What Type of plastic to use

[Boltazar]

I have just filed a patent for a hand tool for the electrical trade and have been tossing around the idea of trying to manufacturer this tool in plastic. This tool is struck by a hammer with a mild blow, most of the force is absorbed by what the tool rests on and does. I would equate the force used as the same as used to start a sheetrock nailin sheetrock,(I hope that helps)<br>
Tips on what kind of plastic to use in this situation would be of great service to me.<br>
Before I contact manufactures I would like to sound at least a little knowledgeable in this field.<br>
Your help would be greatly appreciated.<br>
Thanks<br>
Pete Tschudy

 

[chinmay]

Hi <br>
I would suggest you use polycarbonate<br>
<br>
Chinmay Kanuga<br>
ckanuga@usa.net<br>
Plastics Engineering<br>
University of Massachusetts<br>

 

[RIVetron]

Hi Boltazar,<br>
<br>
I would recommend either Valox or Cycaloy, trademarks of GE Plastics These are ABS and PC/ABS blends essentially. You can/should visit <A HREF="

http://www.geplastics.com"

TARGET="_new">

http://www.geplastics.com</A>

and see what balance of properties are available to best suit your needs.<br>
<br>
GEPlastics is also extremely helpful if you have any quesitons on their products, I've email corresponded with their technical people on a few occasions where I had to find just the right obscure material for an obscure project!<br>
<br>
Hope this is somewhat helpful<br>
<br>
Best Regards,<br>
<br>
Paul R

 

[MikeVV]

Plastics that are &quot;tough&quot; (have relatively high strain energy capacity) include nylon (ABS), delrin and those previously recommended.&nbsp;&nbsp;Impact resistance and fatigue strength will allow you to &quot;size&quot; the plastic for proper effect.&nbsp;&nbsp;&quot;Soft-blow&quot; hammers (steel coated with plastic and hollow with shot balls) have been used for years.&nbsp;&nbsp;Plastic hammers (solid rubber) have also been used by mechanics for years - they have a &quot;bounce&quot; to them however and may not behave as you intend.&nbsp;&nbsp;The bulk modulus and modulus of elasticity (non-linear for plastics) will affect this &quot;bounce&quot; behavior.&nbsp;&nbsp;