Plexiglas, Lexan, Formica, Laminate, etc..

[MrTeamWork]

 


Help! So many types of materials, so confusing to a newbie 1st time cabinet builder.

 
I know what Plexiglas is, but what about Lexan? I was told at the home depot it's used for bulletproofing, and was given a strange look when I asked. =/

 Now about the Formica, when I looked in the Home Depot kitchen section, I saw a wall of sample chips, one was Wilsonart Laminate, the other side was Formica. Is there a difference? The sample chips felt the same!

    Arrgh! When will someone write " Building your own Arcade Cabinet for Dummies"  

Cause I need it!

 

Help? =/

[hyiu]

ok.... lexan and plexiglass....

if you need a plexi to cover your monitor....
(that means.... not major cutting... just cut to size...)

then I suggest you choose plexi... (cos its cheaper...)
(and you should ask them to cut it for u....)

but if you want to cover your control panel....
(that means u need to cut buttons holes... stick holes... etc)
use lexan....

you can use your wood working bits and cut lexan like a piece of wood... (it doesn't chip and doesn't crack....)


but plexi.... if you don't do it right.... it'll crack... chip... etc...

plexi is much cheaper... lexan is expensive...

as for formica and laminate.... sorry... I donno... they seems close enough to me..... maybe its a brand.... not sure....  

hope it helps...

[AX]

The home depot laminates are all the same just different brands.  They are cheap and durable.  i used the blue speakled one on my first CP.  The samples they have are for order.  they really don't have much in the dept as far as in stock.

Lexan is excellent for the top of the control panel.  very easy to work with cuit drill etc.  I also have lexan in 3/4 to cover my monitor but plexy would work the same and be cheaper as was previously stated.

[ZaneMn]

but plexi.... if you don't do it right.... it'll crack... chip... etc...



Personally I don't know why you wouldn't use plexi for both.  Plexi is easy to cut and I have no idea why it would chip or crack (unless you are leaning your entire weight into it when you are cutting or drilling).  Just use common sense:  Keep the protective sheeting on the plexi until you are ready to mount it for good.  Use a sharp spade bit (drill pilot holes first) to drill your holes.  Make sure the sheet of plexi is suported well when drilling thorugh it (best to do your control panel and plexi together at once).  When cutting to size score the sh!t out of it to make sure it snaps along the score lines.  There really is no reason to spend $$$ on lexan when all you need is patience and a modicum of competence.

[_Iz-]

Formica and Wilsonart are just different brands of laminate. There is also Arborite, Nevamar, Pionite, Panolam... (I could go on and on...)

[Ted_Striker]

nobody really told him the difference between plexi and lexan...    just the pro's and cons.  You are right, lexan is used in bulletproofing.  It is basically a clear polymer plastic that doesn't shatter.  It is tough stuff and doesn't scratch as easy as plexi (that's why people said it cuts so nice).  Plexi is a cheap version of the plastic.  I'm not sure about it's shatter properties but it will scratch easier than lexan and is harder to cut (not impossible or difficult, just harder than lexan).  Basically go with hyiu's advice. Plexi for the monitor (home depot and lowes cut it to size for free) and lexan for the control panel.  My home depot sells lexan so I'm not sure why they gave you a funny look.  It is a fairly common material.  If  home improvement stores near you don't carry it than look in the yellow pages for plastic distributors.  It should be easy to find.

[AX]

im not getting this whole lexan being expensive thing.  i spent 3 bucks on a 2x4 sheet for my control panel.

[SNAAAKE]

nobody really told him the difference between plexi and lexan...    just the pro's and cons.  

Okay here goes...

Plexi glass,
Very hard to drill holes and cracks easy and its cheap material.

lexan,
about a 100 times stronger then plexi glass.

So here is what I would do if I am new to this.

Use a thick plexi glass piece for monitor(1/4 is fine) and use 1/8 lexan sheet for the panel.

So drilling holes would be easy(just like wood).

also about scratch,both lexan and plexi scratchs anyways... .

Lexan wont be like you know....less scratch.

If you can,get real tamper proof glass for the monitor.your local glass place should cut to size(thats what I used for my cabinet).

[MrTeamWork]

Excellent! This is exactly what I needed to make an informed purchase at the Home Depot
 Thanks everyone!

 I just thought of another quick question though... what's a good way to attach the monitor shield?   People seem to use screws or something, but I saw somewhere that someone used velcro to attach the monitor shield, because it makes the shield removeable to clean and replace much easier. Has anyone heard of using velcro

 Many thanks!

[Xphile]

if I were mounting plexi for a monitor, I'd  mount it with  gravity......ummm...I better make a pic..



cut a L shaped piece of wood for the top, small runners down the side and at the top for behind the plexi, and j-channel at the bottom..slide the plexi up and let it drop into the j channel.. this is how it was done on my sente cab..
hope you understand what I'm trying to get across..:-)

[kspiff]

For my next cab I plan to mount the monitor glass the same way the old Midway cabinets mount it.. route a 1/4" channel in the top piece where your speakers are mounted, attach a small steel rail underneath the monitor shelf, and attach small 1/2" x 3/4" wooden rails to guide the glass.

This approach really only works with certain designs.. mainly those with metal control panels as this is what holds the glass from popping off at the bottom during play.

And if possible I would highly recommend a smoked glass or plexi, really helps hide the monitor mounting ugliness (esp. nice when the glass/plexi is tinted around the monitor so it doesn't interfere with a clear picture).

[Amra]

If you go for real glass, get "Tempered" glass, its a lot more durable/stronger etc.

If you go Lexan, try and find Lucite, its one of the best polymer products out right now, crystal clear, never yellows, bullet proof, cuts perfect.  Only draw back... expensive.  But if you want quality, sometimes you just have to spend the extra bucks.

[Grasshopper]

According to this post: http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=3602;start=0 Lexan is actually softer than Plexiglass.

The advantage of this is that it is less prone to cracking during drilling etc. The disadvantage is that it is more prone to scratches.

[Nervous]

According to this post: http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=3602;start=0 Lexan is actually softer than Plexiglass.

The advantage of this is that it is less prone to cracking during drilling etc. The disadvantage is that it is more prone to scratches.

Yes, you're absolutely correct.  Lexan is more prone to scratching.  Plexi is more prone to cracking...  both are good materials, but I usually sway towards Plexiglass.

[Gopherboy]

Just to make it a little more clear (if that is possible...)

Lexan and Plexiglass are both brand names. They also correspond to two different materials.

Lexan is Polycarbonate and Plexi is Acrylic. These two materials are similar but have their differences. The main (and most important one to this application) is that Polycarbonate is more malleable where as Acrylic is much more brittle.

This is the reason lexan is easier to cut but also easier to scratch. (and vice-versa for plexi.)


gb.