Knowde Enhanced TDS
Identification & Functionality
- Chemical Family
- Polymer Name
- Technologies
- Product Families
Features & Benefits
Applications & Uses
- Applications
- Plastics & Elastomers End Uses
- Applications
- Food and non-food packaging
- Parts for household electrical goods
- Consumer electronics
- Household items
- Toys
- Bath and shower screens
- Painting, poster and photo frames
- Glazing
- DIY
- Displays
- Showcases
- Lamps and ceiling lights
Properties
- Physical Form
- Mechanical Properties
- Physical Properties
- Thermal Properties
- Optical Properties
- Sheet Properties
- Excellent dimensional stability to heat
- High rigidity
- Hardness
- Good mechanical characteristics
- Extraordinary dielectric values, making them excellent electrical insulators that can be used from low to high frequencies
- Low volatile substance content
- Termite and micro-organism resistant
- High brightness level
- 90% visible spectrum (400 - 800 nm) light transmission, with light absorption rapidly increasing in the ultraviolet band
- There no sharp variations in properties at low temperatures
- Low water absorption tendency
- They are suitable for use with food FDA (21 CFR 177.1315), United States (except the UV version)
- They comply with European EN 71 standard for toy safety
- Properties
- Dimensional stability to heat:
NUDEC® PS sheets can be briefly exposed to temperatures of 80°C without deformation or contraction. Prolonged exposure must not exceed 80 to 85°C.
- Stress cracking:
As a consequence of a combination of pressure or stress and chemical attack, fissures may appear over time in function of the stress intensity, the chemical agent and sheet thickness.
Stress cracking in the case of bathroom screens
Stress: Pressure produced by the aluminum profile on the sheet.
Chemical agents: There may be three types:
- External lubricants: Products employed to facilitate the insertion of the sheet into the profile, such as Vaseline, oil or silicone etc.
- Aluminum cleaning agents. Degreasing agents employed to clean the aluminum once the screen has been assembled.
- PVC seal additives. Plastifying agents derived from pthalic acid that are used to provide the PVC with ductility; this plastifying agent migrates to the surface and attacks the PS.
Recommendations for preventing the formation of cracking:
- The sheet must not be subjected to any excessive pressure in the joint.
- Clean cutting of the NUDEC® PS sheets
- Lubricants should not be employed to insert the sheets and great care should be taken in cleaning the aluminum after assembly to employ a product that does not affect the sheet.
- Correct choice of sealing product
The following are recommended:
- Polyethylene + ethyl acetate (PE + EVA) seal
- Silicon rubber seal
- Hot bead or fill-in of neutral silicone
The following are not recommended:
PVC seal, especially with plastifying agent deriving from pthalic acid
- Aging
NUDEC® PS sheets are stabilized against aging that can be produced by the oxygen in the air and high temperatures (up to a maximum of 80°C). On premises where there are normal temperature and illumination conditions, the NUDEC® PS sheets maintain their appearance and service qualities for many years. Under outside weather conditions, deterioration is produced by the UV component of sunlight that directly strikes them, for which reason they are not recommended for prolonged use outside. Aging shows up as progressive yellowing and the loss of surface brightness, together with a reduction in sheet mechanical properties.
| Value | Units | Test Method / Conditions | |
| Charpy Impact Strength Notched | 1.47 | kJ/m² | ISO 179 |
| Charpy Impact Strength Un-Notched | 16.0 | kJ/m² | ISO 179 |
| Elongation (Breakage) | 3.0 | % | ISO 527 |
| Flexural Strength | 106.0 | % | ISO 527 |
| Rockwell Hardness (M/R Scale) | 150.0 | MPa | ASTM D-785 |
| Tensile Modulus of Elasticity | 3250.0 | MPa | ISO 527 |
| Tensile Strength (Breakage) | 59.0 | MPa | ISO 527 |
| Value | Units | Test Method / Conditions | |
| Density | 1.05 | g/cm³ | ISO 1183 |
| Value | Units | Test Method / Conditions | |
| Coefficient of Linear Thermal Expansion | 8.0 | 10⁻⁵ / °C | ISO 75-2 |
| Heat Deflection Temperature B (0.45 Mpa) | 98.0 | °C | ISO 75-2 |
| Heat Deflection Temperature A (1.8 Mpa) | 86.0 | °C | ISO 75-2 |
| Maximum Service Temperature | 80.0 | °C | - |
| VICAT Softening Temperature (10 N) | 106.0 | °C | ISO 306 |
| VICAT Softening Temperature (10 N) | 101.0 | °C | ISO 306 |
| Value | Units | Test Method / Conditions | |
| Light Transmission | 89.0 | % | ASTM D-1003 |
| Refractive Index | 1.591 | - | ASTM D-542 |
Regulatory & Compliance
- Reaction to Fire
Country Code Classification France NFP 92-507 M4
Storage & Handling
- Handling
- Cleaning:
A solution of water and neutral detergent may be employed. They should always be cleaned and dried with a soft cloth with very little pressure.
- Cutting:
- Important!
