Acrylic Displays Vs. Glass Cases

Posted on the 10 September 2015 by Tracy Ashley @stella_jea


Glass and acrylic are the two most popular materials used to make different types of display cases for retail stores, museums, shopping centres, restaurants, exhibitions and homes. When a particular one is to be chosen, the selection depends on where and how is the display case going to be kept. There are a number of advantages as well as disadvantages associated with both. However, the benefits of using acrylic outnumber greatly the perks of having glass cases.

Acrylic displays in Sydney are extremely light in weight and do not require much effort to be moved around. The material used for making them, polymethyl methacrylate, is highly durable, shatter-resistant and flexible. Thus, if someone has a display case at their home, they would not have to worry about it getting accidentally cracked or broken by pets or children. Even if it bumps and falls on the ground, there would be little to no damage. Although acrylic is not as immune to scratches and abrasions as glass and can bow out frequently over time, it is the most optically pure material and not so heavily tinted like glass. The appearance of scratches can also be reduced by applying paste wax. Sometimes, it also comes with a highly efficient UV-resistant coating. Therefore, items kept for display in acrylic cases would retain their beauty and clarity. Moreover, glass is relatively more expensive than acrylic.

Now let’s take a look at the different pros and cons of glass cases. The most positive quality of glass is that it is almost immune to grooves and scratches. Cases made from it can therefore withstand all kinds of superficial damage and still remain unaffected. They can be safely kept in areas where they might get jostled or bumped. Moreover, glass is highly durable and can stand the tests of time without getting deformed. But there are several negative qualities of glass displays. First of all, glass is an extremely fragile material and a display case made from it can break into pieces if it falls on the floor. The transparency of glass is not as pure as acrylic and objects kept inside it lose their clarity to a great extent. Glass cases are generally not provided with UV resistant coating. Those which do have UV-resistant properties also come with high price tag, which is not the same with acrylic displays.

-33.867487 151.206990