×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Forming polypropylene?

Forming polypropylene?

Forming polypropylene?

(OP)
Hi All

I would like to know if it is possible to heat and form a polypropylene part. I have a half sphere and would like to have a flat surface on it. Can I apply heat to soften the material and form a flat surface? The thickness of the material is approximately 5/32".  Do I have to be concerned with property changes? I.E. spidering, cracking and weakening of the material?


Tofflemire

RE: Forming polypropylene?

Polypropylene is one of those wonderful materials known as a thermoplastic.  You can heat it, melt it, and resolidify it without changing its chemical properties.  You should be able to take a flat piece of metal, heat with with a blow torch and press it down on that ball to get the effect you're looking for.  Polypropylene has a fairly low melting temperature, and it's not advisable to heat the whole part.  You'll likely get deformation.

aspearin1

RE: Forming polypropylene?

PP is a high shrinkage material, and while it can easily be thermoformed as described correctly above, it is prone to differential shrinkage and therefore warpage, so you will get a flatish surface, but truely flat will prove difficult if not impossible. It really depends on just how flat you want.

eng-tips, by professional engineers for professional engineers

Regards
pat

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources