[PSUBS-MAILIST] Acrylic supplier

[Jon Wallace via Personal_Submersibles]

Hello folks,
I've ordered a chunka-lunka hunk of acrylic to replace my front flat viewport in the K-600 from Polymershapes in NH, a distributor for Polycast in Stamford CT.  This is 100% Plexiglas G sheet cast to equal or better than PVHO material specifications.
It is my understanding that Polycast is the only USA based manufacturer of Plexiglas G acrylic.  Their primary client is the US military and it looks like PSUBS is in play to become their close second.  While I jest, the truth is that Polymershapes told me that if it were not for US military contracts there would likely NOT be a domestic (USA) supplier of Plexiglas G.  While I am not saying Polycast is the ONLY valid manufacturer of Plexiglas G material, I guess I AM saying that if you purchase your acrylic from a discount supplier you may not be able to depend upon the accuracy of their specifications.  So I just want to share that we have an ally in both Polycast and Polymershapes for raw viewport material in the form of cast Plexiglas G acrylic.  
Polycast has distributors across the world so you can potentially purchase from a distributor closer to you than NH, however keep in mind that Polymershapes in NH has offered to answer any questions you may have...and you don't have to be afraid to tell them it's for a submarine.  They have taken an interest in my own project and by extension our group, and seem eager to help us get the right material for our application.
As some of you are aware, I am concerned that availability of quality acrylic material at a relatively reasonable price point is a potential weak point for our hobby, as well as the expertise in taking that raw material and fabricating it into a viewport worthy of a PVHO "thumbs-up" award.  I'm hoping this is an area that we can all collaborate on and develop best practices for to ensure a continued safe hobby.

Jon
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