Plastic Machining:Selecting The Right Plastic Material-Thermal Expansion

Not all plastic materials are suitable for every application. Properties such as temperature, water absorption, and wear resistance must be evaluated, in order to select the perfect material for a the specific part’s application.

When selecting the proper material for any specific plastic application, the choice should be made with an emphasis on the most crucial properties for the part’s specific use. Thermal expansion is often a critical property that must be considered.

Thermal Expansion refers to a material’s ability to expand do to changes in it’s environment’s temperature. Specifically in applications in which a component is to experience varying temperatures, it is crucial to analyze the plastic material’s coefficient of thermal expansion.

If your parts require minimal thermal expansion, the following materials should be considered as possible solutions:

• Rulon
• Torlon
  
• Polycarbonate (40%glass filled)
  
• Ultem
  

Materials are compared to one another among a wide range of design considerations, leading to a very efficient selection process.

Materials vary vastly and selecting the right one for your application is crucial to a plastic machined part’s success.