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RE: one word ..... plastics

A brief web search pulled up the following wholesale plastic suppliers that
stock Kydex:

http://www.regalplastic.com/
http://www.tamshell.com/plastics.htm
http://www.ecomplastics.com/ecomplastics/kydex.html

Also, FYI, if you're looking for durability, some of the stuff that I was
reading on the armor-making mailing lists (they seem to be semi-fond of
Kydex as a material) indicate that it becomes somewhat brittle below 55
degrees F. Then again, they're whacking each other with swords and stuff,
but you'll want to consider the repeated 5 foot drop test for your wearable.
They recommended ABS plastic as an alternative, and said that it was about
half the price. Also, if their info is accurate, it said that Kydex softens
at 280-300 degrees while ABS softens at 250, and Kydex, if overheated emits
cyanide gas while ABS just smells badly. (?!?!)

Hope this helps,
Tim

Tim M. King, Human Factors Engineer
Usability Engineering Services, A-3 02E30
Delta Technology - a Delta Air Lines subsidiary
voice: 404.773.8903     fax: 404.773.8865

-----Original Message-----
From: Lenny Foner [mailto:]
Sent: Thursday, December 09, 1999 12:11 PM
To: 
Cc: 
Subject: one word ..... plastics

    Date: Thu, 9 Dec 1999 11:45:19 -0500 
    From: "King, Tim" <>

    Anyway, I do know that they make plastics and polymers like the kind
Mark
    mentions where you either have to superheat and mold them with a vacuum
    device or apply a hardener resin. However, the last time I got a PET
(Photo
    Emission Topography) scan a few years back, they secured my head to the
    headrest with a sheet of thermoplastic that was much easier to use (it
    seemed). Basically, it was a 1/16" thick sheet of semi-flexible plastic,
    approximately 10" (width) x 30" (length), and it had eye/nose/mouth
holes
    cut out of it. They dipped this sheet in boiling water and formed it
around
    my face and it hardened very fast (possibly less than a minute). This
post
    heating hardened state was much more rigid than when it was applied to
my
    face, but I'm not sure of the material's rigidity in it's original
state. 

The material is called Kydex, and seems to come in 20x22" sheets, or
thereabouts.  I'm not sure where to get them, but I haven't done lots
of research recently; if anyone finds a supplier of such sheets,
please let me know.

(Very small strips, about 1x3", are sold by one of the local crafts
stores around Cambridge MA under the name of "Friendly Plastic".)

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