Perforated material punched with round holes

Perforating Plastics

Plastics are exceptional in their ability to resist corrosion, but have limitations when it comes to perforating. Not all plastics can be perforated. Materials such as nylon will string. Polycarbonates and acrylics are too hard and may shatter. Teflon is too slippery and does not feed easily through the punch.

· Punching - Plastics can be punched as light as .032 inch
· Thickness - Generally maximum thickness up to 1/4 inch
· Flatness - Plastics cannot be leveled like metal sheets, so flatness may be a problem
· Sheet Size - Plastic sheets are typically available in 48 inch by 96 inch sheets
· Coils - Plastic in not available in a coil

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Hole Size


Hole size is the diameter of the perforation. McNICHOLS carries PlastiPerf_TM in three hole sizes: 3/16, 1/8, and 3/32 inch. Other hole sizes can be special ordered as required.

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Hole Pattern


Hole pattern is the arrangement of holes on a sheet—either staggered or straight rows. In a staggered hole pattern, the direction of the stagger is normally parallel to the short dimension of the sheet. PlastiPerf_TM comes in a 60° staggered hole pattern.

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Hole Center


Hole Center is the distance from the center of one hole to the center of the nearest hole in the next adjoining row. Hole centers is one of two measures of perforation spacing. The other is open area. Because hole centers and open area measure essentially the same property (perforation spacing), you need specify only one or the other, not both.

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Open Area


Perforated sheets contain holes and material. Open area is the total area of the holes divided by the total area of the sheet and is expressed as a percent. In other words, open area describes how much of a sheet is occupied by holes. If a perforated sheet has 60 percent open area, then 60 percent of the sheet is holes and 40 percent is material. This open area table provides a quick way to determine open area for perforated sheets with a 60 degree staggered or straight row hole pattern.		Note: Specify either Open Area or Centers, but not both.

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Thickness or Gauge


Thickness is the measurement from the top surface to bottom surface of the material. Gauge is the most common measurement, but thickness can also be measured in fractional inches or millimeters. This gauges and weights chart can provide additional information.

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End Pattern


End pattern is the pattern of the perforations at the beginning and the end of the sheet. End patterns are either finished or unfinished. An unfinished end pattern is standard. A finished end pattern requires special tooling and is typically more expensive.

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Length and Width


Length is the overall measurement of the long side of the sheet; width is the overall measurement of the short side of the sheet. Note that mill tolerances for length and width apply to stock sheets unless otherwise specified. If you have a stock sheet cut-to-size, cut tolerances apply. To specify other than standard tolerances, please use the PlastiPerf_TM quote form to specify the required tolerances.

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Quantity

Quantity is the number of full sheets or cut pieces you need. Unless otherwise specified, the standard tolerance on quantity is “Exact Quantity.” In other words, McNICHOLS will deliver the exact quantity you specify.

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Margins


Margins are the blank (unperforated) area along the edges of the sheet. For stock sheets, the standard is minimum margins along the length and no margins along the width. Below is an example of a margin specification based on the illustration to the right: Margins: · 1 inch margins parallel to both 25 inch dimensions · 0.75 inch margins parallel to both 48 inch dimensions

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Margins on Cut Pieces


When stock sheets are cut to a smaller size, the cut pieces will have no margins.

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Tolerances

There are tolerances on quantity, shearing, circle shearing, flatness, thickness, and squareness for perforated products. If you do not specify a specific tolerance, the standard tolerance applies. Tolerances can be specified on the PlastiPerf_TM quote form.

More information on tolerances.

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Item

Description

Qty

1P18311648

McNICHOLS Quality Plastiperf™ Round Hole Pattern, Plastic Polypropylene, .063 Gauge, Mill Finish, 1/8" Holes on 3/16" Centers, Staggered Pattern, 40% Open Area, Sheet, 48.0000" Width x 96.0000" Length
Add to cart to see price. Click here to cut this item to size

1P31511148

McNICHOLS� Quality Plastiperf™ Round Hole Pattern, Plastic Polypropylene, .125 Gauge, Mill Finish, 3/16" Holes on 5/16" Centers, Staggered Pattern, 32% Open Area, Sheet, 48.0000" Width x 96.0000" Length
Add to cart to see price. Click here to cut this item to size

McNICHOLS® Quality Perforated - Round Hole Products

Tolerance Specifications for Perforated Products

Standard Shearing (Cutting) Tolerances

Standard Circle Shearing Tolerances

Standard Flatness Tolerances

Tolerances for Sheets

Tolerances for Plates

Standard Thickness Tolerances

Standard Squareness Tolerances