond polishing uses rotating diamonds to remove the surface of the acrylic.

    Acrylic edge finishing applies the same methods as polishing to improve the appearance of the acrylic edges. This likewise includes flame polishing, running a hot flame along the edge of the acrylic to clean the material and improve its transparency.

    Plexiglass is another name for acrylic; this material is prone to scratches and its electrostatic charge means it can easily attract dust and debris, clouding the usually clear plastic sheet.

    How to clean cloudy Plexiglass is relatively simple; it can be cleaned with a number of substances, one of the most effective being simple warm, soapy water and a non-abrasive cloth. Ammonia-based products, such as glass cleaners, and paper towels, should not be used whilst cleaning acrylic plexiglass, as they can damage the material.

    Further polishing may be required to buff the material and restore transparency.

    A polycarbonate is a thermoplastic which contains carbonate groups in its chemical composition. It is often a competing material to acrylic, and is used for similar applications. Like acrylic, polycarbonate surfaces can be polished to remove any scratches, discolouration, or dullness in the material. It can be polished through several methods, including buffing and sanding, vapour polishing, and chemical polishing; however, you should not flame polish polycarbonate.

    PETg is a thermoplastic polyester, often used as an alternative to acrylic or polycarbonate. PETg is much more durable than acrylic, however will need polishing to remove any damage it does receive.

    Polishing PETg can be achieved through first sanding the edges with a circular saw, and polishing using a polishing paste and polishing disc. PETg can also be flame polished, resulting in a transparent and smooth material surface.

    Acrylic can be polished using diamond polishing. During acrylic diamond polishing, rotating diamonds travel along straight or sloping edges of the acrylic; this produces a clear acrylic sheet. Diamond polishing is not compatible with curved edges, however, so flame polishing may be necessary on surfaces such as this.

    Acrylic mop polishing is an alternate method of cleaning, and improving the surface condition and transparency in acrylic material. Mop polishing utilises different grades of mops or cloths which travel along the material, and an abrasive soap, to remove surface material.

    Whilst acrylic polishing can be undertaken manually, an acrylic flame polishing machine can be used to speed up the process, increase accuracy, and reduce labour. The flame polishing machine produces an oxygen and hydrogen mixture, which passes through butanone to produce an intense flame, used to melt the acrylic.