Product Information VarioLine

Transcription

1 VarioLine Processing and Technical Guidelines Area of Application Our VarioLine sheets are robust while at the same time light weighted. Structural foam sheets neither splinter nor do they rot or fade under extreme weather conditions. Therefore this material is suitable for numerous applications: Storage compartment flooring in commercial vehicles Rear garage and gas locker flooring for motor homes Drawers and further components of loading space Playground equipment and skateboard ramps Dimensions, Precutting and Milling VarioLine sheets are produced in the thicknesses: 6mm, 9mm, 12mm, 15mm, 18mm, 21mm und 26mm (depending on material recipe). Dimensions of full-size-sheets: Format A: 2.000mm x 1.650mm Format B: 2.450mm x 1.450mm We offer CNC-pre-cut service for individual sizes of panels. This service is only charged with an additional fee depending on scrap percentage. Furthermore we provide you with customized CNC-milled modules according to your drawings. Index Area of Application...1 Dimensions, Precutting and Milling...1 Processing and Machining... 2 Cutting... 2 Fastening... 2 Drilling... 3 Milling... 3 Gluing...4 Welding...5 Butt Welding... 5 Joining of VarioLine Sheets Without Welding... 5 Designing Surfaces...6 Edge-Finish...6 Edge Banding... 6 Sealing of Edges by Milling... 6 General Characteristics of VarioLine...7 Weather Resistance... 7 Contamination and Chemical Resistance... 7 Thermal Expansion... 7 Thermal Conductivity... 7 Injection Gate Mark...8 Handling & Storing...8 Status: December 2009 page 1 of 8

2 Processing and Machining Handling of VarioLine sheets is the same as for traditional timber products: sawing, drilling, milling, screwing, etc. The experience of our customer has shown that the manufacturing tools they normally used are perfectly suited to process VarioLine. screwing sawing drilling cutting milling nailing You will recognize that fabrication will be much easier than with comparable timber products or with solid plastic sheets due to its foamed inner core. Furthermore the processing time and the abrasion of tools are considerably reduced compared when machining wood. Under the influence of temperature you are able to shape the VarioLine sheets easily and so you can trim it to other contours. Cutting In general, for working plastic sheet products with conventional single speed circular saws you should use a blade specified for the use with plastic materials with hollow grinding an a greater distance between the teeth than would be used for wood. Plastics supply companies can recommend suggested blade specifications. For the use of band saws, the saw teeth have to stand crossed to avoid a smearing of the teeth gaps. example 1 example 2 single sheets stapled, low reinforced stapled, high reinforced Diameter 300 mm 450 mm Width of the teeth 2,2 mm / 3,2 mm 3,5 mm / 4,8 mm Number of teeth 28 (or less) 48 Speed > 3900 min -1 > min -1 > min -1 Feed mm/min mm/min mm/min table 1: circular saw geometry of blade and parameter of processing Fastening While fastening VarioLine or any other plastic sheet, it is important to take the thermal elongation of the material into account. Please choose oversized drill holes to allow VarioLine to expand and contract. With a distance of e.g. 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16 ) between fasteners, holes should be chosen approximately 0,8 mm (1/32 ) larger than the fastener size. The exact amount of elongation is found in the technical data sheet. Usually the fastener head will cover any larger hole. Fasteners should not be placed directly in the corner of the sheet (please see sketch below) Not like this! Like this! Status: December 2009 page 2 of 8

