McInerney Sales Company
This Week VOL 11

How To Work With 
PLASKOLITE TUFFAK
Polycarbonate Sheet.  VOL 6

Dive into the world of plastics and get an in-depth look on how to properly work with your TUFFAK sheet to maximize the product's potential. This week we take a look into Mechanical Fastening your TUFFAK sheet. Click below to be directed to our weekly rendition of the Plaskolite TUFFAK Manual!
 
Please remember MSC is always available to make joint calls or visit any of your fabricators to address questions about working with TUFFAK Polycarbonate Sheet.

The entire version of the Plaskolite Fabrication Manual can be downloaded here
WHATS THE NEWS?
Thermoplastic overmolded thermosets,
 2-minute cycle, one cell

Automated preforming of thermoplastic tapes and subsequent hybrid molding — thermoforming and injection overmolding ribs, clips and bosses onto part surfaces — have been heralded as the future for composites manufacturing in high-volume applications such as automotive. But what if it was possible to combine the toughness of thermoplastics and functionality of injection molded features with the high performance of carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy parts?
ASK AN EXPERT
Your questions answered
Question:

From James Turner Port Plastics Ft Worth : Will any of your UHMW materials handle the TOLUENE chemical ? I have a project that will have some toluene in the product we will be conveying and the customer has made it clear that whatever liner we use needs to be compatible with toluene. Please let me know what type of plastic will work with it. That will go for gasket material as well.  
Expert Answer:

From Mark Zuber Quadrant Engineering Plastics : If this is used at room temperature than I would say there would be little physical effects w/ TIVAR® UHMW-PE products; however at any elevated Temperatures (> 110º F) –Toluene in particular will start to swell as the first form of attack then followed by loss of property integrity and a shortened application life. Toluene overall is nasty on PE based materials- it is however unaffected and preferred to utilize PVDF for higher temp applications w/ the chemical.


Do you have a plastics question for us? Anything that you are a little curious about regarding our industry? MSC is here to help! Whether you wish to know more about a specific material, application, physical property or just want some insight into material selection, we would love to hear from you. During our bi-weekly MSC update, we will highlight a question or two that has been presented by YOU and using our knowledge as well as that of our industry contacts and experts, we will do our best to answer your questions.
 
Please send any questions you may have to Patrick at  [email protected]  for a chance to be featured in thenext issue of MSC Plastic Update ASK AN EXPERT!
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
Better than Wood
MultiQ

Many contractors are looking for better alternatives to wood material. The thermoplastic composite materials developed by Quadrant has found increasing use in the construction industry because they are in many respects markedly superior to wood, the classic material . They are above all light, weather-insensitive, dimensionally stable and non-rotting.


Quadrant has therefore developed MultiQ, a solid thermoplastic composite panel, by resorting to two proven polypropylene-based materials. Used as formwork panels or scaffold planks, they boost economic efficiency on the construction site thanks to their long service life.

TECH TALK
Basic Performance Understanding

IMPACT STRENGTH

Although a number of plastics are well suited for high impact applications, most parts made from rigid engineering plastics require minor design modifications. The relative notch sensitivity or impact resistance of plastics is commonly reported using Izod impact strength. Materials with higher Izod impact strengths are more impact resistant.

THERMAL PROPERTIES

Do you know the two most important thermal properties for designing plastics are? Continuous Service Temperature and Heat Deflection Temperature. Learn more in the link below

Note:  The strength and stiffness of plastics can be significantly affected by relatively small changes in temperature. Dynamic Modulus Analysis (DMA) curves can be used to predict the effects of temperature change on a given material.


DIMENSIONAL STABILITY

Plastics expand and contract 10 times more than many metals. A material’s dimensional stability is affected by temperature, moisture absorption and load. Assemblies, press fits, adhesive joints and machined tolerances must reflect these differences. Certain plastics such as nylons are hygroscopic – absorbing up to 7% water (by weight, when submerged). This can result in a dimensional change of up to 2%. Plastics’ inherently lower modulus of elasticity can also contribute to dimensional change including part distortion during and after machining.




Learn more here
MEET THE TEAM
Here at MSC, we are always striving to connect with our customers and industry partners. During each edition of our bi-weekly newsletter, we will feature one member of our team or yours and get to know a little more about them and their role within the industry! Check out this week feature!
Marielos Oporto

McInerney Sales Company

1. What Company do you work for and how long have you been there?

I have been working with McInerney Sales Company for more than 20 years.

2. What name/nickname do you prefer to be called?

Marielos is my nickname. My legal name is too long, it doesn't fit anywhere.

3. If you could write your own job title that best describes what you do here, what would it be?

Administrative Assistant. My responsibility is to keep all documents and files well organized on a daily basis, monitor and record office expenses as accurately as possible, and many other administrative tasks typical of an office.

4. What do you enjoy most about the work you do?

As a person who always has liked to learn something new, MSC has giving me the opportunity of increase my knowledge in many areas, which has helped me to do my job better.

5. What is one of the biggest challenges you see in your job/industry and how would you fix it if you could?

One of the goals of any business is to keep running in an efficient and organized way. I will continue to help to reach this objective with my work in a ethic and professional manner

6. What are your hobbies?

Not a real hobby, but I like to visit new places and watch old movies.


DID YOU KNOW?
From 1980 to 2010, US plastics industry shipments have grown at a 2.4 percent annual rate.


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