What is the Difference Between Acrylic Mirror, Double-Sided Mirror, and See-Thru/Two-Way Mirror

Mirrors, as we generally know, usually refer to objects with smooth surfaces and enough regular reflection of light, from ancient bronze mirrors, to modern glass mirrors, and now to acrylic mirrors and other new material mirrors. And there are a variety of mirrors with different functions to cope with different application scenarios. Here we will briefly introduce these three kinds of acrylic mirrors: Acrylic Mirror (regular mirror), Double-Sided Mirror and See-Thru/Two-Way Mirror.

Acrylic Mirror (regular mirror, one-way mirror)

The acrylic mirror, regular one, that is, the mirror we use everywhere in our daily life.  This acrylic one-way mirror is manufactured by applying a metal finish to one side of an extruded acrylic sheet which is then covered with a painted backing to protect the mirror surface. 

So the composition of the regular acrylic mirror is: acrylic sheet + mirror coating with metal film + protective back painting

The coating of a regular acrylic mirror is completely opaque, and any light that falls on it is reflected back.  So the transmittance of the acrylic sheet and the reflectance of the mirror metal film is the decisive factor of the mirror effect. The transparency of acrylic sheet can reach more than 92%, and the reflectivity of aluminum mirror film can reach 90%~95%.

Acrylic mirror can also be made into convex mirror and concave mirror.

Acrylic See-Through Mirror, Two-Way Mirror, Semi-Transparent Mirror

Acrylic Two-Way Mirrors are also called see-through mirrors, see-thru mirrors, and semi-transparent Mirrors. A two-way mirror acrylic sheet is designed with a semi-transparent film on the acrylic, allowing a small amount of incident light through and reflecting the rest, and then with a transparent polymer protective film covered. The polymer protective film can not only protect the mirror metal film from damage, but also ensure the permeability of the mirror.

So the composition of the acrylic see-through mirror is: acrylic sheet + mirror coating with semi-transparent metal film + transparent polymer protective film

For example, if you shine a flashlight on a semi-transparent mirror which has 20% light transmittance, then only 20% of the light will pass through, the other light of 80% will be reflected back.

The acrylic two way mirror, with its half-transparent, half-reflective feature, can be combined with a regular acrylic mirror to create an animated infinity illusion effect.

Acrylic see-through mirror + LED light + regular mirror = infinity mirror

Acrylic Double-Sided Mirror

Double-sided mirror, as the name implies, both sides are mirrors. The double-side acrylic mirror is manufactured by applying a opaque mirror metal film to one side of an extruded acrylic sheet which is then covered with a transparent polymer protective film.

So the composition of the acrylic double-sided mirror is: acrylic sheet + mirror coating with metal film + transparent polymer protective film

Compared with the acrylic two-way mirror, it can be found that the composition of the two mirrors are same except the mirror film. The only difference is that the acrylic two-way mirror is used with a semi-transparent metal film, while the double-sided mirror is used with an opaque metal film. 

The above introduction is the popular three types of acrylic mirrors, more contents please attention to us -

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