Acrylic window on the world.

• Author: Lusky, Mark
• Position: Reynolds Polymer Technology Inc., maker of commercial aquariums

Pulling the Strings

Lions and tigers and fish and hyperbaric chambers and manned submersibles - oh my!

Grand Junction-based Reynolds Polymer Technology Inc. is your acrylic window to the world of commercial aquariums, zoos and human-inhabited underwater environments from tourist submarines to deep-water pressure suits. Hundreds of thousands worldwide daily view the company's handiwork in more than 100 aquariums.

Reynolds, manufacturer of acrylic windows for underwater and tiger cub exhibits at Denver's Ocean Journey Aquarium, bills itself as a leading producer worldwide of large window castings - up to 27.5 feet by 10 feet, 1.5 to 40 inches thick - and complex assemblies. One of Ocean Journey's primary attractions is the 24-foot underwater tunnel that visitors will use to enter the tiger cub display.

Through chemical bonding at their factory or on-site, Reynolds can deliver "monolithically produced cast acrylic" panels. That means the window is created in one solid-piece pour, instead of being laminated together sheet after sheet to create the desired thickness, a common industry method.

In contrast to laminated acrylic that yellows, loses strength and delaminates over time, Reynolds' method produces strong, durable windows that look good long after the initial luster of a new facility has worn off.

The company backs its claims with clients in nearly two dozen countries. Among the projects on Reynolds' 72-company-strong reference list is one of the world's largest aquariums, in Beijing - 13-inch thick windows, 18 feet high by 33 feet wide. Others include the Fashion Fort Kingdom Aquarium in the Netherlands, Italy's Genoa Aquarium, L'Ocearium Du Crosic in France, Maui Ocean Center in Hawaii, Two Oceans Aquarium in South...