How to prevent acrylic or polycarbonate sheets from bending? I'm not sure if this is the right forum but seems more relevant to my question.
I'm building a rear-projected screen in a form of a large table (3m x 2m) with frosted/diffused acrylic or polycarbonate sheets as a tabletop. The ultra-short throw projector below the tabletop will project an image on the sheet. The table will be holding max 20-30kg equally distributed weight.
What would be the best options to secure the tabletop sheet and prevent it from bending? Any special kind of mounting tools or screws?
I can't have solid structures supporting the sheet from below as it would cast shadows from the projector.
Is getting a very thick sheet the only option?
Consider tempered glass instead.
While using glass brings a real fear of breakage, thick glass actually doesn't break so easily, and it is quite strong. 2m x 3m is on the large size. Typical glass table tops that I remember seeing are more in the (at most) 1m x 2m size. I did a quick search and found a local (to me) vendor - local is important because picking it up yourself or getting a local truck delivery will be a lot cheaper than sending long distance - where this size is in the $1,000 range. From the same vendor, a table top 1/4 the size is ~ 1/8 the cost and 1/4&quot; thick instead of 3/8&quot; thick. So clearly this is a viable option, but whether it is practical or not will depend on your budget and other factors.
Glass also tends to not get scratched up as easily as most plastic, which may be a big advantage for a display medium.