We promise, the sequel is every bit as good as the first one, a blog we featured a few weeks back, discussing the benefits of using nylon coating to meet dielectric requirements.
This week, we’re blogging about our home brew, plastisol, a pvc based product we make here in our own lab, at Plastico Industries in Cambridge, Ontario. We’ve been working with this stuff since long before blogging was even a concept. And we’ve been manufacturing it ourselves for nearly as long as we’ve been using it.
Plastisol gets its start in a liquid state, and when applied to a substrate, and subsequently into an oven to cure, becomes a flexible, solid PVC (polyvinyl chloride) form. When used with a primer, the form is fully bonded to the part beneath. Without that primer, the molded cover can be removed.
Plastico Industries is a preferred supplier to a number of manufacturing communities in Ontario, including the automotive industry. A significant volume of the business we see in plastisol coating goes into todays vehciles, and can be found on such interior parts as handles, leavers and latches.
Other common uses for plastisol include protection for industrial applications such as storage, shipping and plating racks, baskets and hooks, as well as duct work, agricultural flooring and playground equipment. Just in our facility within the last year,we’ve put fitness equipment, fishing weights, medical gear, outdoor furnishings and tools through our plastisol dip lines. It truly is a versatile part topping
Known for it’s high chemical resistance, it’s high coefficient of friction (it’s ‘grippy’), it’s range of color options and the ability to bond to just about any metal susbstrate, plastisol is pretty easy to get along with. One other important characteristic is its highly effective electrical insulation properties.
Plastisol Coating for Dielectric Requirements
Plastisol is a common ingredient on plaing racks due to its ability to protect parts in the plating process. It is well known for its high tear strength at 400lbs/inch, and for its electrical protection properties. The dielectric rating of plastisol typically ranges between 500-600V/Mil thickness.
At Plastico Industries, depending on the part of course, we traditionally see thickenss of between .75 and 2mm, or between 30 and 80mil, suggesting our plastisol coating is an ideal choice when looking for a dielectric top coat. We’ve seen hand tools, tools for the medical industry, molds (picture below), duct work and panel boxes, all coated with our plastisol for safety reasons.
In wrapping up this two-part mini-series, there are options when it comes to selecting the right dielectric coating. Plastico Industries in Cambridge just happens to work with two of those options. Both nylon and plastisol coating are considered highly effective in their ability to provide electrical insulation for your parts.
To find out more on how we could be of valuable serivce, simply check out our website at www.plastico.ca