Will polycarbonate work on a plywood build?

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blavis

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 22, 2006
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wichita ks
At work we have tons of it. Atleast 1/2" thick and maybe thicker. I am in the process of designing my monster tank of about 8x4x3.

I've read a lot about people having trouble bonding polycarbonate to its self, but nothing in regards to sealing it with silicone against plywood.

Any help would be appreciated!
 
blavis said:
At work we have tons of it. Atleast 1/2" thick and maybe thicker. I am in the process of designing my monster tank of about 8x4x3.

I've read a lot about people having trouble bonding polycarbonate to its self, but nothing in regards to sealing it with silicone against plywood.

Any help would be appreciated!
Click to expand...

Polycarbonate has been used in tank build, most recently in a MFK thread that showed a YouTube video where a guy sealed a polycarbonate viewing window to a polyethylene water tank. In that case silicone was used along with bolts. Since silicone basically does not bond to polyethylene the silicone was only acting as a gasket. In that case it really didn't matter if the silicone bonded to the polycarbonate or not.

To find more builds you'll have to dig a bit deeper but they are out there. I've seen build threads on other sites where people used polycarbonate on outdoor pond type builds due to its greater UV resistance.
 
As long as I choose a ply sealant that is compatible with silicone then I'm good?

And silicone and polycarbonate isn't an issue?

I've seen an acrylic and glass chart for thickness requirement in relation to glass length and height. But what about thickness for polycarbonate?

Thanks!
 
blavis said:
I've read a lot about people having trouble bonding polycarbonate to its self, but nothing in regards to sealing it with silicone against plywood.

Any help would be appreciated!
Click to expand...

I think you have that backwards. Its easy to bond polycarbonate to itself using the same cement used on acrylic.
Bonding polycarbonate to unlike material like wood or resin or painted surface is difficult. Lots of people have done it for short term. I think the best safe method is to bolt or screw it down with a frame against either silicone or rubber gasket. I would not put bolts or screws directly against the plastic that could cause cracks. But build a frame with either wood or metal
 
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