Do not remove the protective film from the sheets before cutting, and once this has been accomplished blowing or suction should be employed to eliminate any chips.
- Manual cutting
Cutting should always be carried out with a fine-blade saw, with the sheet firmly held in place to prevent vibration. The teeth should be well-sharpened.
- Cutting with a blade
When cutting with a blade, this should be passed several times in order to achieve the desired depth (this should be a minimum of half the thickness), employing a uniform pressure. The sheet must be firmly secured to prevent sliding. Afterwards, the sheet should be placed on a flat surface and gentle pressure applied until it breaks. Sandpaper may be employed to eliminate any burrs.
- Sawing
Cutting recommendations for NUDEC PS sheets
- Disk diameter: 350 - 400 mm
- Number of teeth: 84 - 106
- Rotation speed: 2,800 - 4,500 rpm
- Advance speed: 12 - 18 m/min
- Type of teeth
Alternate teeth or combined straight and trapezoid. The sheet must be firmly secured to prevent them rising up and causing cracks when the disk passes. The translation speed should be as uniform as possible. The disk must be regularly sharpened.
- Polishing:
Pre polishing is required to eliminate any marking caused by the cutting disk.
The following may be used:
- Rotating rigid fabric disks with buffing paste.
- Rotating soft fabric disks with buffing paste for the final finish.
- Drilling:
Metal and wood drill bits may be employed. The larger the diameter, the lower the speed. A hole diameter that is approximately 1.5 mm larger than that of the screw to be used should be drilled to take sheet dilation into account. The sheet must be firmly secured to prevent breaking. A sharp object can be employed to start the hole. In addition, air or water can be used for cooling purposes.
- Gluing:
- Important!
To prevent air bubbles, the glue should be allowed to stand for a while before application, until none can be seen.
- Solvents
Various solvents can be used in the bonding of NUDEC® PS sheets. The most common is MEK (methyl-ethyl-ketone). In general, aromatic solvents can be used. These solvents can be applied using a syringe or fine paintbrush. An ideal adhesive is a mixture of two parts methyl chloride and one part toluene. To facilitate gluing, 10% PS chips can be added to the mixture to thicken the adhesive. Before carrying out the actual gluing operation the surfaces to be glued must be cleaned must be cleaned with alcohol.
- Glues:
These are solvent-free adhesives, with two components based on polyurethanes. They are transparent, odor-free and do not attack the plastic. They permit different types of plastic to be joined together and also plastics to other materials, such as glass, aluminum and steel etc.
- Welding:
NUDEC® PS sheets may be welded together using ultrasound or heat pulses. The welding quality will increase when the distance between the sonotrodes is decreased. High frequency welding is not possible because the material has low dielectric losses.
- Thermoforming:
The stresses that can be produced during this process must be controlled since they could produce heavy stress-related cracking. The thermoforming vacuum temperatures must be above 120°C, with prior pneumatic or mechanical stretching. All NUDEC products use film to protect the surface from possible damage during production and transport. This protective film is not prepared to withstand high temperatures and must be removed prior to thermoforming or hot-bending.
- Bending:
The sheet should be locally heater with an electrical element and then quickly bent. It is a good idea to cool the part of the sheet that is closest to the bending line. When bending thick sheets, it is recommended that both sides are heated, with the sheet being firmly secured after bending in order to maintain the exact position. Over time, it is possible for small cracks to appear in the area of the bend. We recommend that the smallest radius be twice the sheet thickness. All NUDEC products use film to protect the surface from possible damage during production and transport. This protective film is not prepared to withstand high temperatures and must be removed prior to thermoforming or hot-bending.
- Decoration:
The sheet surface must be clean and free from grease, demoulding agents and any other contamination. Degreasing can be performed using a 50/50 mixture of isopropane and isobutanol. NUDEC® PS sheets are easily printed, lacquered and painted using a wide range of products. They can also be decorated by means of silkscreening, lithography, metallisation or hot-marking. It should be ensured that the NUDEC® PS sheet will not be attacked by solvents incorporated in the lacquers or varnishes and paint manufacturers should be consulted about products designed to cover PS. Vacuum metallisation NUDEC® PS sheets can be vacuum metallised. It must be stressed that the obtained finish will depend of the surface shine of the sheet before this process is carried out. The print film should be removed just prior to printing to prevent the surface from damage.
- Transport
- Dirt and sharp angles may damage the surface in the case of friction.
- During transport, stable, flat pallets should always be used and the sheets secured to prevent sliding.
- The sheets must not be allowed to slide over each other during loading and unloading operations.
- They should be lifted by hand without any dragging or by suction-cup lifting equipment.
- Storage
- An incorrect storage position can lead to permanent deformation.
- The sheets should be stored in closed premises that guarantee normal environmental conditions.
- The sheets should be stored one on top of the other on flat horizontal surfaces and fully supported over their total area.
- The topmost panel should be covered with a sheet of polyethylene or cardboard etc.
- NUDEC®PS sheets must not be stored in direct sunlight or under conditions of high humidity and/or temperature as this can have a negative effect of protective film adhesion.