SparkFun Forums

[Philba]

http://shapelock.com/index.html

I saw this mentioned in another thread and think it's worth a separate discussion. I have a lot of questions about it but will probably buy some to play with. In a nutshell, you heat it up and it becomes soft. When it cools down it hardens. It's basically like nylon that melts at about 150F.

Anyone have experience with this stuff?
- How easy is it to mold? I'd like to be able to create a mold from other material (or even SL) and then use that to mold the SL material.

- How strong is it when cold? How brittle is it? (i.e. does it shatter easily) Does it break or deform under stress?

- How easy is it to drill/saw/machine/sand? The web site says you can but it's hard to tell how easy. I suspect that the heat of machining could be an issue.

- How viscous (uh, thick) is it when it's at 150F? How fine a detail can it pick up when molding?

Here is a Youtube video showing a case made from the stuff: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEl1LXyZO98

[Philba]

With a little searching, I found this page. http://www.creatrope.com/blog/make/frie ... ock-tools/

It's a reasonable tutorial.

Plus it also mentions a similar product called "friendly plastic".

Here a friendly plastic instruction sheet http://www.sculpt.com/technotes/Tech_Sh ... lastic.pdf

[macegr]

It's pretty easy to mold. When soft, it basically feels and acts like gooey waxy taffy.

When cold, it's flexible. Not like rubber, more like Tupperware. I made a stick of it and flexed it a lot, and couldn't make it break. It's pretty tough.

I sawed it before, it seemed like any other plastic. Probably a good idea to keep speeds low and use some oil or water to cool and lubricate the cutting area.

[Philba]

Even more info. The stuff is Polycaprolactone. Here's the wikipedia page on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycaprolactone

[Philba]

The instructions say to heat it in water. Doesn't the water get into the part you are making and create voids?

[wiml]

I didn't know ShapeLock was caprolactone. A number of the DIY "3d printer" projects like RepRap use that stuff. (Presumably you can get it cheaper in bulk / unbranded.)

I liked this bipedal walker made out of shapelock and wood.

[Philba]

Cool android.

Shapelock is kind of pricey - it would be good to find a US bulk source.

[b_bogk77]

this is a really good find, I have to get myself some of this 8)

[iharris]

Jaycar sell a similar stuff - I've seen it advertised by can't find it on their website (I mean, what search terms would you use?), they package it by another name. I've been tempted to get some for a while, it would be great to make enclosures out of it.

[jandirks]

I have been using Polymorph: http://cgi.ebay.com/250g-POLYMORPH-Amaz ... 638Q2em122

Looks similar to Shapelock.

JD

[trialex]

Jaycar sell a similar stuff - I've seen it advertised by can't find it on their website (I mean, what search terms would you use?), they package it by another name. I've been tempted to get some for a while, it would be great to make enclosures out of it.

http://jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID ... &SUBCATID=

$9.95 for 100g

[macegr]

Gonna call astroturfing on this one, HobbitComedian registered on several sites in the past couple days and will resurrect old threads mentioning Shapelock and talk about Instamorph as their first post.

[noptical]

Gonna call astroturfing on this one, HobbitComedian registered on several sites in the past couple days and will resurrect old threads mentioning Shapelock and talk about Instamorph as their first post.

It would make sense if shapelock/instamorph didn't suck so much and wasnt so useless.

[macegr]

HobbitComedian's post was deleted...hmmm.

noptical: I've actually used squishable plastic occasionally and I wouldn't call it useless. Overpriced for what it is, perhaps, but usually I'm not using a giant gob of it.

Decent for mounting servos to unusually shaped objects that you don't necessarily want to destroy.

Also repairs. Couple weeks ago my glasses snapped in half and I was stranded, couldn't see well enough to drive 15 miles to get new ones. Tape wouldn't have held the single thin wire well enough. Couldn't think of any other solution that wouldn't run the risk of working loose while driving and falling off my face, causing an accident.

Remembered I had this stuff, and smooshed a custom bridge that gripped a few key areas. After it hardened it felt at least as strong as the original...seemed like it could have gone for years if it weren't so ugly.