Shapelock: "It's like modeling clay on steroids!"

[ender9492]

So, I stumbled across Shapelock when I was looking up robotics stuff. Crabfu (the robot's inventor), used it to craft the exterior shell of Swashbot3, and It looks like it could have potential in a variety of fields! (swashbot3 is at the bottom of the page)

Shapelock's website has details on what it is and how to use it, but basically it's plastic pellets that you melt together (can be done by boiling in microwave), and they form into a moldable clay-like-plastic which hardens into a rigid nylon-like-plastic when it cools below 130 deg. It's reusable too, so you can heat and mold it as often as you need.

You can order a free 35 gram sample bag, provided you pay the shipping fee (like, a measly $5). I just got the sample in today, and I'm pretty excited to um, boil it, and shape it into... small things?
Anyways, I think this has a lot of potential in the molding and modeling area, but I guess we'll see!

 

[Sean Bradley]

I've used this stuff before, believe it or not they used to sell quart containers of it in craft stores under the brand 'Friendly Plastic'

It is a neat material to work with, though very sticky if you shape it when it's too hot. When warm it's clear/amber, and when cool it's dull white. My brother and I used it to make skull masks one Halloween when we were kids. I'll have to try to find some of this again, it could be useful for quickly rendering parts.

Thanks for the link!

 

[Reilly]

Yeah, I have some of this stuff, its pretty cool. I made a bowl and eating utensils out of it.

 

[Zenzeigan]

wow!

that stuff looks incredibly usefull, im sadly over here in england, but still, this will be very useful for some people

thanks for the link

 

[contec]

I know about it but have never used it. Its in stores here in sweden.

Yeah, I have some of this stuff, its pretty cool. I made a bowl and eating utensils out of it.

Is it really that safe to use?

/Conny

 

[thoren]

how would you wash eating utensils that melt in hot water? and does it melt if you let it sit in normal water long enough or does it have to be hot water?

 

[Reilly]

You melt the stuff in boiling water and I wash the utensils by hand to make sure they won't melt in the dishwasher. Also it's not like these thing go through the wear and tear like regular utensils. Heck, I don't even remember the last time I've used them.

 

[LastSpartan]

Keep us posted, I want to see how it turns out!

 

[rvb4life]

Oh wow! Cheap modeling clay! i wonder if it will work well with silicone.

 

[thoren]

wear could i buy some of this stuff? i did a google search but that only came up with websites i could order it from, and if i cant find shapelock what about the "friendly plastic" stuff what stores might that be in?,

and are you planning on molding a whole suit with this stuff or just some of the smaller stuff?

 

[ender9492]

Thoren,
I know you can buy the stuff from their website, but I've never seen it in a retail store; not that that means there isn't something like it already out there...
And I was merely just tossing this up to the community as an idea for possibilities. I'm not planning on making any large items out of it in the near future, but since it can be used as casting material, I suppose it would be possible to cast armor out of it, but I think it would be better suited as a mold where you could make casts from it.

 

[Captain Swoop]

In the UK it's sold as 'Polymorph'by Maplin in their stores and on the Web

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?Module...ph&doy=30m5

 

[thoren]

Thoren,
I know you can buy the stuff from their website, but I've never seen it in a retail store; not that that means there isn't something like it already out there...
And I was merely just tossing this up to the community as an idea for possibilities. I'm not planning on making any large items out of it in the near future, but since it can be used as casting material, I suppose it would be possible to cast armor out of it, but I think it would be better suited as a mold where you could make casts from it.

thats what i ended up doing after about 2 more hours worth of searching under the three different names ive found for it, it doesnt seem that these products are in any of the stores like walmart or home depot, as for the projects i was asking if you were doing any, i didnt ever plan to cast any actual armor from the stuff but it would be cool to attempt to make a mold for casting with it like you said. or if its a smaller piece it would be easier to use this than to mix up a batch of casting rubber?