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Make reader Ron sent this in- looks interesting, anyone try it? Might be good for some prototyping. ShapeLock is a super strong plastic similar to Nylon or Polypropylene in toughness. However, unlike the two former plastics it does not need high temperatures or high pressures to form into useful shapes. ShapeLock is easily hand-formed into shape at just 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Link.
6 thoughts on “ShapeLock Plastics…”
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Kevin Kelly’s Cool Tools has mentioned this stuff. Along with a cheaper, bulk size supplier:
http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/000623.php
The other entries in:
http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/cat_materials.php
may be useful as well.
-Sebastien Bailard
I recently bought some ShapeLock. At room temperature, it acts prety much like nylon. When heated, it turns translucent and pliable. It never really becomes a liquid, no matter how hot you get it. It’s also very sticky when heated. In that state, it sticks to just about everything. A glass container seemed to be the only thing that was safe to warm it up. It seems to stick to some types of plastic more than others. I was able to use a clamshell-style mold from a Play-Doh set, for example. I was also able to extrude it into a 2mm rod using a syringe. I know of someone who managed to extrude a 0.5mm filament. I’ve seen examples where someone has rolled a stick of this stuff and used it in a glue gun.
This product also goes by the trade name “Polymorph” in the United Kingdom, and is available at Maplin electronics. I’ve actually used this for non-prototyping needs such as recreating buttons, and I plan to use it to make translucent knobs for a synthesizer.