Polycarbonate side plates for lighter gearboxes

[Joseph Smith]

Hello all,
My team this year machined some custom side plates out of quarter-inch aluminum to lighten up some Andymark toughboxes. We spaced them out with some simple aluminum spacers, and it all held together very well. I was wondering if it is plausible to make these plates out of polycarbonate, probably quarter-inch. Are there any advantages or disadvantages of using polycarbonate? Do you have any advice for working with it? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!