METAPOR® BF100AL 

When appearance matters, choose METAPOR®.

METAPOR® is a composite material made of aluminum granules and epoxy resin. The material is air-permeable over the entire surface due to its micro-porous structure allowing for unique design considerations for prototype and production thermoform tools. In contrast to sintered materials, the pores do not close off after machining allowing excellent definition and surface quality.

METAPOR® – BF 100 AL METAPOR® – BF 100 AL is the standard grade and can be used with polymer sheet most commonly thermoformed today such as PS, ABS, PVC, PET and PE. Its upper operating temperature limit is 212 °F (100 °C).

 

BF100AL

Thermoformers have seen some of the following advantages:

  • High Definition and Accuracy
  • Faster Air Evacuation
  • Improved Surface Quality
  • Reduced Machine Time
  • Trapped Air Elimination
  • Improved Mold Detail

Resources:

Physical properties at 67°F (20 °C)

PROPERTY VALUE (ENG) VALUE (SI)
Density 112.3 lb/ft3 1.8 g/cm3
Hardness Shore D 81 81
Flexural strength 8,126 psi 56 N/mm2
Flexural Modulus 1,306 ksi 9000 N/mm2
Impact strength 6.7 ft-lb/in2 14 kJ/m2
Coefficient of thermal expansion
25 °C -125°C (77 – 257 °F)
16.7 x 10-6 in/in/°F 30.4 x 10-6 mm/mm/°C
Thermal conductivity:
at 100°C (212 °F)
10.3 BTU/ hr-ft-°F 19.1 W / m-°C
Martens Dimensional Stability 226 °F 108 °C
Mean pore diameter .0006 in 15 µm
Total porosity (by volume) 15% 15%

 

 

Design and Handling
For detailed information on Handling, Machining and Adhesive bonding of METAPOR®, please refer to the “Handling Guidelines” brochure.

Storage
Store dry, protect against jolts and impacts. Avoid contact with grease and fluids.

Machining
The machining properties of METAPOR® are excellent and are comparable with rapid machinable aluminium. METAPOR® must be machined dry and should not be in contact with any cooling liquids. In order to avoid any closure of pores, sharp tools made of HSS or carbide with edge angles as for aluminium must be used. It is recommended to use dust extraction. Avoid contact with grease and fluids.

Grinding/Polishing
Grinding and polishing of the machined surfaces can be made by hand or with a vibrating grinder. Use corundum paper with grains of 400 / 600 / 1200 in the ascending order. METAPOR® has to be polished dry and without any polishing paste!

Air Flow Rates
The numbers are average values for calculating air consumption for overpressure or under pressure applications. Specification is in cubic inches per minute per in2.

 

PRESSURE DIFFERENCE IN BAR (PSI) PLATE THICKNESS IN INCHES PLATE THICKNESS IN INCHES PLATE THICKNESS IN INCHES PLATE THICKNESS IN INCHES PLATE THICKNESS IN INCHES PLATE THICKNESS IN INCHES PLATE THICKNESS IN INCHES PLATE THICKNESS IN INCHES
  0.39 0.59 0.79 0.98 1.18 1.57 2.36 3.94
2.9 153.4 125.9 110.1 94.4 82.6 66.9 39.3 7.9
4.4 184.9 153.4 133.7 118.0 106.2 86.5 55.1 19.7
5.8 216.3 184.9 161.3 141.6 125.9 102.3 70.8 27.5
7.3 247.8 208.4 184.9 165.2 149.5 121.9 86.5 39.3
8.7 279.2 236.0 208.4 184.9 169.1 141.6 98.3 47.2
10.2 306.8 263.5 232.0 208.4 188.8 157.3 114.1 59.0
11.6 338.2 291.0 255.6 232.0 208.4 177.0 129.8 66.9
13.1 369.7 318.6 279.2 251.7 228.1 192.7 141.6 78.7
14.5 397.2 342.2 302.8 275.3 251.7 212.4 157.3 86.5
29.0 676.5 590.0 527.0 479.8 440.5 377.6 291.0 180.9
43.5 920.3 806.3 723.7 660.7 609.6 527.0 413.0 267.4
58.0 1132.7 995.0 896.7 822.0 759.1 660.7 523.1 350.0
72.5 1313.6 1156.3 1046.2 959.7 888.9 778.7 621.4 424.8
87.0 1459.1 1290.0 1168.1 1077.6 999.0 881.0 707.9 495.6

 

Available Sizes
METAPOR® is available in 4 standard sizes 500L x 500W x 15mm / 20 / 30 / 60 (~20″ x 20″ x 0.6” / 0.8 / 1.2 / 2.4). After the cutting process, the air permeability of the slab surface is reduced due to partial closure of the pores. It is essential to mill both surfaces of the slab by cutting off approx. 0.5 mm, (0.02″), providing complete air permeability.