| i have used it, for years, mostly in the manufacture of rapid prototyping/ product modelmaking - chemiwood- its a ciba geigy product, it is excellent to use, machines very very well, paints nicely- bonds easily and generally is spot on !- its virtually 100% dimensionally stable, basically unaffected by moisture/ heat variations...............
it has no grain so the finish is superb, -its a fleshy/ pinky colour and comes in sheet / slabs, can me worked with machines and also easily by hand...it does take the edge of cutters/ blades fairly quickly.
as far as grades of product goes then its a new one on me, when i used it it was all one grade- so i was not aware there are different types, ( we just went to the stores and got another slab out and used what we needed )
its turns and mills beatifully, flycutting is a dream and the only downsides are the price and the dust, one kills your wallet the other kills you.... the dust is ultra fine due to the fact it has no grain, machine it at higher speeds and as a general rule treat is as if it were a metal, it is failry tough stuff however it will snap if heavily impacted, - but its ideal for manufacture of parts you wish to mould, its often used in CNC procedures and for fabrication of components.
we were turned onto it an uni on the modelmaking course i did, we used to be able to buy it through the uni shop but most students used to contact local modelmaking businesses in the are and go and buy their offcuts for alot less than the going rate ! - but i suppose it depends on the quantity you need....
i think amber composites retail this stuff too..........
good luck |