Plastic Plate, Rod and Stock Shapes

Plastic plate, rod and stock shapes include shaped plastic parts and plastic stock. Most plastic parts are fabricated via molding, casting, extrusion, pultrusion, machining, thermal forming, plastic welding, blow molding, and grinding processes. Plastic plate, rod and stock shapes are available in bar, film, flat, hex, plate, profile, rod, round, sheet, shim, and sphere form. Size specifications for plastic plates, plastic rods, and semi-finished plastic shapes vary by stock type. For example, plastic shapes such as bars, rods, plates and tubes are specified according to overall thickness, overall width or outer diameter (OD), and overall length. Inner diameter (ID) is an important specification for tubes and other hollow stock shapes. Some plastic plate, rod and stock shapes provide anti-static or electrostatic discharge (ESD) control, or shielding from electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI). Others are flame retardant, flexible, dampening, or approved by Underwriters Laboratories (UL). Plastic plates, plastic rods and plastic shapes that provide electrical and/or thermal insulation are also available. 

Plastic plate, rod and stock shapes are used in many different chemical systems. Choices include: acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), acetal or polyoxymethylene (POM), acrylics, cyanoacrylates, epoxy resins, ethylene copolymers, fluoropolymers, ionomer polymers, liquid crystal polymers (LCP), ketones, phenolic and formaldehyde resins, polyamides, polyamide-imides (PAI), polycarbonate, and polyethylene (PE, HDPE, UHMW PE). Plastic plate, rod and stock shapes are also based on the polyethylene terphthalate (PET) and polybutylene terphthalate (PBT) polymer systems, polyesters and vinyl esters, polyether imides, polyether block amide (PEBA) resins, polyimides, polyolefin, polyphenylene oxide (PPO), polyphthalamide, polypropylene (PP), Polysulphide (PPS),  Polysulphone, and polyurethane (PU, PUR). Additional chemical systems for plastic plates, plastic rods and plastic stock shapes include: styrene, polystyrene, and styrene copolymers; silicone; and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDF), polyvinyl vinyl acetate (PVA), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH). 

Plastic plate, rod and stock shapes differ in terms of thermal, mechanical, electrical and optical properties; filler materials; and applications. Use temperature, deflection temperature, thermal conductivity and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) are important thermal properties. Tensile strength (break), tensile modulus, and elongation are important mechanical parameters. Electrical and optical properties for plastic plate, rod and stock shapes include electrical resistivity, dielectric strength, dielectric constant or relative permittivity, index of refraction, and transmission. In terms of fillers, some plastic plates, plastic rods and plastic shapes use aramid fibers, chopped fibers, carbon fillers, glass powders, metal powders, and other mineral or inorganic materials. Unfilled products are also available. In terms of applications, plastic plate, rod and stock shapes are often used in aerospace, automotive, electronics, optoelectronics, food processing, semiconductor, marine, medical, and military applications.

• Tips for no-melt machining
  It's relatively easy to machine advanced plastic stock shapes, but you have to know what you're doing. EDITED BY JEAN M. HOFFMAN Semiconductor-equipment manufacturers machine advanced plastic stock...
  (read more)

Pages: 1 - 3 of 113