Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Plexiglass / Clear Polystyrene / Clear Plastics & Prototyping

Yo Abby;

Check around for some machinists wax. You can cut or melt it into a block or a
sheet, or whatever shape you need. After that, when you're done with it, you
can remelt it all, and use it over and over again.

Bill

On Sun Jun 8 10:00:31 2003 Abby Katt wrote:

>A while back I remember some discussion upon the subject of
>prototyping materials.
>
>I remember relating my stories on the horrors of prototyping with
>wood - the fine powdery dust getting into leadscrews and gears,
>mopping up the oil and lubricatant and making a black mushy sticky
>goo! Still, wood is a lot faster to cut than metal and you're less
>likely to break small end-mills on it. But for all the inconveniance.
>
>I recently started using clear-PVC/(polystyrene sheet as it's called
>in the UK or Plexiglass as it's called in the States). This stuff is
>great! Sure, there are a few things you should know about it - like
>clamping it between two pieces of wood so it doesn't vibrate and
>crack when you're sawing it, but it mills just fantastic, to a great
>finish and at a very high cutting rate. The only thing, of course, it
>to keep spindle speed somewhat low, so as to not MELT it and thus
>cause it to stick up your cutting tool. I've not found that problem
>yet - and spray it with a little WD40 as it's getting cut. The swarf
>is a flakey white heap like coconut and cleans up really easily with
>a vavuum cleaner (it's a lot easier if you've used WD40, since it all
>sticks together in a neat clump).
>
>Also, it's dead easy to super-glue sheets together if you need to
>prototype on something slightly thicker than what sheeting is
>available.
>
>And, as a bonus, you can boast to your friends that your prototype
>was made on a StereoLithography machine. :P
>
>Just a 2p tip.


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