3 If thermal elongation is not critical pre-drilling isn t necessary as well as countersinking for using counter sunk screws. The screws will grab into the material and compress the foam which leads to a better screw fitting. Drilling The drills used in the metal industry can be adapted to work VarioLine. Tools with a steeper twist lead off shavings much better. As a result of the thermal elongation of the material caused by frictional heat holes will be 0,05 mm to 0,1 mm (1/64 to 1/32 ) smaller than the drilling diameter. Please choose a bigger bit to get the right size. You should work with a higher feed and a lower cutting velocity to reduce frictional heat. Milling We provide you with customized CNC-milled parts according to your drawings. If you prefer to mill in your facility please pay attention to the following information. Heat accumulation during the machining of VarioLine can change the microstructure of the material or will at least affect the holding time especially for hard metal as they are very sensitive to heat Heat accumulation during the machining can lead into melting, smearing or even carbonisation of the material. With hard metal tools chipping and cracking sometimes occur at the blade. To avoid these damages please choose cutting parameters resulting in low heat development. This can be fulfilled by balancing cutting parameter and blade geometry. The optimized number of blades in plastic cutters is between the one in wood and metal cutters. Whereas the cutting speed during the processing should be relatively high the feeding speed must be low. Generally it makes sense to pre-cut the parts as the high friction in combination with the feeding rate results in high normal forces. The geometry of the cutter is mainly based on wood processing tools and partly on values from the processing of aluminium. We and our customers mainly use cutters made of hard metal materials (ISO-quality K10). For machining of VarioLine Composites with reinforced face sheets please use diamond cutters. Processing the Surface For millings on the surface we recommend to use router Z1 (ISO Quality K10). cutting tool speed Ø 5,0 Ø 28,0 Z1 n = min -1 V f = mm/min table 2: recommendation for cutting rate feed process step speed feed Final milling Ø 25 Z3 n = min -1 V f = mm/min Final milling Ø 28 Z3 n = min -1 V f = mm/min flattening Ø 80 Z2 n = min -1 V f = mm/min flattening Ø 80 Z5 n = min -1 V f = mm/min flattening Ø 125 Z2 n = min -1 V f = mm/min biaxial angular dipping V f = mm/min table 3: processing of a slot The above mentioned figures are standard values which have to be attuned to the material. Further milling recommendations are available on request. Status: December 2009 page 3 of 8

4 V-Cut Milling Technique VarioLine panels can be folded up to 90 by help of a V-cut milling (score + fold) technique. By means of this special folding technique developed by our engineers it is possible to realise waterproof solutions for miscellaneous storage space compartments and other complex modules. Milling tool: 1. Rounded top with 2-3 mm radius 2. correction zone with steeper angel because of the rounded top (1) 3. V-cut zone where the angel shall decide the folding (90 folding requires 45 angel) The rounded top enlarges the area where the skin of the panel shall be folded, so that the skin will not be stretched too much. The correction zone (2) gives a smooth change from the rounded top (1) to the V-cut angel (3). Further information regarding specific geometry of milling is shown in our handout milling, which is available on request. Gluing It is possible to use lamination technique to produce larger thickness. For superficially bonding PolymerPark materials recommends a proprietary adhesive for VarioLine. This 2-component adhesive is based on polyurethane. The most important note concerning gluing of plastic materials is the right design of components and joints. The surface of the sheets hast to be cleaned thoroughly. Furthermore the surface has to be activated. Glue and hardener has to be mixed according to the processing guidelines. The mixture must be applied on the surface evenly and completely, leaving no voids. Both components have to be pressed together. Depending on the ambient temperature the hardening time can amount to approximately 24 hours. (Note: In case of application it is to be made certain that an attacking force does not have peeling effect on the sticking seam on the component.) Further information regarding specific adhesives which allows gluing of PP with PP, wood or steal without pretreatment are shown in our handout Overview Adhesives which is available on request. Status: December 2009 page 4 of 8

