Looking for plastic replacement for plywood

[GlacialWanderer]

I cut everything from robot parts to Christmas ornaments out of 1/8 and 1/4 plywood. I'm looking to try some sort of plastic sheets as a replacement for some of my jobs.

I did some looking and it seems like I want to use plexiglass, polycarbonate (Lexan), or ABS.

I'm mostly concerned about rigidness and cost of sheets of these. Could anyone here remark on the cost and rigidness of these different plastics. Or if you just know about one and can comment on that please do.

It seems they are all about equally easy to cut with a cnc machine, right?

[mc-motorsports]

Ever concider Corian? Commonly used for countertops, people are now making signs out of it, I make the parts in the picture attached. The pictures do it no justice, the color is very rich. Corian is also free machining, the chips won't melt, they actually turn to dust if you pick up a hand full and rub your hands together. You can cut it as fast as your machine will go or otherwise limited to spindle speed.

Lexan is easy to cut, but the coolant will mess with the material and the chips tend to melt and load up.

[Al_The_Man]

Originally Posted by GlacialWanderer It seems they are all about equally easy to cut with a cnc machine, right?

One of the nicest materials of this nature I find really nice to machine/drill etc, is SRBP (Synthetic Resin Bonded Paper).
It goes under different trade names, I know it as Paxolin.
I am not sure how it stacks up, cost wise with the other materials.
Al.

[ger21]

Originally Posted by GlacialWanderer It seems they are all about equally easy to cut with a cnc machine, right?

Never cut ABS, so I don't know for sure, but if you're making small parts with small tools, plexiglas (acrylic) can be a real pita, as it will melt and the chips will all melt back into the part and stick to it. You need to keep the chips very clear of the cut.

[Geof]

ABS machines very easily but it is the same as many plastics you need two flute cutters and a good feed to pull out big chips, if the feed is too slow for the rpm you will get melting.

[GlacialWanderer]

So it sounds like Corian or Synthetic Resin Bonded Paper might be better options. Maybe the best option is to just order a few different samples and see which one I like most.

I am having trouble tracking down suppliers for both of these. If anybody could share suppliers for these or other ideas that would be helpful.

Thanks!

[mc-motorsports]

Originally Posted by GlacialWanderer I am having trouble tracking down suppliers for both of these. If anybody could share suppliers for these or other ideas that would be helpful. Thanks!

For Corian direct from Dupont ($10k/yr minimum), or visit your local countertop maker and ask them to donate or buy his scraps, they have pretty large scrap pieces that are too small for countertops or sink tops. They either sell them or throw them out.

[ger21]

http://www.solidsurface.com/surplus

[Al_The_Man]

I usually get my SRBP from a local plastics supply co.
But I notice Misumi sell Paper & cloth based Bakelite which is very similar, also epoxy glass & other resin based plates, all in various size sheets.
I have dealt with Misumi for other hardware and they are very easy to work with.
http://www.misumiusa.com/
Al.

[martinw]

Dear GlacialWanderer,

Try Tufnol.

http://www.tufnol.com/tufnol/default.asp

I'm pretty sure it must be available in your neck of the woods.

It does not come in sexy colours, and like all engineering plastics, it is not cheap.

Best wishes,

Martin

[Geof]

Tufnol and Paxolin mentioned by Al above are the same type of phenolic laminate. Expensive, good for bearings, gears and sliding parts; stinks to high heaven when machined and the dust can be a potent allergen for some people.

[zenbot]

xx phenolic is resin bonded paper. they have it at mcmaster.com