Polycarbonate Plastic housing

[liberybell]

Based on the great info from Stratus it seems that the best material to use for the housing is Polycarbonate Plastic.
Any idea where we can get sheets or boxes of this material?
Has anybody experience with this material yet?
Thanks!

[Strange81Z]

EBAY! There are several dealers on Ebay selling Polycorbonate and Lexan. Otherwise I believe Grainger just started stocking "raw materials".

Hope this helps...
-Shawn

[Stratous]

www.onlinemetals.com If you decide to order this let me know, I can help you get a 5% discount.

[liberybell]

www.onlinemetals.com If you decide to order this let me know, I can help you get a 5% discount.

I am looking at the 0.188" PLASTIC POLYCARBONATE CLEAR SHEET (1/4" thick or so) Can this material resist those 300F you were mentioning on some other thread?
Can I go with something thiner?

Another question: Is there some special plastic glue that you need to use for this material that will also resist high temperatures?
Thanks Stratous!

[Stratous]

I am looking at the 0.188" PLASTIC POLYCARBONATE CLEAR SHEET (1/4" thick or so) Can this material resist those 300F you were mentioning on some other thread?
Can I go with something thiner?

Another question: Is there some special plastic glue that you need to use for this material that will also resist high temperatures?
Thanks Stratous!

I believe the max extended use for this material is 270°F and the max is 330°F. As for how thick, I am going to use the 3/8", but I am sure the 1/4" would work. I had to order acrylic Solvent since normal epoxy and glues dont work well on this stuff. I ordered it from a company called craftics. I ordered Plastic acrylic solvent cement, Plastic acrylic solvent thickend version and an applicator. It all cost about $28 including shipping. The cement is specifically designed to bond plastics to themselves.

[liberybell]

Cool! Thanks Stratous.
I will contact you once I ready to purchase the right material.
Initially for the purpose of testing amperage and temperature, and going to use a large ceramic jar.
I would like to keep my unit under 150F at all times even when running for over 5 hours. And keep my amperage under 40.

[Omega]

eBay is a good source. For a wide range of plastics and parts (like check valves) U.S. Plastics is a good place to look. http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/default.asp

[Stratous]

Ok, I finished my first polycarbonate unit, its not as pretty as I would like, but its not bad for a first attempt. It produces about .5 LPM at 6 amps. I am pretty happy with that. Here are some pics. The unit is 4" x 4' x 10", it has 7 plates total. The configuration is +nn-nn+. The bubbler is 2" x 2" x 6". I will play with plate configuration on the next build to attempt to garner better output.

[hmfdesigns]

i use acrylic, the poly has a higher temp rating but you SHOULD never see temps that high. Acrylic is fairly inexpensive and is good for up to 200 degrees so it works out pretty well i use 1/4 thick and if 1/4" is not thick enough for you to bolt to you can cut a small 1 inch square and glue it to your sheet to give you enough thickness to drill and tap....i use weld on works great on acrylic.


edith yea use a triple chip tooth blade to cut your acrylic anything else will cause a big mess

[Robahr24]

What applicator did you use with the acrylic solvent cement that made it easiest to work with?