Buyer guide Factory evaluation
Evaluating an acrylic factory means checking whether this plant can repeat a signed sample. A clean reception and a low quote do not answer that. Walk the sheet store, the cut, the join, the polish, and the pack — or watch those stations on a video call — and write down what you see. This page is that checklist. It is not a ranking of plants, and it is not a PMMA data sheet.
What an evaluation is for
Working definition. A factory evaluation answers one question: if we sign this sample, can this plant make the next 200 the same way, and pack them so they arrive that way? Everything else is supporting evidence.
Years in business, a showroom, and a certificate on the wall are context. They do not replace a look at the bench. A video call that only shows the conference room is not an evaluation.
What to collect before the visit
Ask for these in writing. Gaps here are already findings.
- A quote that names cast or extruded sheet, thickness by member, edge finish, joint method, and Incoterms.
- Who supplies the sheet, and whether mixed or recycled sheet is used on display work.
- Which stations are in-house: laser, CNC, bending, solvent or UV join, polish, print, pack.
- The inspection list used on a bulk lot, and who signs a golden sample.
- A recent production drawing, not only a lifestyle photo.
One plant publishes its commercial door and planning numbers on a FAQ: intake by email, a typical first-run floor of 100 pieces per design for most displays, boxes, trays, and stands, simple samples in about 2–5 working days, and bulk often quoted at about 15–25 business days after release. Treat those as that plant’s terms. Ask every other plant for the same fields. Plant background for Sanait is on the about page.
Sheet control
| Check | Why it matters | A weak answer |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Cast and extruded behave differently at a polished edge and a solvent joint | “We use acrylic” with no route |
| Film on | Bare faces scratch in the rack and show up as haze after polish | Stacks stored film-off, faces touching |
| Traceability | A tint or a food-contact program needs a batch you can name | No mill mark, no grade on the job card |
| Offcuts | Leftover plate is fine if it is the same grade | Unknown offcuts mixed into a “clear” job |
Do not ask the plant to quote a single light-transmission number without a grade and a test method. ISO 7823 describes sheet. It does not describe the joint you are about to buy.
Stations to walk
Spend the time on the stations this part will actually use.
- Laser. Ask whether the edge is left as-cut, and whether bonded parts are stress-relieved before glue. A heat edge can look clean and still craze later.
- CNC. Ask the inside-corner radius the machine needs, and whether pockets are checked against the live SKU.
- Heat bend. A lip pulled off the jig while warm will spring. Ask whether the part cools on the fixture.
- Join. Look at a recent box in side light. Blush, starved glue, and squeeze-out on the camera face are visible without a lab.
- Polish. Confirm flame versus diamond on the sample and on the bulk quote. They are not interchangeable finishes.
- Print or engrave. Ask where the ink sits relative to the wipe path, and whether artwork is vector.
Outsourced polish or print is acceptable if the plant still owns the drawing and the inspection. “Full service” without a station list is not a finding you can use.
Sample-to-bulk match
Match rule. The golden sample should be made on the process that will run the purchase order. A hand-polished one-off does not qualify a laser-left-as-cut bulk edge.
Write the process on the sign-off: sheet route, thickness, edge, joint, print, hardware, pack. If any of those will differ in bulk, the difference belongs on the purchase order before you sign, not in a claim email later.
A 3D-printed model can check volume. It is not an acrylic sample. It does not show joint chemistry, edge polish, or how the face scratches.
Inspection and records
Ask to see the list, not the slogan.
- Overall size against the frozen drawing, and against the live SKU if there is a pocket.
- Faces: scratches through film, pits, adhesive residue, warp on a flat table.
- Edges: agreed finish, chips, laser burn, stress whitening.
- Joints: alignment, blush, starved glue.
- Hardware: magnet position, close, screw clearance.
- Function: lid rack, tray flex with a stand-in load, stand stability with the product.
Some buyers specify AQL sampling under ISO 2859-1. That is a sampling plan, not a quality level by itself. If you use it, name the inspection level and the AQL on the purchase order. “100% inspected” without a list is the same claim as “we look at them.”
Pack and export
- Protective film stays on optical faces until installation, unless print or glue required a local peel.
- Polished faces do not travel sheet-on-sheet without film.
- Corners of a cube are the usual failure. Ask how they are blocked.
- A hollow plinth should not be strap-crushed. Compression marks look like warp.
- Carton marks, humidity, and who handles a cracked-corner claim should be named with the Incoterm.
Sanait’s FAQ describes air, sea, or rail when those are quoted, including duties prepaid when that is the quoted term. Other exporters will package the same modes differently. Compare the term and the pack, not the word “shipping.”
A simple score you can reuse
Score each item pass, gap, or fail. A single fail on sheet identity or on sample-to-bulk match is enough to stop a purchase order until it is closed.
| Item | Pass looks like |
|---|---|
| Sheet named | Cast or extruded, thickness by member, on the quote and the job card |
| Store | Film on, faces not rubbing, grade identifiable |
| Stations | The steps this part needs are in-house or explicitly controlled |
| Sample process | Same cut, joint, edge, and pack as the bulk quote |
| Inspection | Written list against the signed sample |
| Pack | Corners and optical faces protected; Incoterm named |
| Commercial | MOQ, sample clock, bulk clock, and validity stated after the construction matches |
Use the same card on every supplier, including Sanait. Constructions the evaluation is usually about: boxes, trays, and display stands.
FAQ
Do I have to visit the factory in person?
Not for a small first order. A video that shows sheet storage, the machine that will cut the part, a recent joint, and how a cube is packed is enough to start. A large annual program justifies a visit.
Is a factory audit certificate enough?
No. A social or quality certificate is context. It does not say whether this drawing will be cut from cast sheet or whether the edge on the sample matches bulk.
What if the plant will not show the bench?
Treat that as a finding. A plant that will not show sheet storage and pack on a call is asking you to buy on adjectives.
Should I test material properties myself?
Only if the program needs a named grade for food contact, outdoor use, or a specification. A display holder is usually evaluated by fit, edge, joint, and pack — against the signed sample — not by a lab tensile number.
How is evaluation different from getting a quote?
A quote prices assumptions. An evaluation checks whether the plant can execute those assumptions twice. Do the quote first. Evaluate the finalists.
What is a fail that should stop the order?
Sheet route unnamed, sample made by a different process than bulk, or no inspection list and no signed piece. Price does not close those gaps.
Sources
An evaluation is a process check. The references below are the sheet standard a job card should be able to name, a sampling standard some buyers specify, and the trade terms that belong next to the pack. They do not certify a factory.
- ISO 7823-1:2003, Plastics — Poly(methyl methacrylate) sheets — Part 1: Cast sheets. iso.org
- ISO 7823-2:2003, Plastics — Poly(methyl methacrylate) sheets — Part 2: Extruded sheets. iso.org
- ISO 2859-1, Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes. iso.org
- International Chamber of Commerce, Incoterms® rules. iccwbo.org
English 
Deutsch 
Italiano 
Français 
Español