Materials?

projectinspo
#1

My son-in-law is going to be very interested in using the Glowforge at some point. He is a mechanical engineer and quite the inventor. Since he cannot use PVC in the Glowforge, he is researching other materials. I did a search on here for Delrin, and copy/pasted some info. about that for him. He also asked if anyone knows anything about UHMW (Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene)? I also did a search for that and it turned up nothing. (And believe me, I had to look that up as I’ve never heard of it.) So, my two questions are; is there a glue available for Delrin? and can UHMW be used in the Glowforge?

#2

Theres the MSDS for it. It doesn’t look like there’s anything crazy going on with it but to be honest I’d probably not see it unless it says chlorine or something that’s been mentioned on these forums a hundred times already.

#3

Thank you for that link. Do you know if there’s a glue that will work well with Delrin?

#4

I really liked this site that had some good information on bad and good materials to use. It also gave good explanations on way things are good and bad. It will help with what to expect and how closely you need to watch the cutter. http://atxhackerspace.org/wiki/Laser_Cutter_Materials

#5

Delrin is tricky to glue - I’ve read a bit about it online and made some “strong enough” glue joints but I’m not an expert.

#6

We use Delrin at work and is comparable to lexan. Best way to hold it together is to drill a pilot hole so it doesn’t expand or crack of close to the edges, and use small self tapping screws. You can put a dab of 5 minute epoxy into the holes over the screw heads if you countersink them. It is pretty amazing stuff but can get costly if you are planning a large project.

#7

The support desks at 3M or Loctite should have some expert input on adhesives for almost anything. 3M has so many products that you will be better off calling their 1-800 number than spending time on the web site(s).

http://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/help-center/

#8

Thank you. I had already bookmarked that site. It’s pretty comprehensive and will be very helpful

#9

Thank you. Great suggestion. I’ve just had no clue where to begin until now.

#10

http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/epxy_plstc_s/overview/Loctite-Epoxy-Plastic-Bonder.htm

#11

Thanks!

#12

@dan @Xabbess. I have had great success bonding/gluing acetal (delrin) with Reltek B-46. It bonds to all of those difficult to glue plastics (i.e. Acetal, UHMW, HDPE, PP, PTFE, etc). It is a two part epoxy that is incredibly versatile. And as an added bonus the guys at Reltek are great to work with when trying to determine an adhesive for a specific apllication.

Good Luck @Xabbess!

  • JT
#13

Is Reltek still in business and is that the right spelling? Google turned up some dead links for reltekllc so maybe their site is down…

#14

I looked around too, and found the same non-info. as you did. I did however, see this on Amazon (from the Google search) and though the price is outrageous, it would appear that you can still buy this stuff. I would really like to find out more about this product…or one like it. The ad says Bondit, by Bondit…not Reltek…but says Reltek on the container and ships and sold by Reltek.

Screen Shot 2016-01-02 at 9.25.40 AM.png1998x492 244 KB

#15

Yes, a lot of the advice in the forums skews toward the BEST materials or approach. Wouldn’t think twice about using performance oriented material at work (DoD lab). A Glowforge at home will force a lot of cost trade-offs.

#16

Perhaps Realtek LLC is out of business.

A few years ago I was at a model engineering shop and came across products by Tech-Bond who claims to be able glue various types of plastic together, including members of the polyethylene family. I have one of their kits but never had occasion to use it; I can run a test, though if there is any interest. Here’s their web site in case you want to check it out:

#17

Thank you. I am gathering all this info. for my son-in-law and have bookmarked the link page for him.

#18

This is my favourite site for recommending what adhesives to use for a project:

http://www.thistothat.com/

#19

I love ThisToThat, though their recommendations are pretty limited. They can be a good jumping off point, and then online forums for the specialty applications will get you to more specialized results. As an example, they occasionally mention issues of toxicity and give an alternative or two, but they don’t deal with archivalness and acidity, which are main concerns in paper and leather arts.

(BTW, if you’re looking for archival glues and other supplies related to book and paper arts, http://www.johnnealbooks.com/prod_detail_list/67 is a fantastic resource. I highly recommend the Jade PVA glue they sell, for paper applications that don’t need to be archival. It’s everything a paper glue should be–acid-free, water-thinned, flexible when dry, and non-yellowing. It’s less of a PITA than wheatstarch paste, which is the thing to use when you need an archival or non-wrinkling glue.)

#20

Even though they may be limited, as morganstanfield said, I love stuff like that little calculator! Thank you