POLYCARBONATE (PC)

An incredibly transparent resin with high impact resistance, very good heat resistance, excellent refractive index, dimensional stability at high temperatures, and extremely high breaking strength. It is usable within a wide temperature range and available in unlimited finishes and colors (transparent, translucent and opaque) with special effects. It is also lightweight and flame resistant with UV stability, good processability, FDA approval, along with an elevated limiting oxygen index, and it is naturally non-toxic. Using fiberglass reinforcement, it is also possible to achieve maximum stiffness with remarkable dimensional precision. Polycarbonate is usually chosen for sports eyewear because of its high impact resistance but, due to its inferior optical properties, incompatibility with acetate frames, coloring difficulty and risks of cracking in stressed points, it is not used for quality sunglasses.