Hello,
I am considering using sheet plastic for a robot project and wonder if anyone has any recommendations on their favorite type of plastic?
I have seen comments on both expanded PVC and on HPDE.
Which of these do you consider the best?
Also in what thicknesses?
Thanks,
Hal (kingart3)
PVC
I use expanded PVC (5mm mostly but sometimes 3mm and 8mm) for just about everything and for all the reasons Maxhirez mentioned. Boiling water makes it bendable, its easy to cut and sand and very light.
Downside is that at room temprature it is very sturdy. If you put much presure on a piece or if you accidentally drop your robot on a hard surface, it will not bend but break / snap.
for my latest project I also ordered some thin PVC foil (0.5mm) That stuff not expanded so it is not as light, but because it is so thin, you can cut it with scissors. That makes it good stuff to make the outside panels with.
PVC
The expanded PVC is the way to go for thicker stuff. The reason I say this is that it is sold as trim boards for houses and thus, you can find it and it is not too expensive. The brand name is Azek. It is very commonly mis-pronounced as Aztec. It comes in 1/2 and 3/4, as dimensional lumber (1x2 1x4 etc) and as a sheet-good (4x8). Just about any lumber yard will have it. For the life of me, I have no idea why Azek (the company) is not cutting this stuff into 12x12 squares for guys like us!
The only other similar material I have used are styrene sheets from a hobby store. They come in different thicknesses and are wicked easy to cut and work with. Great stuff, really. It is sold with the model trains.
Both products I mention above use a chemical “welding” process for assembly --similar to gluing plumbing pipes together. The chemical solvent melts a bit of each side of the joint, the parts are smushed together and Bob’s your uncle.
Sintra and superglue
Calculon is also a big fan of expanded pvc, but he has noticed that it does not play well with standard (cyanoacrylate) superglue. The surface areas bond, but it sort of crumbles away from the rest. It will still work for putting a project together, but you must be a little more creative with your joints. Calculon always assumed there was a PVC bond that works better.
I used cutting board
I used cutting board material for my base and ABS which I glue into various shapes. I also love CTC’s discovery of Plastruct!
**Thanks **
Hello,
Thanks for all the comments, I think I will try expanded PVC first then and see how it goes as it is clearly very popular. I would never have thought to look in a lumber yard for expanded PVC. Thanks Chris for that very specific suggestion. I have done PVC pipe stuff before and have the cleaner and glue around for that. Very potent stuff.
I appreciate everyone’s comments, its give me something to think about and some very specific brand names which will help.
-Hal (kingart3)
Oh yeah
Oh thanks for the warning about CA.
I have used it on lots of things and it works great on some and “eats” others. Thanks for the warning Calculon!
polycarbonate is good too. I
polycarbonate is good too. I used it in many of my projects.
