See-Through Plastics

Clear Copolyester

TECADUR MT TR, from Ensinger, is a clear copolyester exhibits higher impact priorities than polycarbonate and very high gamma stability, with no color change post exposure. A preliminary screening is performed on specific lots of TECADUR MT TR natural in order to test compatibility with solvents specified in the BioPhorum Operations Group (BPOG) guideline for standardized extractable testing for single use systems in biomanufacturing. It can fit in applications requiring low extractables like diagnostic and chemical analysis equipment. TECADUR MT TR can also fit where chemical resistance and clarity are necessary, and where biocompatible exposure to human tissue, less than 24 hours, is crucial.

The material fits between TECANAT (polycarbonate) shapes and TECAPEI (Ultem®) on certain key properties, and has excellent chemical resistance. TECADUR MT TR is better in applications that do not require steam-sterilization, and is therefore more suited for single use applications typical in bio-pharma processing. While it does not have quite the temperature capability of PEI, it will nevertheless often be able to replace PC and PEI shapes in many cases.

TECADUR MT TR resin can be extruded into plates and rods, and has been tested for biocompatibility for blood and tissue contact per ISO 10993, as well as bio reactivity per USP Class VI requirements. Ensinger has stock shapes available for components to be used in single-use systems in biopharma processing such as manifold blocks for life science/analytical equipment, and various single-use medical devices components such as respirators or dental appliances like clear aligners.

For more information, contact Fran Alder, Ensinger, 365 Meadowlands Blvd., Washington, PA 15301, 800-243-3221/856-227-0500, Fax: 724-746-9209, E-mail: falder@ensinger-ind.com, Web: www.ensingerplastics.com.

Polycarbonate Shapes

Trident Plastics Inc. offers compression-molded polycarbonate plate from .250” up to 5.00” thick in a wide range of formulations. Trizod® OP is an optically clear polished, ultraviolet-stabilized polycarbonate sheet specially engineered for superior optical performance. It is also available in FDA compliant and static-dissipative grades. Trizod GP-P is a general-purpose polished polycarbonate and Trizod MG Clear & Black is a machine grade polycarbonate that is an un-polished, ultraviolet-stabilized polycarbonate with excellent dimensional stability and good strength and stiffness over a wide range of temperatures.

They also offer 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% glass-reinforced polycarbonate that is effective in designs where metals, particularly die-cast aluminum and zinc, are commonly used. The addition of glass fibers to polycarbonate increases tensile strength, stiffness, compressive strength, and lower the thermal expansion coefficient. The greater the amount of glass fiber added to the polycarbonate, the greater the effect on each property will be. For example, compared to standard un-filled grades, Lexan® 3414R 40% glass-reinforced polycarbonate has as much as five times the tensile modulus, more than double the flexural and tensile strength, and up to 65% more compressive strength.

Since, 1977, Trident Plastics Inc. has been supplying industry with quality materials, competitor prices, and an unsurpassed level of service. Their customer base is nationwide with a primary focus on machinists and fabricators. They are a full-service distributer offering plastic shapes, resins and a wide range of services including compression-molding, thermoforming, vacuum forming, thermoplastic welding, surface planning & grinding and laser and water jet cutting.

For more information, contact Dean Cadic, Trident Plastics Inc., 1029 Pulinski Rd., Ivyland, PA 18974, 215-672-5225, Fax: 215-672-5582, E-mail: sales@tridentplastics.com, Web: www.tridentplastics.com.

Profiles & Tubing

Petro Extrusion Tech., Inc. (PET) offers both custom and stock clear extruded tubing and profiles, in a variety of thermoplastic materials.

With over 50 years’ experience in the extrusion business, Petro Extrusion Tech offers clear tubing in acrylic, polycarbonate, and other clear materials, in a range of sizes from 1/8” up to 8” OD.

PET offers a line of stock PC tubing, in various wall thicknesses and sizes, including several heavy wall tube sizes.

PET also offers stock items such as their polycarbonate angles and channels, all in clear, available from stock in various stock lengths. PET has a stock line of acrylic profile shapes for the P.O.P. industry, including Z-Bar shapes and U-Channel profiles, all in clear, and available from stock.

