Working with Plastics

[marty]

Update......
Polystyrene Sheet is warped. Boiling water did nothing.

Looked at http://www.brickintheyard.com/ Youtube videos on plastic molding and casting.

No progress on my project. Idea? Let someone else make this with a 3d Printer. Here goes......

Flange looks like this.

Material - plastic any color.
Strength does not have to be super strong. Should not break if you drop it.
Thickness? I was thinking about a 1/4 inch. Or 6 millimeter for you metric people.
Quantity - One to see how it looks. 10 to 40 after that depending on price. Possibly more?
Dimensions in inches:
Base 8 x 8
Height 2.5
Inside dimension of hole 3.125 x 3.125

Radius on outside corners. Inside of hole should be square (no radius).

I will draw this with a CAD program.

3d Printer People PLEASE contact me, or put prices right here for the world to see.

 

[Bob K]

KYDEX

4 X 8 sheet is about $100 from your local plastics distributor.

They are not going to stock too many colors so you will have to

accept what they have in stock. Of course, you could special order

the 17 sheet minimum and get what ever you want.

Look up Kydex holsters and Knife sheaths and you WILL see the light.

KYDEX

It's all you need to know.

Bob K

 

[nutnspecial]

I'll have to check out kydex!

Hey marty, i've seen a few threads about 3d printers on here that you could request directly for a print job. At least one I read was open to doing things for us.

I think there's websites that do it as a business too, for customer specs.

 

[Dauntless]

http://www.smooth-on.com/Epoxy-Coatings-XTC/c1397_1429/index.html

 

[edventure]

I had built a battery enclosure actually two for my bike out of .25" Delrin for the main body of the enclosure and .187" Textured ABS for the Side panels which gives it a finished look, plus doesn't show scratches as easily. To assemble I used a special stainless screw meant for grabbing in plastics and sealed the enclosure with silicone. The enclosures have held up extremely well and keep everything dry internally. Additionally, I can unscrew the panels to gain access to all sides. I placed a link here to my build that even discusses the drill bit size I had used to pre drill the holes before screwing together. http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=49490&start=25 Delrin has many benefits and is resistant to many chemicals and UV light. It is considered a crossover material because it machines like metal, but is obviously much lighter.

IF you want to 3D print something http://www.shapeways.com is an online vendor that you can upload your model to and they will give you a price immediately. They can print in many different materials including metals like Gold & Platinum if you got the money. I would not 3D print a battery box, but if you have smaller parts this is the place to go. ANother company I have worked with in California which is much smaller than Shapeways is https://www.ingenovations.com They have very competitive pricing if you just want to print in ABS or PLA and may even have faster turn around times. They also have a file upload system that allows you to get an instant quote without the need to talk to someone.

Good Luck,

Ed

 

[ddk]

If it is coroplast, it is polypropylene....

I get my Coroplast from a local sign shop. Might be corona discharged, as the sign shop applies printed vinyl over it
...the vinyl peals after about a year in sunlight
On the other hand...
Krylon Fusion paint gives excellent results.
After one or two coats I can apply any paint over the Fusion coat.
everything's held up for 4 years (so far) in direct sun.

The Home Depo stuff reacts differently...
************************************************
I mainly work with polycarb (lexon) because it can be cold-bent and I find drilling less prone to cracking over, say, acrylic.
I tap threads into it with good results using regular metal-cutting taps. Acrylics can also be tapped but the appearance is cloudy, (or, cloudier) indicating micro stress cracks
protip -If holes are for fasteners attaching dissimilar materials
Drill holes larger than the fasteners because thermo expansion bla bla bla

and as always
YMMV

 

[Dauntless]

Nothing wants to stick to PP. When they make the good coroplast signs they have to use special ink. Urethane glue wants to stick to EVERYTHING. What a competition, gluing two pieces of unsticking plastic with the unyielding bonding agent, perhaps Gorilla Glue. But I've been surprised at the hot melt glue holding up well on PP.

There's the rustoleum plastic primer that seems to help, you then paint over with anything. I don't bother trying to paint that stuff much.

 

[docnjoj]

I've found good quality 3M carpet tape (double sided) works well to hold Coroplast to the sides of Hobbyking batteries. You can use 2-3 layers of Coroplast and it makes a pretty strong case for them. Then wrap the whole thing with filament tape and you even get some compression.
Finally, I use some Industrial Velcro to attach the battery block to it's Lexan holder. I've flipped my trike a couple of times on a slope (dumb but grassy so no pain) and the 16000 multisports did not budge.
otherDoc

 

[marty]

Update......
Polystyrene Sheet is warped. Boiling water did nothing.

Looked at http://www.brickintheyard.com/ Youtube videos on plastic molding and casting.

No progress on my project. Idea? Let someone else make this with a 3d Printer. Here goes......

Flange looks like this.

Material - plastic any color.
Strength does not have to be super strong. Should not break if you drop it.
Thickness? I was thinking about a 1/4 inch. Or 6 millimeter for you metric people.
Quantity - One to see how it looks. 10 to 40 after that depending on price. Possibly more?
Dimensions in inches:
Base 8 x 8
Height 2.5
Inside dimension of hole 3.125 x 3.125

Radius on outside corners. Inside of hole should be square (no radius).

I will draw this with a CAD program.

3d Printer People PLEASE contact me, or put prices right here for the world to see.

Started a new thread here:
3D Plastic Printer