Lexan / Polycarbonate

I've used Lexan in a lot of different bots. It's pretty easy to work with and quite tough. There's a reason they make bullet proof windows out of it.

Sheets up to about .1" can be cut with sheet metal sheers. Lexan can be easily drilled, and is more resistant to cracking than other plastics.

This might sound obvious - but Lexan is fairly soft compared to metals and composites (like carbon fiber). High pressure from being bolted can cause it to crack. For this reason it doesn't particularly make a great material for things like weapon motor mounts.

Never let Lexan come in contact with Loctite. Loctite erodes Lexan in such a way that makes it brittle and very prone to cracking. Again, this can make it a poor choice for motor mounts.

From the best of my observations, Garolite and UHMW don't suffer from these problems, and may be a better choices for certain applications. While UHMW lacks Lexan's tensile strength, it is virtually impossible to crack and lighter weight. Garolite is heavier, has better tensile strength, poorer impact resistance, but seems less prone to crack under pressure.

Lexan can be bent if heated moderately using a heat gun or propane torch. Be careful - if you get it too hot it will boil and become fragile.

Polycarbonate is sometimes sold under names other than Lexan such as Tuffak. Make sure you are getting polycarbonate, not plexiglass or acrylic. Acrylic is brittle, Lexan is not.

I read something about an elegant way to tell Lexan from plexiglass - but I've misplaced it. A less elegant way is to whack a corner of it with a hammer (hard). If it didn't break - it's probably Lexan.

Lexan is available from many online stores. You can likely find a local plastics retailer in your phone book (it's sometimes stocked at Home Depot).