Clear plastic sheeting?

[Greg Needel]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

I'm not sure if I'm referring to anything by the right names and everything, but I think you can use a jointer with an obtuse-angled fence to make different "rounded off" (kind of) edges on thick pieces. I'm sure there's a more technical name for this process I'm forgetting, but my team and I did this to finish some structural pieces.

well you could create an angled straight edge with a joiner but i don't know why you wouldn't do that on a table saw as it seems like it would be a much safer method. If I needed a complex edge treatment i would use a router or router table.

[IKE]

Polycarbonate.

We often use 0.020" through 1/16". This stuff is not cheap, but works great.

Some local sources include:

AIN Plastics in Madison Heights, MI
Total Plastics in Rochester, MI

McMasterCarr also carries it at a premium price but it is difficult to get large sheets.

We often use industrial velcro to attach the panels. Custom Vinyl graphics showcase well on this material.

[dtengineering]

Originally Posted by Greg Needel

what in the world do you do with a jointer and a piece of lexan?

Mostly you use it to make the edge look pretty after you've cut it on the table saw. It doesn't make much difference on thin pieces, but on the thicker pieces it really tidies things up. It isn't quite as important to do this with Lexan as it is with Acrylic, but it still can improve the appearance of the finished product.

Jason

[fsgond]

Be sure to look at congregated Lexan as well. It worked for us!

[Jim Zondag]

If you are looking for a clear plastic film, one of the best materials to use is PET Polyester. This is the stuff that they make pop bottles out of. It has very good tensile strength and puncture resistence, it is crystal clear, and best of all, it is dirt cheap (Several times cheaper than Polycabonate), plus you can buy it in big rolls instead of sheets so you have less waste. Available at Mcmaster-carr or any plastic supplier. We have used it as thin as 0.010" on several robots.

[Tom Line]

Wow! Very informative thread. Thanks everyone.

We've used total plastics before for corrogated polycarb, I'll try them first.

[Greg Needel]

Originally Posted by Jim Zondag

If you are looking for a clear plastic film, one of the best materials to use is PET Polyester. This is the stuff that they make pop bottles out of. It has very good tensile strength and puncture resistence, it is crystal clear, and best of all, it is dirt cheap (Several times cheaper than Polycabonate), plus you can buy it in big rolls instead of sheets so you have less waste. Available at Mcmaster-carr or any plastic supplier. We have used it as thin as 0.010" on several robots.

This is something I can vouch for also. I reciently did some thermoformed parts for work out of PET and at $40 for a 4x8 sheet of 1/8in the cost difference from polycarbonate is worth it. The main difference as I understand it is that PET can be effected by UV light so it is not for outside applications, but for robotics I can't see this being an issue.

[kevincrispie]

Lexan is used most often...to bend it well, use a lexan bender