Acrylic Balls & Spheres

Our acrylic balls exhibit great resistance to breakage and are versatile as they are used for many applications. We offer solid acrylic balls and spheres in a vareity of sizes. Acrylic, also known as Polymethyl Methacrylate or PMMA, is a clear thermoplastic material often used as a light weight substitution for glass.

PMMA is a durable and lightweight material. It has a density of 1.17 - 1.20 g/cm³, which is less than half that of glass. It also has great impact strength, higher than both glass and polystyrene; though PMMA's impact strength is still considerably lower than polycarbonate and some engineered polymers.

PMMA transmits up to 92% of visible light (3 mm thickness), and gives a likeness of about 4% from each of its surfaces on account of its refractive index (1.4914 at 587.6 nm). It filters ultraviolet (UV) light at wavelengths below about 300 nm. Acrylic balls offer high light transmittance and even prolonged exposure to moisture or total immersion in water does not significantly effect the optical properties of our acrylic balls.

PMMA swell up and dissolves in many organic solvents; it also has poor resistance to many other chemicals. Its environmental constancy is superior to other plastics such as polystyrene and polyethylene, and PMMA is therefore often the material of choice for outdoor applications.

PMMA has a maximum water absorption ratio of 0.3 - 0.4% by weight. Tensile strength decreases with increased water absorption. Its coefficient of thermal expansion is relatively high at (5-10) x 10-5 /K. Our inventory of acrylic spheres and precision acrylic balls range in size from 9/16 in. to 4 inches.