5 Welding Butt Welding VarioLine also offers the possibility of welding two sheets together. Welding VarioLine sheets makes it possible to achieve bigger sizes than the standard sheet dimension offers. The method used to do this is welding with a heated (electrical) sword. Various tests have already been done by different companies showing that welding time can be cut by 50-70% compared with solid sheets. sword temperature levelling time levelling pressure heating time heating pressure welding time welding pressure 180 C 45 s 20 N/cm 2 2 min 2 N/cm 2 5 min 20 N/cm 2 Table 4: welding parameters These parameters are valid for sheets of 12 to 21 mm thickness and welding lines of up to 1.800mm length. Joining of VarioLine Sheets Without Welding Joining With Tongue and Groove Structures, where sheets need to be jointed without welding, a tongue and groove joining technique is used. During the milling of the groove the sheets should be put face down on the milling machine to balance minimal differences of tolerances. The sheets are milled at the edges and joined with a distance piece made from thermoplastic materials (ABS or PP or PS) as sheets. Additionally an adhesive (e.g. DP 8005/8010 or Jetmelt 3731 from 3M) can be employed (glues and seals). For receiving best results the tongue should be made of the same materials as the adhesive. 1 2 Joining Without Additional Elements (clip) For clip-joining the sheets are milled in a way that they slide into each other like lock and key. 1 2 Regarding the vertical edges the following issues have to be considered: For balancing the load of foam and the outer layer the milling should be done mirror-inverted (male part female part). Positioning during the assembly is given automatically by the milled angles. Please leave a gap for the adhesive Especially MS-polymer-systems are good adhesives for this type of joining but there are also several 1-componentsadhessives as well as two-component-adhesives for receiving good results of durable joining. Our overview Adhesives with a lot of possible adhesives is available on request. Status: December 2009 page 5 of 8

6 Designing Surfaces As with adhesives, not all ordinary paints are suitable for designing surfaces. However, we offer a wide range of standard colours and produce plates from your custom colours upon request. If painting of the sheets is required, there are specialist paint suppliers that we can forward upon request. Furthermore we provide you with refined surfaces e.g. VarioLine sheets with wooden veneers, decorative films or PVC-layers completely meeting your expectations. Edge-Finish Edge Banding With certain applications the edging does not only have to be technically but also visually perfect; in these cases a visible foam structure might be distracting. An additional plastic edge band can be applied in order to cover the foam structure. In many cases the edgebanding is secondary or even completely irrelevant, as the edge is covered. Here, we recommend not to edge band as might be required with traditional wood products, since the cellular structure is completely closed and therefore no water absorption takes place through the edges. (See picture) Sealing of Edges by Milling The edges of VarioLine HDPE can also be sealed by a special milling treatment. The friction of the milling tool melts the material and this melt closes the cells and seals the surface during the feeding. The best results concerning smooth and closed edges are achieved through a milling cutter which is normally used for metal working. The milling cutter bas been modified by the company LEITZ with a special grinding in compliance with the following conditions: Tool D = 25 mm Z = 12 α = χ = 0 parameter n = U/min accords f z = 0,05 mm v f = 3 m/min accords v c = 7 m/s tabel 5: sealing by milling (geometry and parameters of the milling tool) Status: December 2009 page 6 of 8

