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Fabrication
Cutting And Machining   |   Forming And Bending   |   Bonding   |   Cleaning And Maintenance
Scratches   |   Tolerances   |   Post Processing Treatment


  1. CUTTING AND MACHINING
    2.

    ESLON® DC Plate can be cut using a band saw or circular saw. Generally, the same cutting speeds and tools apply as with similar base plastics. Where possible, use high cutting speed and reduced feed speed. Generally this will produce the best results.

    Carbide tipped saw blades are preferable. To avoid scratches on the sheet surface, remove the protective film after the ESLON DC Plate has been machined.

    When drilling ESLON DC Plate, reduce drill speed slightly in order to avoid hairline cracks appearing around the hole being drilled. Use twist drills or tap drills for this application.

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  2. FORMING AND BENDING

    3. ESLON DC Plate is especially suited for forming into covers and hoods by bending angles or by drape forming. Fabrication methods, such as vacuum forming or deep-drawing, are not recommended since they can expand the conductive coating resulting in a reduction of static dissipative performance.

    When forming ESLON DC Plate, slightly lower temperatures are required. Whitening on the surface edge may indicate overheating, but the static dissipative performance of the sheet is not affected.

    Recommended forming temperatures are listed below.

    Heat bending (Heating by IR-heating rods)*
    Heating supply up to 3 mm one side otherwise both sides
    Plastic type Temperature 3mm 5mm
    PVC 120°C - 130°C 1.5 - 3 min 3-4 min
    PMMA/Acrylic 130°C - 160°C 1.5 - 3 min 3-4 min
    Polycarbonate 150°C - 160°C 3 - 5 min 5-8 min

    Forming (air circulating oven)**
      Temperature Recommendable Minimum Sheet Thickness
    PVC 100°C - 130°C 2mm
    PMMA/Acrylic 130°C - 160°C 3mm
    Polycarbonate 145°C - 160°C 5mm

    It is beneficial to conduct trials with test specimens to determine optimum machine settings prior to production.

    ESLON DC Plate PMMA/Acrylic is produced by the method of continuous casting. Forming characteristics for thinner gauges of PMMA are similar to extruded sheet, while the thicker gauges act like cast sheet.

    When gluing PMMA or polycarbonate, or forming it into covers or hoods, it must first be tempered or annealed to reduce interior tensions and to improve the dimensional stability. (Tempering or annealing is not required for PVC. Fabrication is not recommended for A-PET.)

    Standard versions of ESLON DC plate are bendable up to an angle of 90°. “Hard Coat” versions are bendable up to an angle of 70° .

    Cold forming processes are possible using polycarbonate DC Plate.

    Please note the surface resistivity on a 90°angle will increase to approximately 108-109 ohms/square.

    Tempering times
    ESLON DC PMMA and polycarbonate
    Thickness
    (mm)    		 Temp°C
    (PMMA)    		 Temp°C
    (polycarbonate)    		 Time (hrs.)
    2 80 100 1-2
    3 80 100 1-2
    4 80 100 2-3
    5 80 100 2-3
    6 80 100 2-3
    8 80 100 3-4
    10 80 100 3-4
    15 80 100 4-5
    Note: In some cases a slight time extension might be required. Carefully observe the temperature setting in order to avoid deformations

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  1. BONDING
    2.

    Before applying adhesive, parts to be joined must be pre-treated correctly.

    The static-dissipative coating must be removed from the area to be glued. Do this by using a cloth or cotton ball and acetone. Wipe area quickly. Do not soak.

    Unless this procedure is followed, bonding strength will be significantly impaired. Areas to remain free of adhesive should be protected.

    To achieve better adhesion, bevel the edges to be glued (increasing contact area).

    ESLON DC Plate “Hard Coat” is resistant to organic solvents. To remove coating, use a mechanical means, such as sandpaper.

    Suitable adhesives:

    • PVC
      • Solvent-based PVC adhesive
      • Tetrahydrofurane [THF]
       
    • PMMA
      • Solvent cementing based on Methylene Chloride
      • Two-component polymerization glue
       
    • Polycarbonate
      • Solvent cementing based on Methylene Chloride
       
    • A-PET
      • Use of adhesives not recommended.

    To achieve superior bonding, the surface can be rough milled if required. Parts made from PMMA should be tempered before and after bonding. For smaller parts, Cyanoacrylate ‘Super Glue’ adhesives may be used. To apply the adhesive, use an injection syringe or suitable brush.

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  2. CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

    3. Isopropyl alcohol (IPA), and cleaning liquids based on alcohols and water are recommended for cleaning ESLON DC Plate. Do not use cleaning liquids based on organic solvents (acetone, ketone, benzene or toluene) or scouring cleaning material. Before use, test the suitability of your cleaning material.

    Since ESLON DC Plate “Hard Coat” is resistant to organic solvent contact, solvents such as acetone, ketone, benzene or toluol can be used.

    There is no need to clean ESLON DC Plate with so-called ‘antistatic plastic cleaners’ due to the permanent static-dissipative performance of the material.

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  3. SCRATCHES

    4. If scratching occurs during the operating life of ESLON DC Plate, its static-dissipative characteristics will not be affected. However, as with other plastics, scratches will impair its optical appearance.

    A complete loss of static dissipative performance will occur only if excess scratching is concentrated in a particular area. Similarly, if ESLON DC Plate is treated with polishing machines, the permanence of the static-dissipative coating cannot be guaranteed.

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  4. TOLERANCES

    5. Sheet size tolerance for both width and length of ESLON DC Plate is +10/-0 which is valid for the following sheet sizes: 1000 x 2000mm and 1212 x 2424mm.

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  5. POST PROCESSING TREATMENT

    6. For improvement of finished parts, ESLON DC Plate finishing liquid is recommended. Apply ESLON DC Plate finishing liquid whenever cracks occur after machining, or at bends having very tight radii.

    Apply ESLON DC Plate finishing liquid for:

    1. Sheet thickness between 1mm and 3mm Radius/Thickness<5
    2. Sheet thickness of more than 3mm: Radius/Thickness<10

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ESLON® DC is a registered trademark of Sekisui Chemical Company, Ltd.
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