There is a wide range of polycarbonate resins and compounds available and they are often blended with ABS for greater versatility. Polycarbonate is often selected for its strength and clarity and its ability to be moulded into almost any shape and so is used as a replacement for glass for safety goggles, lenses, electrical switch panels and business machine housings. PC/ABS is used in the automotive sector for instrument panels and loudspeaker chassis and grilles. Polycarbonate is also widely used in the medical industry for items such as blood centrifuge bowls, safety syringes and intravenous connectors as it is generally biocompatible.
Polycarbonate is usually easy to bond with many adhesives giving higher strengths than the substrate material. However, some adhesives will stress crack polycarbonate.
The use of cyanoacrylate primer showed a statistical decrease in strength in these trials [2], but substrate failure was achieved with both a standard cyanoacrylate and a UV acrylic (Table 2.6). The epoxy also showed excellent strengths on this material.
Table 2.6 Adhesive shear strengths (polycarbonate)
Notes: * Substrate failure |