|
Volume Two, Number Two
Rotomolding fans - this issue offers new information to help design engineers, product managers and others use plastics. Email me with questions and comments. If you need to leave the newsletter, see the end for instructions.
Now boldly mold!
For more information, contact Meese Orbitron Dunne Co., American Rotational Molding Group; 16404 Knott Ave., La Mirada, CA 90638; Phone: 888.724.1228; Fax: 877.904.1670; www.modroto.com.
YOU, TOO, CAN DESIGN FOR ROTOMOLDING (#4 In A Series)
If your plastic product will sit near a hot engine, out in the sun or inside a cargo container for any length of time then you need to consider how exposure to heat will impact your product. And we’re not talking about fire and flame retardants.
Heat dries out plastic. In as little as a few minutes depending on the temperature, humidity, part strength and other conditions, your innovative, rigid part can turn into a weak, brittle, pliable cause of failure.
Capron grade nylon 6, cross-linked polyethylene and polypropylene withstand long term exposure to heat well. Depending on the pressure, they handle high temperatures from 149 to 170 degrees F respectively. That’s why fuel tanks for tractors, street cleaners and other machines are often molded from cross-linked polyethylene. When the tank needs to be especially close to the engine or other heat source, MOD engineers spec a phenolic material as a shield that supports the plastic part and reduces the temperature it must bear.
See fuel tanks at here.
Polyethylene (HDPE) is often used for shipping containers since they may spend weeks on a cargo ship, in a stifling warehouse or in a hot trailer.
See bulk shipping containers at here.
For parts that will be exposed to sunlight, indoors or outdoors, it’s important to include a UV-resistant additive. This will prevent cracking, which weakens heat resistance, as well as fading and discoloring.
See backyard products molded with UV-resistance at http://www.poolshot.com/
Get a free estimate on your next project at http://www.modroto.com/cgi-bin/request.
For a free brochure, call 800.772.7659 or go to http://www.modroto.com/cgi-bin/request.
Adventures In Rotomolding is published by Meese Orbitron Dunne Co., Saddle Brook, NJ, www.modroto.com; 800.829.3230. Copyright 2004 Meese, Inc. May not be reprinted without permission. Please feel free to pass along to other engineers and colleagues.
|
