i_r_machinist
Titanium
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2007
- Location
- Dublin Texas
Never heard of this stuff before. Sounds like it will be putting off fiberous dust when milling. Trying to find a msds.
Anyone?
i_r_
Anyone?
i_r_
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Anyone with "Glastic" machining experience?
- Thread starter i_r_machinist
- Start date
- Replies 13
- Views 6,486
IIRC it's polyester resin with high glass content.
Shop nearby bought allot of it in sheet form, machined it with endmills.
I worked on a molded product that was compression molded, no machining needed.
Lot's-o-dust, fiberglass dust.
You did find this eh ? :
www.glastic.com: Home / Rochling Glastic – engineered composites, plastics, pultrusions and fiber reinforced plastic frp grp sheet and rod materials
Shop nearby bought allot of it in sheet form, machined it with endmills.
I worked on a molded product that was compression molded, no machining needed.
Lot's-o-dust, fiberglass dust.
You did find this eh ? :
www.glastic.com: Home / Rochling Glastic – engineered composites, plastics, pultrusions and fiber reinforced plastic frp grp sheet and rod materials
deljr15
Cast Iron
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2013
- Location
- Duluth, Mn
I do that from time to time. Onsrud 67-010 <- works great
gustafson
Diamond
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2002
- Location
- People's Republic
Done a ton of it.
Nasty to handle, unlike G10 the dust is super itchy
little bit stinky
Use a vacuum cleaner rather than compressed air to clean up, maybe with a jug of water on the outlet
cut with a diamond wheel in automatic cutoff saw or table saw or miter saw
I tend to use cheap carbide and keep an eye on wear, tools will last if work is not over fussy
I did not use coolant as it just creates mud and fills the sump with it
IF the customer wants pretty you will need to keep sharp tools, as the coarse fibers push away from tools and blow out the back of holes.
Color is darker on surface so you can't tumble etc for deburring
Most of what I did was for the interior supports for high voltage power supplies so looks were not the big worry
Nasty to handle, unlike G10 the dust is super itchy
little bit stinky
Use a vacuum cleaner rather than compressed air to clean up, maybe with a jug of water on the outlet
cut with a diamond wheel in automatic cutoff saw or table saw or miter saw
I tend to use cheap carbide and keep an eye on wear, tools will last if work is not over fussy
I did not use coolant as it just creates mud and fills the sump with it
IF the customer wants pretty you will need to keep sharp tools, as the coarse fibers push away from tools and blow out the back of holes.
Color is darker on surface so you can't tumble etc for deburring
Most of what I did was for the interior supports for high voltage power supplies so looks were not the big worry
What Gustafson said..
It machines OK, you want high rpm on the end mill to cut clean and leave less "whiskers". That also tends to darken the cut edges, which otherwise are a light pink.
Smells like fiberglass, is even more itchy that you can imagine, The red GPO3 has a tendency to delaminate through the middle, in thicker sections.
The dust is highly abrasive, sticks to oily ways. You will want to do a clean-up after working with it
Coolant does make a muck, and if you use it, don't use any coolant with oil content, it stains the cut edges.
Parts benefit from a dunk in soap and water plus a rinse, if that is permitted, because it removes the dust.
It machines OK, you want high rpm on the end mill to cut clean and leave less "whiskers". That also tends to darken the cut edges, which otherwise are a light pink.
Smells like fiberglass, is even more itchy that you can imagine, The red GPO3 has a tendency to delaminate through the middle, in thicker sections.
The dust is highly abrasive, sticks to oily ways. You will want to do a clean-up after working with it
Coolant does make a muck, and if you use it, don't use any coolant with oil content, it stains the cut edges.
Parts benefit from a dunk in soap and water plus a rinse, if that is permitted, because it removes the dust.
Ah yes... I remember Glastic plates on vacuum fixtures. We did use coolant, and just filtered it through a bunch of mesh screens before going back into the tank... tool life was good. Keep the tools sharp to keep the cut edges good, drilling with carbide was no problem.
