ESLON^®-DC ESD PMMA - Fabrication

Processing Instructions

ESLON^®-DC-Plates can be processed with common plastic methods. The following information is intended to serve as a guideline.

1. Cutting and Machining
ESLON^®-DC ESDPMMA plates may be cut with either a band saw or a circular saw. Generally, it is recommended to use the standard cutting speed for plastics. If possible, please use high speed machines (high cutting speed and reduced feed rate) in order to achieve clean cutting edges. The choice of a suitable saw blade should depend on the type of base material. For PMMA uncrossed or carbide tipped saw blades are recommended. In order to avoid scratches on the surface, only remove the protective film after processing. When drilling ESLON^®-DC ESD PMMA plates, slightly reduce drilling speed in order to avoid hairline cracks, which may appear around the perimeter of the drill hole. The use of twist or tap drills is recommended.

2. Forming and Bending
ESLON^®-DC ESD PMMA are especially suitable for the forming of covers and hoods and for edge bending. However, we do not recommend fabrication methods such as vacuum forming or deep drawing. These processing methods will expand the conductive coating, which may cause the loss of the static dissipative properties of the sheet. Please find the recommended forming temperatures listed below.

Heat Bending (Heating by IR Heating Rods)					Forming  (Circulating Air Oven)
Heat Supply: to 3mm single-sided, otherwise double-sided					Recommended minimum plate thickness
Plastic Type	Temperature	3mm	5mm	10mm	Plastic Type	Temperature	M min
PMMA/Acrylic	130°C-160°C	1.5-3min	3-4min	3-4min	PMMA/Acrylic	130°C-160°C	3mm

Generally, edge bending of ESLON-DC ESD PMMA should be performed at a lower temperature range. Whitening around the surface edges may indicate overheating, however, the static dissipative performance of the sheet will not be affected. By all means, it is advised to perform preliminary bending tests in order to determine the optimum machine settings prior to processing.

Tempering Times for ESLON®-DC PMMA Plate Size Temperature Duration 2mm - 3mm 80°C 1 - 2 hrs 4mm - 6mm 80°C 2 - 3 hrs 8mm - 10mm 80°C 3 - 4 hrs 15mm 80°C 4 - 5 hrs

When heat bending ESLON®-DC ESD PMMA, please keep in mind that generally temperatures should be lower than for standard materials in order to prevent any surface whitening around the bending edges. Generally, surface whitening indicates an overheating of the material. However, electro static conductivity only slightly decreases along the bending edges (approx. 108 ~ 109 Ω).

The continuous casting method is used in the production of ESLON^®-DC ESD Plates PMMA. Forming characteristics for the thinner gauges of PMMA are rather similar to those of extruded PMMA, while the thicker gauges more closely resemble those of cast sheets. When glueing ESLON^®-DC ESD PMMA sheets or forming them into covers or hoods, it is essential to temper the material in advance in order to reduce residual stress and improve dimensional stability (please refer to the chart below).

When heat bending the ESLON^®-DC ESD PMMA ESD Standard version, the protective film may remain on the material on each side. ESLON^®-DC ESD ESD Hard Coat may only be heat bent after the protective film has been removed.

ESLON^®-DC ESD PMMA Standard versions may be bent up to an angle of 90°, the ESLON^®-DC ESD PMMA Hard Coat version may be bent up to an angle of 70°. We strongly recommend to conduct bending tests with sample strips in order to calibrate the fabrication machines accordingly.

3. Bonding
Prior to the application of the adhesive, please make sure that the parts to be joined are prepared correctly. For the ESLON^®-DC ESD PMMA Standard version, the conductive coating must be removed from the surface area with an acetone-soaked cloth in order to ensure adhesion. For ESLON^®-DC ESD PMMA Hard Coat, the conductive coating must be removed mechanically, i.e. by milling or grinding. The remaining surface area should be covered with a tape in order to avoid any unintentional chemical damage to the conductive coating. For best adhesion, it is recommended to bevel the edges to be glued and so to increase the contact area. In order to facilitate the application of the adhesive, the surface area where the conductive coating is removed should be 2-3mm larger than the plate thickness of the counterpart.

Compatible Adhesives for ESLON®-DC ESD
Type of Material	Adhesive
PMMA / Acrylic	Solvent-based methylene chloride hesives, 2-component polymer adhesives

If necessary, it is advisable to roughen up the surface for better bonding. Cyanoacrylate adhesives may be used on smaller parts. A precision spraying device or fine brush is recommended for the application of the adhesive.

4. Cleaning and Maintenance
For cleaning ESLON^®-DC ESD PMMA plates, we advise the use of IPA (isopropyl alcohol, isopropanol), alcohol-based cleaning liquids or water. Never use cleaning liquids mainly based on organic solvents (i.e. acetone) on ESLON^®-DC ESD PMMA Standard. ESLON^®-DC ESD PMMA Hard Coat, however, may be cleaned with organic solvents on the sheet surface. Please note that abrasive or corrosive cleaning agents are generally not suitable for any plastic material. Glass and plastic cleaners as well as soap suds are suitable for cleaning ESLON^®-DC ESD PMMA.