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Richard
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 Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 9:58 pm Post subject: plastic materials in tube, rod, sheet, plate etc - where to |
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I>m in UK.
When you want to get inexpensive and non precision tube, rod, block, sheet,
or plate etc to use as a general (ie non precision) light diffusion material
or to use as a waveguide of sorts to propagate light (like say akin to a
light pipe), where do you get your stuff from? Do you just buy from your
regular plastics suppliers?
I suppose the materials could be almost any clear or translucent plastic. I
want to see how light passes through a tube and see how much gets reflected
out from a tube or rod. I was thinking about using some clear or
translucent polycarbonate tube or rod for a project. I thought that might be
good stuff to mess with.
If anyone has any recommended sites where I can get the kind of materials in
the shapes I mention that can be used for light experiments on
diffusion/light scattering and propagation, please feel free to post a link.
Thanks. |
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TKM
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| Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 8:44 am Post subject: Re: plastic materials in tube, rod, sheet, plate etc - where |
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"Richard" <some_email@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:6dk934F30eppU1@mid.individual.net...
[quote]I>m in UK.
When you want to get inexpensive and non precision tube, rod, block,
sheet, or plate etc to use as a general (ie non precision) light diffusion
material or to use as a waveguide of sorts to propagate light (like say
akin to a light pipe), where do you get your stuff from? Do you just buy
from your regular plastics suppliers?
I suppose the materials could be almost any clear or translucent plastic.
I want to see how light passes through a tube and see how much gets
reflected out from a tube or rod. I was thinking about using some clear
or translucent polycarbonate tube or rod for a project. I thought that
might be good stuff to mess with.
If anyone has any recommended sites where I can get the kind of materials
in the shapes I mention that can be used for light experiments on
diffusion/light scattering and propagation, please feel free to post a
link. Thanks.
[/quote]
The best plastic for lighting work in my experience is acrylic. It>s used
for outdoor plastic signs and indoors for lenses and diffusers for
luminaires. I>ve seen prisms made out of it as well as lenses for
demonstrations. The U.S. trade name is "Plexiglass", I believe it is called
"Perspex" in the U.K. There used to be handbooks published by Rohm & Haas,
the manufacturer, that described the optical properties and how to work the
various forms of the materials; but they are probably long out of print. I
did find a couple of sites, however:
http://www.rplastics.com/phprofplac.html
and a nice old commercial describing applications:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi_mEeyxvRc
Polycarbonate is very different stuff -- much stronger than acrylic, but it
yellows from UV when used outdoors.
I>ve seen plastic for sale in home centers; but mostly I go to commercial
distributors and rummage through their boxes of odd shapes and pieces which
they sell at a discount. I don>t know if they have similar distributors in
the U.K., but you might call a sign company and ask where they get their
plastic.
Terry McGowan |
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Adam Aglionby
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 11:07 am Post subject: Re: plastic materials in tube, rod, sheet, plate etc - where |
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On Jul 9, 5:58 pm, "Richard" <some_em...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
[quote]I>m in UK.
When you want to get inexpensive and non precision tube, rod, block, sheet,
or plate etc to use as a general (ie non precision) light diffusion material
or to use as a waveguide of sorts to propagate light (like say akin to a
light pipe), where do you get your stuff from? Do you just buy from your
regular plastics suppliers?
I suppose the materials could be almost any clear or translucent plastic. I
want to see how light passes through a tube and see how much gets reflected
out from a tube or rod. I was thinking about using some clear or
translucent polycarbonate tube or rod for a project. I thought that might be
good stuff to mess with.
If anyone has any recommended sites where I can get the kind of materials in
the shapes I mention that can be used for light experiments on
diffusion/light scattering and propagation, please feel free to post a link.
Thanks.
[/quote]
Sign makers and places that make point of sale stuff, leaflet racks
etc, often have offcuts.
MUTR has some interesting bits and pieces:
http://www.mutr.co.uk
Adam |
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Richard
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 4:15 pm Post subject: Re: plastic materials in tube, rod, sheet, plate etc - where |
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"TKM" <noname@no.net> wrote in message
news:UAfdk.212447$SV4.59592@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
[quote]
"Richard" <some_email@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:6dk934F30eppU1@mid.individual.net...
I>m in UK.
When you want to get inexpensive and non precision tube, rod, block,
sheet, or plate etc to use as a general (ie non precision) light
diffusion material or to use as a waveguide of sorts to propagate light
(like say akin to a light pipe), where do you get your stuff from? Do you
just buy from your regular plastics suppliers?
I suppose the materials could be almost any clear or translucent plastic.
I want to see how light passes through a tube and see how much gets
reflected out from a tube or rod. I was thinking about using some clear
or translucent polycarbonate tube or rod for a project. I thought that
might be good stuff to mess with.
If anyone has any recommended sites where I can get the kind of materials
in the shapes I mention that can be used for light experiments on
diffusion/light scattering and propagation, please feel free to post a
link. Thanks.
The best plastic for lighting work in my experience is acrylic. It>s used
for outdoor plastic signs and indoors for lenses and diffusers for
luminaires. I>ve seen prisms made out of it as well as lenses for
demonstrations. The U.S. trade name is "Plexiglass", I believe it is
called "Perspex" in the U.K. There used to be handbooks published by Rohm
& Haas, the manufacturer, that described the optical properties and how to
work the various forms of the materials; but they are probably long out of
print. I did find a couple of sites, however:
http://www.rplastics.com/phprofplac.html
and a nice old commercial describing applications:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi_mEeyxvRc
Polycarbonate is very different stuff -- much stronger than acrylic, but
it yellows from UV when used outdoors.
I>ve seen plastic for sale in home centers; but mostly I go to commercial
distributors and rummage through their boxes of odd shapes and pieces
which they sell at a discount. I don>t know if they have similar
distributors in the U.K., but you might call a sign company and ask where
they get their plastic.
Terry McGowan
[/quote]
What I should be doing is establishing the material I can use or what is
suitable, and then searching for a supplier instead of just searching for
sellers of plastic tube, rod etc.
And I should probably be thinking about using acrylic tube or rod to see how
light diffuses when light is shone into one end.
I think if I stick to using acrylic I>ll not go far wrong. Unless
exceptional strength is required, or some other exceptional property. Or
there>s a cost issue. |
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