plastic sheet for bookshelves?

[geegaw]

Is polycarbonate suitable for use as bookshelves? How often would it need to be supported at what thickness? Would it need additional support, as in some sort of truss or girder, to resist creep.

 

[alexit]

Had polycarbonate (maybe clear acrylic) bookcase once, about 0.2m span shelves ~16mm thick. Was all clear with slots cut in sides for adjusting shelves. Had to remove all books and flip shelves over ~2x per year or each would sag down an rest on books from next shelf. Glad I buy only 0.2m wide version, same place was also selling 0.4m wide version.

Mine I give to friend before I moved, no holiday wishes from them in 3 years...connected?

 

[patprimmer]

I would not recommend thermoplastics, especially unreinforced thermoplastics, for a bookshelf, unless it had a support beam or a deep rib in the design.

Any reinforcement such as glass fibre will ruin the transparency.

Regards

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[dwightdixon]

How about a clear shelf but have some aluminum or steel insert molded into a deeper flange to resist the creep. Could be made to look nice and really would not add that much to cost if automated. Sort of like steel reinforced concrete beams. Shelves could also be made by cross head extrusion coating of shelf with two reinforcing wires. You would have to prime the wires to get adhesion. Might be patentable. You would have to check that it is not already patented. Check here link

http://www.uspto.gov/