For more information, contact Julie Hanan, Petro Extrusion Technologies, Inc., P.O. Box 99, Garwood, NJ 07027, 800-229-3338/908-789-3338, Fax: 908-789-0434, E-mail: sales@petroextrusions.com, Web: www.petroextrusions.com.

Polycarbonate Sheets

Plaskolite has introduced several new products for a range of applications using TUFFAK® WC, TUFFAK® LS and TUFFAK CA polycarbonate sheets.

TUFFAK WC is designed for welding curtain and screen applications. The sheet protects your eyes from the harmful light emitted during arc welding applications but also has high clarity to allow for easy viewing. The combination of clarity, impact strength and high temperature resistance makes it far superior to traditional curtain alternatives such as vinyl strips and sheets. These characteristics also make TUFFAK WC well suited for other applications requiring UV light blocking, including screens in tanning salons and enclosures, walkways and other areas under intense sunlight.

This grade of polycarbonate is available in four transparent colors with high optical clarity: light yellow, medium amber, red, and dark green. Each is certified to the American Welding Standard, AWS F2.3M:2011, for transparent welding curtains and screens for light transmission.

“Traditional materials used to deliver this protection have been flimsy and damage easily. TUFFAK WC delivers all of the necessary protective qualities with the benefits of polycarbonate sheet, it’s light weight, tough and easy to fabricate,” said Greg Hallam, director of polycarbonate products and key accounts, Plaskolite.

TUFFAK LS delivers similar benefits for protection against incidental laser exposure. The sheet protects eyes and skin from accidental laser beam exposure such those use in CO2 cutting, research or medical applications. It is designed for use in windows, standing panels and movable screens, modular barriers, and tabletop laser enclosures. TUFFAK LS is available in three standard, transparent colors: IR blocking light gray, visible light blocking bright amber, and UV blocking yellow. All colors maintain high optical clarity and visibility, and each is certified to ANSI Z136.7: Testing and Labeling of Laser Protective Equipment.

TUFFAK CA delivers Class A performance fire resistance, making it an ideal option for everything from decorative panels and wall and ceiling finishings, to protective coverings for artwork and other displays. This cutting edge polycarbonate sheet has the impact strength and high optical clarity expected of polycarbonate. The clear or tinted panels are UV stable, lightweight, thermoformable and easy to fabricate.

TUFFAK CA sheet is offered with a five-year Limited Product Warranty against breakage. It adds to the extensive TUFFAK polycarbonate sheet portfolio used in safety shields, signage, face shields, mass transportation windows, skylights, forced entry and ballistic glazing, as well as many other applications requiring a combination of strength and clarity.

For more information, contact Greg Hallam, Plaskolite, LLC, 400 W Nationwide Blvd., Ste. 400, Columbus, OH 43215, 800-848-9124/662-893-5409, E-mail: gregory.hallam@plaskolite.com, Web: www.plaskolite.com.

Films & Tapes

CS Hyde Company is a supplier and converter of high-performance polymer films and film tapes. They stock a variety of optically clear plastics custom to specific industry applications. They stock commonly used films like: optically clear polyester, clear polycarbonate, and specialty films like FEP & PFA, and Tefzel® ETFE. As a converter, they utilize on site converting capabilities to convert plastic film products into custom roll widths, lengths, or sheet dimensions specific to your application.

They are also a 3M® converter which allows them to produce specialty film tapes backed with clear adhesives for optical clarity and transparent bonding or high bond adhesives to bond difficult substrates like oily metals or low surface energy plastics. They custom laminate adhesive to substrates such as polyester, polycarbonate, PEEK, PTFE made with Teflon® Fluoropolymers, and more. Aside from lamination, they also die cut parts and/or sheets with little to no minimums. Types of applications that utilize clear plastics and film tapes include display panel bonding, graphic overlays, barrier protection, and transparent wire & cable wrapping.

For more information, contact CS Hyde Company, 1351 N. Milwaukee Ave., Lake Villa IL 60046, 800-461-4161, E-mail: sales@cshyde.com, Web: www.cshyde.com.

