Acrylic resins are a group of related thermoplastic

Thermoplastic

Thermoplastic, also known as a thermosoftening plastic, is a polymer that turns to a liquid when heated and freezes to a very glassy state when cooled sufficiently...

 or thermosetting plastic

Thermosetting plastic

A thermosetting plastic, also known as a thermoset, is polymer material that irreversibly cures. The cure may be done through heat , through a chemical reaction , or irradiation such as electron beam processing.Thermoset materials are usually liquid or malleable prior to curing and designed to be...

 substances derived from acrylic acid

Acrylic acid

Acrylic acid is an organic compound with the formula CH2=CHCO2H. It is the simplest unsaturated carboxylic acid, consisting of a vinyl group connected directly to a carboxylic acid terminus. This colorless liquid has a characteristic acrid or tart smell. It is miscible with water, alcohols,...

, methacrylic acid

Methacrylic acid

Methacrylic acid, abbreviated MAA, is an organic compound. This colourless, viscous liquid is a carboxylic acid with an acrid unpleasant odor. It is soluble in warm water and miscible with most organic solvents. Methacrylic acid is produced industrially on a large scale as a precursor to its...

 or other related compounds. Polymethyl acrylate is an acrylic resin used in an emulsed

Emulsion

An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible . Emulsions are part of a more general class of two-phase systems of matter called colloids. Although the terms colloid and emulsion are sometimes used interchangeably, emulsion is used when both the dispersed and the...

 form for lacquer

Lacquer

In a general sense, lacquer is a somewhat imprecise term for a clear or coloured varnish that dries by solvent evaporation and often a curing process as well that produces a hard, durable finish, in any sheen level from ultra matte to high gloss and that can be further polished as required...

, textile finishes, adhesives and, mixed with clay

Clay

Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...

, to gloss paper. Another acrylic resin is Polymethyl methacrylate which is used to make hard plastics with various light transmitting properties.

What is acrylic resin?

Acrylic resin is a general term for any one of the plastics (resin) generated through chemical reaction by applying polymerization

Polymerization

In polymer chemistry, polymerization is a process of reacting monomer molecules together in a chemical reaction to form three-dimensional networks or polymer chains...

 initiator and heat to a monomer

Monomer

A monomer is an atom or a small molecule that may bind chemically to other monomers to form a polymer; the term "monomeric protein" may also be used to describe one of the proteins making up a multiprotein complex...

.

The chemical name for the resin produced from the methyl methacrylate

Methyl methacrylate

Methyl methacrylate is an organic compound with the formula CH2=CCOOCH3. This colourless liquid, the methyl ester of methacrylic acid is a monomer produced on a large scale for the production of poly .-Production:...

 monomer (MMA) is polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). MMA is a transparent and colorless fluid substance. One of the main characteristic features of PMMA is its high transparency. With its high weather resistance, it has been known to last over 30 years, it does not easily turn yellow or crumble when exposed to sunlight. Polymethyl methacrylate are used not only for transparent windows in aquariums but also for various items such as signboards in places like convenience stores, taillights of automobiles, bathtub liners, sinks, cell phone display screens, backlight optical waveguides for liquid crystal displays (LCD) and so on.