Lexan
LEXAN® is a registered trademark for
General Electric Company's brand of highly-durable
polycarbonate resin thermoplastic intended to replace
glass where strength justifies its cost. It is made up of chains of
Bisphenol A alternating with
carbonyl chloride, also known as phosgene. The
trademark holder promotes the style "LEXAN", but both "Lexan" and "lexan" are commonly used (at least outside the context of sales literature), without implying claims about its source.
Lexan was discovered in 1953 by GE chemist Dr.
Daniel Fox, while working on a wire coating. Dr.
Hermann Schnell of
Bayer in
Germany applied for a U.S. patent on a virtually identical molecule in the same year that GE filed for a patent, 1955, but Dr. Fox is generally credited with the discovery.
Lexan is similar to
polymethyl methacrylate (
Plexiglas/
Lucite/
Perspex) — commonly described as
Acrylic — in appearance, but is far more durable, often to the point of being described as "
bulletproof" (depending on the thickness of the sample and the type of weapon used). Lexan is typically used in the
aerospace industry for items such as
aircraft canopies,
windscreens and other windows, but can often be found in household items, such as bottles, compact discs, and DVDs. It is also one of the most common products used to make
Bullet-resistant glass. The
ASP 9mm features see-through grips made of Lexan to let the user know how many rounds are left in the magazine.
Lexan is manufactured by
GE Plastics, a unit of
General Electric. Today it is manufactured at several GE plants around the world, the largest being in
Mt. Vernon, Indiana;
Cartagena, Spain; and
Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands. GE Plastics is headquartered in Pittsfield, MA. Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, started his career as a chemical engineer in this division in Pittsfield.
Perhaps the most visible Lexan consumer product is the
Apple Computer iBook and the
iPod; the gleaming white plastic is GE Lexan. It also is used by
Nalgene for their 1-liter wide-mouthed water bottle, popular with
hikers and
mountaineers. Nalgene participates in Lexan's publicity.
Lexan was also used for the housings of
Loran audio cassettes because of its high resistance to warping and melting from heat, a common problem with audio cassettes stored in automobiles on hot summer days. Blank Loran cassettes were marketed as an ideal choice for automotive listening.
Lexan also is the brand name for polycarbonate sheet in thicknesses from 0.75 mm (0.03") to 12 mm (0.48"). Applications are mainly in three domains — building (glazing and domes), industry (machine protection and fabricated parts) and communication and signage.
For similar products offered by other companies, see
polycarbonates.
The molecule of Lexan was featured on
Star Trek IV as the visual depiction on the
Apple Macintosh computer screen, described within the film as "
transparent aluminum".
Lexan is also used in racing cars to replace heavier (and breakable) glass windshields and windows.
Lexan is also used in greenhouses for covering.
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GE LEXAN®
