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Bottles made of Lexan

LEXAN is a registered trademark for General Electric's brand of highly durable polycarbonate resin thermoplastic intended to replace glass where strength justifies its cost. It is a polycarbonate polymer consisting 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 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 used in the aerospace industry for aircraft canopies, windscreens and other windows, but can be found in household items, such as bottles, compact discs, and DVDs. It is also used to make Bullet-resistant glass. The ASP 9mm features transparent grips made of Lexan, so that the rounds in the magazine are visible.

Lexan is manufactured by GE Plastics, a unit of General Electric. It is manufactured at several GE plants, 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 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 mouth water bottle, popular with hikers and mountaineers. Nalgene participates in Lexan's publicity. Lexan is also used by other water bottle manufacturers.

Lexan is used for magazines in the American 180 submachine gun in the capacities of 165, 220, and 275 rounds (the original 177 round magazine is made out of steel).

Lexan was also used for the housings of Loran audio cassettes because of its high resistance to warping and melting from heat, a problem with cassettes stored in automobiles on hot days.

Lexan 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.

Lexan is also used in:

• racing cars to replace heavier (and breakable) glass windshields and windows.
• greenhouses for covering.
• the Flexdex skateboards "Clear" models
• for radio-controlled car bodies
• for motorcycle goggles
• Radio-controlled helicopter fins and gyro mounts by RDLohr

The molecule of Lexan was featured on Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home visual depicted on the Apple Macintosh computer screen, described in the film as "transparent aluminum".

• GE LEXAN®
• Links to external chemical sources