CNC Machining Materials

UHMW

At a glance

Processes

CNC Mill
CNC Lathe

Lead Time

3 days (rush)
5-7 days (standard)

Colors

White, black

Tolerance

With drawing: as low as +/- 0.005 mm
No drawing: ISO 2768 medium

Price

$

Applications

Machine guards, liners in chutes and hoppers

About the material

Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene (or UHMW) is a hard plastic with a slippery surface, which resists abrasion and wear. Additionally, it offers high impact strength and is the optimal material for chute/hopper liners and machine guards.

Material Properties

UHMW

Yield Strength (tensile)

5,000 psi

Elongation at Break

200%

Hardness

Durometer 70D

Density

0.034 lbs / cu. in.

Maximum Temp

180° F

McMaster Part Number

8752K831

Material Finish

UHMW comes in an opaque black or white color and can be machined to a range of surface finishes. It also has a slippery texture, which is ideal for machine guards and liners.

Design Recommendations

Min Wall Thickness

0.5 mm

Min End Mill Size

0.8 mm (0.03 in)

Min Drill Size

0.5 mm (0.02 in)

Max Part Size

1200 x 500 x 152 mm [x,y,z] (mill)
152 x 394 mm [d,h] (lathe)

Undercuts

Square profile, full radius, dovetail profiles

Radii : Depth

Depth must not exceed 12x drill bit diameter.
For end mills, depth must not exceed 10x tool diameter.

Cost Saving Tip

To reduce costs, limit the number of part setups, the number of inspection dimensions or tight tolerances, and deep pockets with small radii.

YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN

A Guide to Prototyping Materials for Medical Devices

“Medical device” is a broad umbrella term that covers a huge variety of apparatus and equipment, such as Band-Aids, dental floss, blood pressure cuffs, defibrillators, MRI scanners, and much, much more. It’s probably no surprise that medical device design constitutes a major segment of the field of mechanical engineering, especially in the U.S., which is […]

Learn More

How to Read Material Data Sheets

To most people, plastics might seem all the same, but to an engineer, plastics come in families, have cousin materials, and have other materials that are as different as cats are from dogs. Of course, our clients expect us to worry about these details, and as nerds, the minute differences between materials are a source […]

Learn More