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Blikkentrekker

This article suggests that it's better to make windows of than glass.

So why are windows not made of plastic as we speak, very often?

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Because the UV wavelengths in sunlight discolor and degrade most plastics over time.

Which raises the question of whether the same thing happens with this product, and if not, why not.

And as the article mentions, they used a marine epoxy. I haven't met a marine epoxy (or poly resin) yet that doesn't have to be coated to avoid UV damage.

They make window films that block UV and other wavelengths. I wonder if those can be applied to this.

A plastic window would need to be quite thick to be as rigid as a glass window. A plastic window would also scratch more readily, and it would likely degrade in the sun (become translucent rather than transparent). It’s not obvious to me that this wooden material somehow wouldn’t have the same problems.

Plastic is more expensive, easily scratchable, and isn't as rigid as glass. Glass makes a lot more sense unless there is a very high risk of it shattering.

Plastic is more expensive?

The last time (before the pandemic even) I looked at glass and acrylic/polycarbonate sheets for a project, the glass was cheaper for a similar size. Maybe there are other plastics out there that are cheaper, but I'm not sure that they are suited for similar use. If they are suited to this type of use and are cheaper, then someone can make a good fortune if with the right marketing.

Oh, so not the material nominal pound for pound cost?

What do you mean? From a consumer perspective dealing with sheets, one requires dimensions for a project, not weight. Whether measured by weight or by dimensions, the glass was cheaper.

They are - plexiglass. It’s just more expensive so only worth it for the shatter resistance at i.e. banks or stores in bad neighborhoods.

Lexan (polycarbonate) is actually used for that purpose. Plexiglas (acrylic) is also transparent, but not as resistant to impacts.

Also plastics scratch more easily. Something like plexy glass also breaks pretty easily similar to normal glass. Poly carbonate is much stronger but also quite expensive even when compared to normal glass. It also scratches easily.

Also because plastic gets scratched easily by dust blown in the wind, after about 10-15 years you can’t see through it.

Scratch prone?

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