Rods, Tubes & Profiles

Futurplast Extrusions is a distributor committed leading manufacturer of fine extruded acrylic rods, tubes, and profiles, as well as polycarbonate tubes. Stock products include tubes up to 14" in diameter, round rods up to 3" in diameter, square rods, square tubes, and one the largest selections of colored acrylic products in North America. They also feature a stock line of frosted “P95” acrylic tubes and custom products are available on request.

Futurplast Extrusions has 7 distribution centers to better serve their customers. Located in Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, Houston, New Jersey, Kansas City, and Montreal. Futurplast’s extensive warehouse inventory permits them to supply their customers quickly and at less cost. Their goal is to have product available to all their customers where ever and whenever they need it. Whether it is one box or multiple pallets, Futurplast can fulfill your order without delays.

For more information, contact Joseph Sorella or Lisa Houle, Futurplast Extrusions, 3435 Pitfield Blvd, Saint Laurent, QC, H4S-1H7 Canada, 888-812-9075/514-328-9182, Fax: 866-388-2955, E-Mail: info@futurplast.ca, Web: www.futurplast.ca.

Crystal Clear Edges

Face protection and protective guards - the Corona era evokes the advantages of a well-known material: but the efficient machining of this material is complex. Special tools such as Hufschmied's Plexiglas milling cutter 110FPRV "Raven-V" are needed here.

A challenge in the machining of PMMA, acrylic, Plexiglas ® or Makrolon® is that these plastics become too hot during processing and may even melt. Their answer to this problem is the 110FPRV milling tool. An innovative cutting-edge geometry allows the sensitive transparent materials to be machined burr-free and with virtually crystal-clear cutting edges despite high feed rates. With the roughing and finishing tool, machining is possible in one step without tool change and without re-polishing. Additionally, superior tool life increases efficiency and profitability.

Other tools in the series are the radius cutter 110FPER for 3D machining and the V slot cutter 110V, the tool for lettering, chamfering or profile cuts. You can find more information about these tools in their product flyer.

For more information, contact Erin Marciniak, Hufschmied USA, 42 Ozick Dr., Unit 6, Durham CT 06422, 419-341-6337, E-mail: sales@hufschmiedusa.com, Web: www.hufschmied-tools.com/en.

“O” Flute Plastic Tools

Vortex Tool introduced XP tooling for plastics. This new tool series improves upon their already popular single edge “O” flute design by incorporating XP geometry. Designed for hard and soft plastics these tools provide superior part finish and tool life over their existing tools. Their initial offering is in some of their most popular sizes. They will be adding more tool style in the future.

American owned and operated, Vortex Tool Company, Inc. designs and manufactures a wide variety of standard and custom high-performance router and insert cutting tools for the woodworking and plastics industries, and provides re-tipping and sharpening services for all makes and models.

For more information, contact Lucas Molepske, Vortex Tool Company, 5605 East Jelinek Avenue, Schofield, WI 54476, 800-355-7708/715-355-7707, Fax: 715-355-7353, E-mail: lucas@vortextool.com, Web: www.vortextool.com.

CNC Edge Polishing

Eliminate the finishing of edges by hand with the latest in CNC polishing technology. The EURACRYL ABP 310 Edge Polisher can produce flat edges from a matte finish to high gloss polish on acrylics, polycarbonates, and visual plastics, and also chamfer edges.

Stiles Machinery’s EURACRYL ABP 310 machines are CNC-controlled edge polishers for manufacturing components made of plastics, including acrylic. It’s designed to eliminate manual labor; the machine brings value as a standalone machine or a component of a work cell.

The EURACRYL ABP 310 frame is integrated with patented SorbTech mineral composite material. This “steel of tomorrow” is capable of withstanding the increased demand on machine dynamics while providing a low vibration, stable machine construction – resulting in higher quality finished parts, longer tool life, and less manual labor.

The machine features a 10' working field. The openended table design of the ABP 310 allows for machining of parts longer than 10' (in 2 cycles). Parts can be stacked up to the maximum processing height of the machine, further enhancing the efficiency and throughput of the machine.

For more information, contact James Swanson, Stiles Machinery, 3965 44th St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512, 616.698.7500, E-mail: jswanson@stilesmachinery.com, Web: www.stilesmachinery.com.