7 General Characteristics of VarioLine Weather Resistance Climatic influence such as solar radiation, temperature, rain and atmospheric oxygen affects the performance characteristics of plastics directly. In cooperation with our suppliers we continuously weather test to ensure sustainable mechanical characteristics and UV resistance of VarioLine products. Generally VarioLine sheets have got a UV-stabilisation for 5 years (Central Europe clime) and can be upgraded on request with 10 years UV-stabilisation. Contamination and Chemical Resistance Due to the raw material Polypropylene, the VarioLine sheets are absolutely insensible to most contaminations. Also light bases cannot harm the material. For cleansing we advise to use commercial plastic cleaning agent. For further information regarding chemical resistance an overview is available upon request. Thermal Expansion When temperature changes VarioLine shows different expansion behaviour compared to wood or solid plastic sheets. The thermal expansion coefficient describes this material characteristic and lies above the wood figure, but is only half as high as for solid plastics. Nevertheless, thermal elongation should be considered when fixing the sheets in combination with other materials. We recommend to slightly oversize drilled holes for screws or bolts. The thermal expansion can also be balanced by filling the jointing with elastic material e.g. silicone. The thermal elongation describes how much a material expands or shrinks due to temperature changes. Most of the liquids and solids expand or shrink due to thermal influence. The coefficient of linear expansion of VarioLine is between 0,5-1.5x10-4 K -1. Example: Thermal expansion at T=20 C and a coefficient of linear expansion of α = 1,0 x10-4 K mm 1000mm 1002mm 996 mm -20 C 1000 mm 20 C 1004 mm 60 C VarioLine VarioLine VarioLine Polypropylene Polyethylene PPC Standard PPC UltraStiff Composite PP (compact) (compact) 0,90 x10-4 K -1 0,85 x10-4 K -1 0,80 x10-4 K -1 ca. 1,5 x10-4 K -1 ca. 2,0 x10-4 K -1 table 6: coefficient of linear expansion The coefficient of linear expansion of each product is shown in our technical data sheets. Thermal Conductivity The thermal conductivity λ shows the quantity of heat, which flows through a m 3 of material with a thickness of one meter within one second, while the difference of temperature between both surfaces of the material is one degree Kelvin. Thermal insulation is important for many applications. Insulation can be derived from thermal conductivity. A high thermal insulation is achieved by a low value of thermal conductivity. As gases are no good thermal conductors they are often used for insulation. Due to that reason insulation materials often have a foamed structure. The finer the foam structure the better the insulation. The thermal conductivity will be calculated in accordance with the operating standard KuZ 009. Status: December 2009 page 7 of 8

8 Example: The thermal conductivity λ of a VarioLine sheet with a thickness of 16mm VarioLine -outer layers (1,5 mm) VarioLine -foamcore (13,0 mm) 0,17 W/K m 0,076 W/K m After summation of the weighted single thermal conductivities the total thermal conductivity is 0,094 W/K m. According to this example you can calculate the thermal conductivity for all other thicknesses with different foam core thicknesses and outer layers. You can find the thermal conductivity of our products in our technical data sheets. Injection Gate The injection gate and it s position are related to the VarioLine technology and the use of injection moulding mashine. The moulds are filled through one central injection gate. This provides the best conditions for even distribution and flow of polymeric melt resulting in consistant foaming providing good homogeneity throughout the sheets. Advantages are e.g.: 1. equal mechanical properties throughout the sheet 2. only one visible gate mark on the back side 3. no flow lines Handling & Storing To provide the best conditions for further machining VarioLine should be stored flat packed on even surfaces. Please take care that the pallets have to be minimum as big as the panels and the maximum number of sheets stacked one upon the other should be 40 or 50 (depending on the thickness of the sheets) Furthermore stacking of more than 3 pallets on top of each other should be avoided. Before machining/ fabrication or assembly the sheets should be stored at processing temperature 48 hours upfront. Please keep the sheets away from extreme heat sources. To avoid damage to sheets please take care while storage and transportation and avoid using sharp tools when opening a pack. For transportation we recommend to put the sheets on pallets, cover them with a wrap and secure them with straps. For applications with high visual requirements a protection film can be put on the sheets as special factory feature to protect them during machining and storing. Information on solutions as well as costs is available upon request. VarioLine Composite sheets containing glass fibres should be handled carefully with safety gloves. Please try to avoid direct skin contact. If skin irritation appears we recommend to wash the skin intensively with soap and to use hand lotion afterwards. For further details please review the MSDS of VarioLine products. Our application-oriented references, installation and processing guidelines as well as the product and achievement data are only general guidelines. They describe only the condition of our products and achievements and represent no warranty in the sense paragraph 443 of the BGB. Because of that variety of the intended purposes and because of the respective special conditions is incumbent on the buyer s own testing. Also during application technology support of the buyer by us the buyer carries the risk of the success of his work. Changes in the sense of the technical progress we reserve ourselves. Status: December 2009 page 8 of 8