Anyone have experience with polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride?

[dontworryaboutit]

<R7> Robots are allowed the following additional “non-VEX” components:
f. Non shattering plastic (e.g. Polycarbonate, Garolite) as cut from a single 12" x 24" sheet up to 0.063" thick.

Last year we could only use polycarbonate, but now it says “Non shattering plastic” and references Garolite, which is bakelite (if wikipedia is correct).

I’m guessing we won’t be able to use acrylic as it likes to shatter, and I’m guessing polycarbonate will still be the favorable plastic to use. But does anyone have experience with Garolite aka bakelite (if wikipedia is correct)?
Or do you know any other “Non shattering plastic” that is relatively cheap and might work better than polycarbonate? Anything that is harder would be nice.

As you may have inferred from my using wikipedia, I can’t find any good sources online about what exactly Garolite is.

[Phyrxes]

Another suggestion is http://www.eplastics.com/, the store is in San Diego but they ship UPS and have no minimum order. We have used them before when McMaster didn’t have the size/thickness/color we were looking for.

[dontworryaboutit]

Thanks!

I’ll see if these are worth getting in stead of polycarbonate (we have a TAP Plastics near us, so I’d probably go there to get plastic).

[devinc]

I like the polycarb. It relatively cheap. Its very light. and if sanded down correctly, it can be extremely smooth.

[The_VEX_Raptors]

Aw, I clicked the post thinking you’d actually found a non-shattering plastic called polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride… Now I’m disappointed.

[dontworryaboutit]

@The VEX Raptors

Aw, I clicked the post thinking you’d actually found a non-shattering plastic called polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride… Now I’m disappointed.

There is

It’s called bakelite

[magicode]

Now, I’ll ask this on the 15th, but does this mean we’re now allowed to use things like Saran wrap? It does fit the requirements of being a non shattering plastic and less than 0.063" thick. I don’t know how you would prove that it was less than 12" X 24" without unwrapping it though.

[dontworryaboutit]

@magicode

Now, I’ll ask this on the 15th, but does this mean we’re now allowed to use things like Saran wrap? It does fit the requirements of being a non shattering plastic and less than 0.063" thick. I don’t know how you would prove that it was less than 12" X 24" without unwrapping it though.

Haha very good idea. That could be useful for so many things…

[BrentJ]

@dontworryaboutit

Last year we could only use polycarbonate, but now it says “Non shattering plastic” and references Garolite, which is bakelite (if wikipedia is correct).

I’m guessing we won’t be able to use acrylic as it likes to shatter, and I’m guessing polycarbonate will still be the favorable plastic to use. But does anyone have experience with Garolite aka bakelite (if wikipedia is correct)?
Or do you know any other “Non shattering plastic” that is relatively cheap and might work better than polycarbonate? Anything that is harder would be nice.

As you may have inferred from my using wikipedia, I can’t find any good sources online about what exactly Garolite is.

I don’t know about Garolite but Bakelite if used to mean one of the earliest plastic is definitely not non-shattering.
And at the thickness you mention it would break just being put on a robot.

I am a volunteer in telecommunications at a museum.
Our old phones are made of Bakelite and the mouth and ear pieces are made of 1/4 inch thickness. I often have to replace them beacuse people have dropped them and they shatter.

[dontworryaboutit]

@BrentJ

I don’t know about Garolite but Bakelite if used to mean one of the earliest plastic is definitely not non-shattering.
And at the thickness you mention it would break just being put on a robot.

Thanks for the information!
I read that it was one of the earliest plastics on wikipedia but didn’t see anything about shattering. So Garolite must be something mysterious…