"millable" plastics vendor

[mofosheee]

Is somebody able to recommend a particular type of plastic suitable for milling and a vendor who sells it?  Thank you

Jerry

[atwooddon]

Jerry. how's the Napa area treating you lately?   

If the plastic is a material to test gcode, a lot of people use machining 'wax' which is mixture of wax and soft plastics.  Machines super easy and can be remelted back into a block for re-use.  Or, dense foams like the blue foam used in insulation.  I typically use that.

If the plastic is for a final product, I guess it would depend on what the product is to be used for by the end user.  Hard, pliable, clear, etc.  What do you have in mind?

Don  (Still in Placerville)

[Jeff_Birt]

There are lots of plastics that machine quite well just as there are lots of metals that machine quite well. What are you trying to make or what material properties are you after? Take a look at McMaster.com they sell a lot of different plastics in small quantities and have a good description of them.

[lloydsp]

If you wish to make actual "wear parts" from it, either Acetal co-polymer or UHMW polyethylene are good candidates.

Avoid the Acetal in the homopolymer version in any sections more than about 3/4" thick... they suffer from porosity in the center.  Both have essentially the same machining characteristics, which are fine surface finish, and "free machining" in terms of clearing chips and lack of tendency to heat.  It's also much stiffer and heat-resistant than polyethylene.

Type I PVC is also reasonably easy to machine well, but you must keep it cool or it tends to melt onto the tool edges.  It's great for moderate wear, where you need especially stiff components.

LLoyd

[bealerusa]

Jerry, don't know your location, but Precision Punch and Plastics does a nice job.  1-800-227-0690. They are in the Minneapolis MN area.  We use their stuff for making counter pressure shoe hold-downs for our high speed wood moulders.

Just throwing it out there. They have been fair to me. -Chad

[mofosheee]

Hi all.....
Thanks for the leads.  The .cb is attached.  The finished part will be installed on the grill on a truck.  First considered aluminum, then thought of cutting it on a piece of scrap plastic from work.  I liked the way it cut and knowing this material is outdoor rated sent me in search for a .25 x 18 x 24 sheet.

Hi Don........to answer your question, Napa has been mean.  Got beat up during a quake in Aug.  Now apparent the area we live is rather populated with faults.  Epicenter was in the vicinity of the North Bay field which is close too close to home and I want to move.

I'll send you chunk of the material I have been using.  

Jerry

[atwooddon]

Jerry, sorry to here the Napa quake affected you.  Hope the clean up and recovery wasn't too bad.  Hang in there.

Don

[Garyhlucas]

The weatherabilty of plastics is very color dependent.  Red plastics breakdown in sunlight very quickly.  White often gets surface crazing, and black is by far the best.

[Dragonfly]

Jerry, ABS (Acrylnitril-Butadien-Styrol) is widely used in cars and said to be durable. For a good looking logo I'd use metallic finish ABS sheet for engraving from Rowmark http://www.rowmark.com/ but will cut the lettering as inlay shapes, then use thicker dark plastic for the inlay female pocket and glue them together. Would look like a real factory logo.

[mofosheee]

Fly

Perfect! Thanks all.

Jerry