{"id":40,"date":"2012-06-27T15:16:49","date_gmt":"2012-06-27T15:16:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.waters.to\/blog\/?p=40"},"modified":"2015-07-14T10:40:11","modified_gmt":"2015-07-14T10:40:11","slug":"more-about-polycaprolactone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.waters.to\/blog\/more-about-polycaprolactone\/","title":{"rendered":"More about Polycaprolactone"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Polycaprolactone\"<\/a>

PCL pellets, before and after melting<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

[Edit: Updated to add PLA and ABS to the list of compatible materials]<\/p>\n

Polycaprolactone<\/a> or PCL is a white plastic that is very hard and slick at room temperature, but melts to a putty-like consistency when heated under very hot water. Make Magazine has an excellent article summarizing some of PCL’s many uses<\/a>, and in fact that article is where I first learned of it.<\/p>\n

PCL is very useful as a clay-like molding material, and as I discuss in a previous post, as a material for Reversible, semi-permanent PVC glue joints and custom fittings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Two PVC pipes joined with Polycaprolactone<\/p><\/div>\n

Compatibility with other plastics<\/strong><\/p>\n

Depending on your application, PCL’s tendency to stick to other plastics may or may not be desirable. I compiled this table of compatibility based on my own experiments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Material Type<\/th>\nCommon Uses<\/th>\nResult<\/th>\nNotes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
PLA (Polylactic Acid)<\/span><\/td>\n3d printing<\/td>\nsticks very well<\/td>\nBe careful not to overheat and distort PLA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\nABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene)<\/span><\/td>\n3d printing, Lego<\/td>\nsticks very well<\/td>\nCustom Lego!!! <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)<\/span><\/td>\nwhite plastic pipe<\/td>\nsticks very well<\/td>\npreheat pieces for best bond<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
CPVC (Cross-linked Poly Vinyl Chloride)<\/td>\nyellowish plastic pipe<\/td>\nsticks very well<\/td>\npreheat pieces for best bond<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Polycarbonate (aka Lexan)<\/td>\nvery strong glass substitute<\/td>\nsticks very well<\/td>\npreheat pieces for best bond<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
PEX<\/td>\nflexible water pipe<\/td>\ndoes not stick<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
PET \/ PETG<\/td>\nsoda bottles<\/td>\ndoes not stick<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Metals<\/td>\ncopper, steel, aluminum<\/td>\ndoes not stick<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Brands<\/strong><\/p>\n

Polycaprolactone is sold under \u00a0a number of \u00a0brand names including InstaMorph, Shapelock, Friendly Plastic, Missing Link plastic, etc.<\/p>\n

As far as I can tell they are nearly identical products, with the exception of Missing Link — they sell a “flow formula” that is a bit less viscous when melted, which may be useful for some applications.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Where to buy<\/strong><\/p>\n