As a professional glasses manufacturing factory in ShenZhen, we design and manufacture many types of glasses, such as acetate glasses, metal glasses, titanium glasses, etc. Since acetate glasses and plastic glasses are somewhat similar, people often ask us, what are the differences between acetate glasses and plastic glasses? 

The picture below is a pair of PRADA brand acetate sunglasses.

 

Although both acetate glasses and plastic glasses are common materials for eyewear, they have significant differences in physical properties, durability and comfort. The cellulose acetate material used in acetate glasses is hard and strong, resistant to wear and tear, and can effectively prevent scratches, thus ensuring its long-term service life. At the same time, this material has a delicate texture and full color, which gives people a noble and elegant feeling and adds a sense of fashion. However, plastic glasses are mostly made of nylon. Although they are lightweight, they are not as hard and wear-resistant as plates. However, plastic glasses are more comfortable because plastic is lighter in weight and less irritating to the skin, making them suitable for long-term wear. In general, acetate glasses and plastic glasses each have their own advantages and disadvantages. When choosing, you need to decide based on your own needs and usage habits.

The picture below is a pair of plastic sunglasses made of plastic.

 

Acetate vs plastic glasses: materials

Cellulose acetate is a common acetate eyewear material. It has good softness and plasticity and can be heated and bent to adapt to different shapes of facial contours. Glasses frames made of cellulose acetate usually have a wide range of colors and textures to choose from, making them easier to match with different clothing and skin colors, and can meet the aesthetic needs of different people. The material of plastic glasses is polycarbonate, which is a highly wear-resistant and high-strength transparent material that is more stable and less likely to deform. The color of plastic glasses is made by adding toner into the plastic particles, or spraying color after making the glasses, so the color is more uniform and not as rich as plate glasses.

Acetate vs plastic glasses: Design

When designing eyewear, we consider three main areas: aesthetics, ergonomics and functionality. First of all, from an aesthetic point of view, what we pursue is simplicity but not simplicity, fashion without losing grandeur. We hope that each pair of glasses can express a unique personality while matching seamlessly with a variety of clothing. Secondly, from an ergonomic perspective, we focus on the comfort of the glasses. According to the characteristics of European or Asian faces, fine design and adjustment are carried out to ensure that the glasses can fit the face tightly while maintaining appropriate space to avoid pressing the bridge of the nose or ears. Finally, from a functional perspective, the needs of different users need to be taken into consideration, such as anti-blue light, anti-UV, increased field of view, etc., and corresponding processing will be done on the lenses to meet the individual needs of users. In terms of design, acetate glasses are better. Since plastic glasses need to make a mold first and go through the injection molding process, the shape and color of the glasses are greatly limited. Plate glasses can be realized through different processes, such as pressing and molding, CNC cutting and molding, etc., which can maximize the differentiated design of glasses and provide consumers with richer choices.

Acetate vs plastic glasses: manufacturing process

In the field of glasses manufacturing, differences in technology directly affect the quality and appearance of the product. The production process of acetate glasses usually involves fine cutting, polishing and splicing steps, etc. This process makes acetate glasses tougher in texture, brighter in surface, and can produce glasses with more complex and diverse structures. In contrast, the production of plastic glasses focuses more on injection molding technology. This process is highly efficient. Once the mold is confirmed, a large number of glasses can be produced in a short time. However, due to the relatively expensive cost of the mold and the limitations of the injection molding process, the structure of the glasses is relatively simple. However, no matter what kind of craftsmanship, careful design and strict quality control are required to ensure that each pair of glasses can provide the wearer with a comfortable and stylish experience.

Acetate vs plastic glasses: Color

When considering the range and stability of colors and swatches, we have to compare two common materials: acetate and plastic. Boards are popular for their natural colors and textures. Although the color choices they provide are rich, today's acetate manufacturers often have thousands of colors to choose from, and different colors can be connected together through lamination technology. Therefore, acetate glasses are also called the most fashionable glasses and are the most suitable type of glasses to match with clothing. However, the color stability of acetate is often affected by environmental factors such as light, humidity, etc., and fading or discoloration may occur after long-term use. In contrast, plastic materials perform better in terms of color stability. Plastics can be easily produced in various colors by adding dyes, and these colors are not easy to fade in daily use, but the colors are relatively single. In general, whether it is boards pursuing natural style or plastics pursuing stability, they all have their own merits and meet different design needs.

Acetate vs plastic glasses: Weight

As a common vision correction tool, the choice of glasses has an important impact on different application scenarios. Acetate are much heavier than plastics, and plastic glasses are about half lighter than acetate glasses of the same thickness. Therefore, people who like to wear lighter glasses can choose lightweight plastic glasses. Although acetate glasses are heavier than plastic glasses, they are favored by many people because of their better surface texture and richer colors, making them easy to match with their own clothing. And with the advancement of material technology and acetate glasses manufacturing technology, such as the emergence of high-hardness acetate, it is now possible to produce very thin acetate glasses with richer colors, so in this respect acetate glasses are better. 

Acetate vs plastic glasses: Adjustability

Acetate glasses are more flexible than plastic glasses, and there is a metal strip in the middle of the temple. Therefore, acetate frames are usually easier to adjust and can be adjusted to fit the wearer's face more accurately, while plastic frames The rack may be stiffer and more difficult to adjust. The plastic frame is heavier and less flexible, giving it a stiffer feel and being difficult to adjust, sometimes affecting comfort.

Acetate vs plastic glasses: How to identify

The appearance of acetate glasses and plastic glasses are similar. As a professional glasses manufacturer, we can easily distinguish them from the surface effect and color of the glasses. Even if you hold it in your hand, you can immediately tell that the board is still plastic. However, it is difficult for ordinary consumers to do this, but they can be distinguished by the following two aspects:

1. The metal strips inside the temples of the acetate frame are generally wider and have obvious textures. This is not only for appearance, but also to combine with the plate more firmly. Most plastic frame temples do not have metal strips inside them. Although a small number of plastic frame temples have metal strips inside them, they are almost very small and mainly round.

2. Identify from the hinge. The hinges of acetate glasses are fixed on the front frame and temples by a machine. The boundaries are clear and the surroundings are very clean. The hinge styles are also rich and diverse. Many plastic glasses hinges are integrally formed with the frame and then fixed together with screws. There are also some that use special plastic glasses hinges, but there are usually some burn marks around the hinges and they look a bit rough. 

3. Observe from the flatness of the surface. During the injection molding process of plastic glasses, shrinkage marks will occur in places with larger geometric dimensions from hot to cold. It is not difficult to find these shrinkage marks by comparing certain angles of light. Acetate frames which are generally smooth and bright after manual polishing.

4. You will find that if the material of acetate glasses is placed in a fire, it is not easy to burn, while plastic glasses may be ignited if it comes into contact with fire.

5. From the perspective of material and process costs, the materials of acetate glasses are more expensive, and the production process is more complicated than plastic glasses, so the cost of plate glasses is also higher. Therefore, under the same style, brand, etc., the price of acetate glasses is higher than that of plastic glasses.

Acetate vs plastic glasses: Lens

Acetate glasses can be used with many different types of lenses, such as CR39 lenses, nylon lenses, etc. These lenses have better performance and are heavier than PC lenses. Plastic glasses generally use PC lenses. PC lenses also use injection molding technology, and the light transmittance, it is not as good as CR39 and nylon lenses..

After reading these article, do you already have your own choice between acetate glasses vs plastic glasses? If you want to know more, you can contact us at any time. We are willing to share more knowledge about glasses with you.