clear thermoplastics

[morbid_eclipse]

well i dont know if this needs to go in this catagory or not...so mods feel free to move this wherever it is supposed to be....does anyone know where i can get some clear thermoplastic..or some type of plastic that you can melt and mold to whatever shape you like...or some type of substance that can be spread over something to take its exact shape thats clear...any help with this would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[Scrubulum]

I don't know exactly what you application is but I have a lot of experience with epoxies (job related) and there are several really good two part epoxies out there that are classified as "water clear". Pick one that has a long cure time to allow for all of the air bubbles to escape.
A second option is lexan. It can be melted in an oven and formed to about any shape. Although you can't pour it into something if you just want to form it over a surface it would work fine.
Keep in mind though that either of these are prone to scratching. So if you want something to last a long time and be clear you may have to clear coat it or something.

 

[morbid_eclipse]

well my application i guess would be the buttons for the windows and door locks...i would like to make those clear...thanks for your help...please let me know what epoxies and such like brand names and such and ill go try it

 

[Scrubulum]

The one that I had a lot of fun/sucess with at my last job (gun scopes and sights) was called Tiga 110EX-DP from Resign Tech. Group. It has a nice long .5 hour pot life and is blead most air out in anything up to 1" deep or more. http://www.resintechgroup.com/pds/T110exdp.pdf you may be able to get a sample from them if you can pose as a company with a need. I think there min order is way more than you would ever need or want to pay for.
Otherwise there are a couple options from 3M and Loctite. You would have to go to their websites and research them.
UV cure epoxies are good but may be more difficult for you as you need a UV source to cure them and they tend to yellow with time.
I would start with the Tiga 110 if I were you.

 

[Scrubulum]

As further note though, it will stick to most anything. We were able to remove it from Teflon coated steel but the teflon is sprayed on and leaves a texture, so when you remove the epoxy it is no longer clear, although you can sand and polish it to make it clear again.
I don't know how in depth you want to get but there are other options. If this is something you want to sell I would say spend the money and do it right. Upload a model to www.protomold.com and they can usually do a single cavity tooling (two halves) for about $2-$4K. If you are only looking to make a couple for you and some friends then you can try a rapid prototype place. Most of them can make a silicone mold that is good for about 100-1000 pieces for about the same price range. Both of these will produce something that is far superior to any epoxy.
The last option that may be difficult is to "carve" something from a block of Lexan and then polish it. CNC machining would help a lot but may get expensive as well.