Question by obracer12: Plastic machining?
Can anyone point me in the right direction to a facility that could machine UHMW-PE in the Philadelphia area or have information if it is easily machined by a non-CNC or water jet process, meaning a conventional dry tool or will the heat generated cause distorting and failures in the process
Best answer:
Answer by tinkertailorcandlestickmaker
I have found that UHMW machines quite well with conventional tools as long as they are sharp, if you want very close tolerances there might be some difficulty due to thermal expansion, but melting isn’t a problem if the tools are sharp. Water jet may not work so well unless you are talking about rather thin sections. UHMW has good abrasion resistance, and so I suspect that the abrasive/water jet process might have trouble, but you can ask some one who actually does it. As far as finding a local facility to do it, your local phone book might still be the best option, even in this internet age.
Add your own answer in the comments!