WILLEO6709
Diamond
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2001
- Location
- WAPELLO, IA USA
could be a slang term for glass filled plastic parts- which is a common thing. glass content varies, resins vary, most common in my experience with various grades of nylon. Makes for real impact resistant stuff- but still rebounds well.
as to machining- depends what you are doing to it, but plan on it being a PITA to deburr- and use razor sharp cutters to reduce it.
as to machining- depends what you are doing to it, but plan on it being a PITA to deburr- and use razor sharp cutters to reduce it.
i_r_machinist
Titanium
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2007
- Location
- Dublin Texas
Thanks for all the replys. Need two each of these. Will cut them out of a 23"x36"x1.5" slab. Finished parts will have an assembled 9"h x25" w. Radius on holes will be 1". Would this stuff be a good candidate for water jet?
Thanks
i_r_
Thanks
i_r_
deljr15
Cast Iron
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2013
- Location
- Duluth, Mn
80 grit sand paper works well for deburring
9100
Diamond
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2004
- Location
- Webster Groves, MO
Good advice so far. We had to turn down a batch of pieces about the size of large teacups without handles. We had a Plexiglass tube covering the part with just a slot for the bit and a hose on the back to a 3 hp Rotoclone dust collector. We could watch the dust go up the pipe, keeping it off the ways and more importantly did not have to breathe it. The glass dust is really bad for ways and lungs.
Bill
Bill
I like the idea of the plexi tube. What did you do on the mill? One of those transparent covers with the brush bristle "skirt"?
It can work. So that is a "maybe".
We had a lot of parts just explode during cutting due to pressure.
Whatever you do, DO NOT ALLOW the waterjet folks to "pierce". MAKE SURE they cut in from the side and NEVER try to pierce in the middle of the sheet. That will probably blow the part open. If you sneak in from the side, the pressure is never as high as when piercing, and there is always an escape path.
With that, it may work OK, although it is pretty thick. the thickest I have had waterjet cut was only a half inch or so. So no clue how the thicker would work, probably OK.
Waterjet seems to leave very few "whiskers". Nice clean cut parts. Still needed washed to get rid of the last dust. That dust is really nasty.
It can work. So that is a "maybe".
We had a lot of parts just explode during cutting due to pressure.
Whatever you do, DO NOT ALLOW the waterjet folks to "pierce". MAKE SURE they cut in from the side and NEVER try to pierce in the middle of the sheet. That will probably blow the part open. If you sneak in from the side, the pressure is never as high as when piercing, and there is always an escape path.
With that, it may work OK, although it is pretty thick. the thickest I have had waterjet cut was only a half inch or so. So no clue how the thicker would work, probably OK.
Waterjet seems to leave very few "whiskers". Nice clean cut parts. Still needed washed to get rid of the last dust. That dust is really nasty.
gustafson
Diamond
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2002
- Location
- People's Republic
Glastic is a brand name for GP03
I have only done up to 3/8 or so
If waterjet has the accuracy you need, go for it, that means someone else is dealing with it....
If I were doing these, I would probably rip the sheet with a diamond wheel to the width needed and use one tool for the whole thing, the material is soft enough that it won't break the tool when the semicircle pops off and you are turning less to dust
My machines always had rubber way covers so I never worried about glass on the ways, if yours doesn't, it should
oh wear rubber gloves, really
when I was doing this stuff a lot I bought the cheap lunch lady gloves by the gross
If someone insists on using compressed air, or you have a tiny shop, you will need a mask
It will both clog a vac filter in minutes and blow through it, thus my suggestion for a water filter[anyone have a Rainbow vac?]
I have only done up to 3/8 or so
If waterjet has the accuracy you need, go for it, that means someone else is dealing with it....
If I were doing these, I would probably rip the sheet with a diamond wheel to the width needed and use one tool for the whole thing, the material is soft enough that it won't break the tool when the semicircle pops off and you are turning less to dust
My machines always had rubber way covers so I never worried about glass on the ways, if yours doesn't, it should
oh wear rubber gloves, really
when I was doing this stuff a lot I bought the cheap lunch lady gloves by the gross
If someone insists on using compressed air, or you have a tiny shop, you will need a mask
It will both clog a vac filter in minutes and blow through it, thus my suggestion for a water filter[anyone have a Rainbow vac?]
gustafson
Diamond
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2002
- Location
- People's Republic
We did this off and on, but felt in the end that the glass never got out of the coolant and tool life on other jobs suffered
i_r_machinist
Titanium
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2007
- Location
- Dublin Texas
Thanks for all the knowledge. I was supposed to start the job on Tuesday, but found out this morning that upper management got squimish and moved the job out 30 days for better "prep work". Good to know about the waterjet blowing the stuff apart.
Thanks again!
i_r_
Thanks again!
i_r_