Portable Acrylic Polishing & Micro Welding

Abbeon Cal offers the Box, a portable table top machine that is ideal for polishing acrylic and PMMA workpieces with a high quality finish. A Chips Suction System is included. The Box is perfect for polishing small work pieces. This compact machine, along with its two handles, is easy to carry. It is great either for the end-user to polish small pieces or for the final touch of a technician on-site. One PCD polishing set for clear finish is included in the machine. The diamond tools (polishing set) guarantee a high quality finishing with a minimum level of maintenance and costs. The cutting angles of the diamond tool have been studied thoroughly to ensure long operating life and effective performance, avoiding excessive tool sharpening and changing costs. Multiply your production capacities with the Box Extender at a minimum cost. Small size, great potential, better results.

Abbeon also supplies the Aquaflame, a safe and efficient acrylic flame polishing system (and micro welding) without gas cylinder storage. The Aquaflame Systems produce hydrogen and oxygen by the electrolysis of deionized water, in the ratio such that the hydrogen can be burnt in the oxygen. This produces a high energy heat source that is highly controllable and efficient. The only other by-product is water, making it truly efficient and environmentally safe.

Visit Abbeon Cal’s website to view both the Box and Aquaflame in action.

For more information, contact Jim Early, Abbeon Cal Inc., 1363 Donlon Street, Unit 1, Ventura, CA 93003, 800-922-0977, E-mail: abbeoncal@abbeon.com, Web: www.abbeon.com.

Acrylic Hardware

Fabrication Tools and Materials, Inc. (FTM) stocks clear acrylic hardware, FTM’s line of products include the Acryl-Hinge small™, Acryl-Hinge 2™, the 6” Acryl-Hinge™, the 12” Acryl-Hinge™ and the newly redesigned 12” Acryl-Piano Hinge™ (1 3/4” x 12” hinge). All of FTM hinges are molded in high strength DR Acrylic and designed with Micro-Dots® for easy surface solvent cementing and for a strong bubble free bond.

Also included in FTM’s product line is the Acryl-Pulls™ in three sizes; small, medium & large. The pulls are easy to clean and the highly polished finish is crystal clear. They also offer the Acryl-Hasp™, the Acryl-Knob™ and the first ever Acrylic Cam Lock that’s sure to give your next display a fresh and clean look. The Acryl-Cam Lock™ is molded in high strength acrylic for easy solvent bonding and the internal mechanism is molded in polycarbonate for superior strength.

FTM also carries a selection of acrylic keyhole attachments, wall hangers, door catches, business and literature card holders along with acrylic shapes; balls, cabochons, cubes and discs ranging in sizes from 1/4” to 1”.

For more information, contact Robert Ashcraft, Fabrication Tools and Materials, Inc., 327 Industrial Dr., Unit 1, Placerville CA 95667, 530-626-1986, Fax: 530-642-2602, E-mail: info@123ftm.com, Web: www.123ftm.com.

Plastics Polishes

Three plastic polishes from NOVUS Inc., the St. Paul, Minnesota-based plastics care specialists, are helping millions win the war against fading, scratching, and dulling of plastics that all too often cause the best products to grow old before their time.

NOVUS Plastic Polishes, which have been used and recommended by manufacturers for almost 50 years, have an enviable record of rejuvenating the plastic surfaces in many industrial settings, as well as, in the home. NOVUS Plastic Polish No. 1 is a cleaner, shiner, and protector for all plastics. In one easy application, this highly concentrated formula polishes quickly to an even finish. It leaves a glaze that resists finger marking and dust buildup. It is antistatic and antifogging. NOVUS Plastic Polish No. 2 removes fine scratches and haziness from most plastics. It is not just a surface cover-up, but a polishing compound that restores and protects damaged plastics. NOVUS Plastic Polish No. 3 was formulated to remove heavy scratches after years of research and development. After using No. 3 follow up with No. 2 to remove any fine scratches. Always remember, No. 2 polish must be used with NOVUS No. 3 for desired results.

For more information, contact Dean Trocke, NOVUS Inc., 650 Pelham Blvd., Ste. 100, St. Paul, MN 55114, 800-548-6872 x3, E-mail: sales@novuspolish.com, Web: www.novuspolish.com.