Application Status And Prospect Of Polycarbonate In Plastic Furniture

Polycarbonate(PC) is a common thermoplastic polymer, with outstanding impact resistance, excellent optical properties, transparency, heat resistance, cold resistance, aging resistance, flame retardancy and electric insulation. Until the last decade, PC was employed in the production of furniture, the second new polymer used for transparent plastic furniture after polymethyl methacrylate(PMMA). Compared with PMMA, PC is much better at properties like impact resistance, refraction index and processing performance. Besides, the flame retardancy of PC meets V-0level of UL94without any flame retardant additives.PC furniture, as transparent plastic furniture, develops after2000. Unlike the heavy feeling of traditional wood furniture or metal furniture, PC furniture is an integration of function and artistry and has become an international fashion, with its pure, transparent and individualized color, concise, elegant and smart shape, noble, fine and fresh texture. Nowadays, PC furniture is leading a new trend and fashion, and our traditional impression of plastic furniture as cheap and poor quality is totally altered. Materials, designation, shapes and price of plastic furniture are more advanced, PC furniture is a prolocutor of modern home decoration.In our country, PC furniture is in the initial period of development.This paper summarizes the properties of plastic furniture and PC, and then discussed the characteristics of polymers used in traditional plastic furniture and new transparent plastic furniture, respectively. The physical, mechanical and chemical properties of PC, with its production technologies and condition are described. At the end, the processing methods of PC furniture are summarized. And the mechanical and physicochemical properties of5PC chairs/stools made with PC S3000UR (Mitsubishi, Japan) are tested according to related standards.Plastic furniture made with PC has excellent mechanical properties, aging resistance and flame retardant properties. The application prospect of PC in furniture, especially as transparent furniture, is very promising.