UHMW table

[MBG]

Originally Posted by Geof If you are planning on using an adhesive with UHMW you might have difficulty finding one that sticks. It is practically impossible to glue UHMW; you can do it, but it is necessary to etch the surface with something like hydrofluoric acid which is the nastiest stuff you can ever encounter. And a few posts up you had this ; because I want to use it for ICE machining and I heard UHMW works well with sticking to the ICE with a squirt bottle... Do you mean you heard that ice sticks well to UHMW? That contradicts my experience, and makes you wonder why the bottom of snow skis are sometimes UHMW, so ice will not stick.

This is what I was heard. Although, you probably know more about this material since you probably use it in the snow often. What material would you recommend?

Also, can you freeze the ice and stick it to the plastic?

[chester1957]

You may be able to freeze some sort of base into the block and hold it down that way, ice won't stick to the plastic, they cover the front of snow plows with VHMW to keep snow and ice from sticking.

[MBG]

What does it look like they are using here for a table?

YouTube - CNC Machine - Cutting ICE

YouTube - CNC Machine - Cutting ICE

[MBG]

It looks like it is just melted to the table. No work holding or anything..

[Geof]

That is a neat Video. I could not really see what the table was but near the end it was possible to see through the ice, at the part where it was engraving, there seemed to be lines or maybe grooves on the table. That block is so big and the cutter so small it would stay in place with its own weight and would not slide if it was frozen into grooves on the table.

Where did that Vvideo come from? Finland or Sweden where they build these Ice Hotels every winter? Or China, I think there is a town in China doing it as well.

[MBG]

Originally Posted by Geof That is a neat Video. I could not really see what the table was but near the end it was possible to see through the ice, at the part where it was engraving, there seemed to be lines or maybe grooves on the table. That block is so big and the cutter so small it would stay in place with its own weight and would not slide if it was frozen into grooves on the table. Where did that Vvideo come from? Finland or Sweden where they build these Ice Hotels every winter? Or China, I think there is a town in China doing it as well.

Just whoever wants to make it..


I researched the UHMW and everybody uses it as a non stick material. I am thinking about getting me a sample piece and doing some experiments to see if this is the right material for my table top.

I don't want to have to resort to T slotting the table.


Also, I am not really worried about the large pieces just worried about after they get fully machined and they get smaller in size.

[MBG]

Well after a small experiment. I put two ice cubes on a piece of UHMW plastic. Squirt it with a water bottle and then put it in the freezer. It froze to the piece of plastic but this was under extreme tempatures. Also, it didn't hold that much clamping force.


I don't really think this would make a good table material.


Any comments?