looking for a PURE white plastic.
I have a meter of it not so long back but I cant remember what it was.lol.
it machines up lovely and very easy, pure white, appliance white not a yellow/white which I was sent by one company.
I need to put threads into it and an led to get it to glow,but for love of money I cant find it around here and it is getting a bit costly ordering over the phone and then finding it is not right. any help Please.
All the best, Phil.
Yellow/white sounds like cast nylon. Nylon66 is much purer white, but probably not what you had.
Pure white is Acetal or PTFE, both of which are very rigid indeed.
I'm not sure PTFE is translucent enough. Was the plastic rod you had very rigid (like metal rod) or quite elastic (not bendable like ABS plastic, but definately an amount of give to it vs brittle).
it wasn't brittle in any way but it was slightly bendable.
when cutting a thread the swarf powdery but when on the lathe it comes off like aluminium but static.
I don't know if this helps. all the best. Phil.
When you say slightly bendable, that's a 1m rod, of what thickness?
o 10-12mm Nylon rod
---- a 1m length is very bendy - well on the way to making a U shape
o 10-12mm PTFE rod
---- very rigid, surprisingly heavy material
---- very uniform white
---- extraordinarily slippery, nothing marks it or sticks to it
o 10-12mm Acetal rod
---- extremely uniformly white - even nylon66 is off-white-variation
PTFE is set apart by it's slipperiness.
There are pictures of the two plastics I mention at: o PTFE
----
----
PTFE is a cold-white, Nylon is a warm-white - very stark difference. Acetal is a slightly warmer-white than PTFE which is "analytical white".
The swarf should tell someone which it is re PTFE v Acetal. The powder sounds like Acetal, PTFE is obviously super-slippery.
Sounds like Acetal, this machines very well and is rigid. I can't remember how translucent it is.
PTFE is difficult to machine, and is not very rigid, it is also not very translucent.
-- Jonathan
Barnes's theorem; for every foolproof device there is a fool greater than the proof.
To reply remove AT
it sounded like PTFE but now I'm not sure as is machines absolutely beautiful and smooth, ok I have played with cutters to get them right as I couldn't get is silky smooth to start with, but now I have the cutter sorted it is like glass but feels all silky and soft.
1 mtr length will only bend a few inches but I haven't got that much left, only 4 inches or so.lol.I really must sort my feet and millimetres out.lol.
wahay I have found the old label that was on the rod.
CBP 210846
20mm Nat Acetal Rod 3M
Natural acetal will tend to 'yellow' with age, we use between 100 and 500 metres per month and get from our supplier various shades from yellow white to pure white. From our machined parts stock level it is possible to detect the ageing discolouration. There is no detriment to its properties (noticeable) from the colouring. Machines a dream. Another material that could be used is PET (polyester) one of the trade names is Eratalite. Down side of this matl is its 50% dearer than acetal.
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