CT36 Top Cover Failure

[Duckler]

I had repaired the hose garage on my CT26 more than once.
Materials used included G-flex epoxy and kydex.
Just remembering the continued disintegration of the HG makes me pi$$ed. Bigly!!

 

[Packard]

I googled “the effects of aging on ABS plastic.”

There is a great deal written on the subject, it maybe that the resin was not suitable for this application.

Read for yourself:https://www.google.com/search?q=effects of age on Abs plastic&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1-m

As ABS plastic ages, it can become brittle, discolored (yellowing), and lose its impact strength due to a process called thermo-oxidative degradation, primarily affecting the polybutadiene phase within the material, leading to reduced flexibility and increased susceptibility to cracking, especially when exposed to UV radiation and high temperatures over time; this can significantly impact its functionality in applications where durability is crucial.

Which begs the question:  What resin are Systainers molded from?  How will they age?

As an aside, adding black colorant to a resin usually renders that resin UV resistant.  The part we are now discussing is shown in the attached photos as black.

 

[Packard]

OK, I wrote to my brother-in-law and he responded.  He was very non-judgmental, but the gist of it is as follows:

ABS is an excellent choice for long product life. 

He suggested that it was a quality control issue and that the resin used was not actual ABS, but another resin.

It could be that Festool misprepresnted the material to the public.

It could be that the molder misled Festool.

It could be that the resin supplier misled the molder.

It could be that this was a QC issue.

Apparently, this kind of failure is unexpected.  Maybe there is a way to test the material.  I’ll check.

Packard

 

[onocoffee]

As an aside, adding black colorant to a resin usually renders that resin UV resistant.  The part we are now discussing is shown in the attached photos as black.

Speaking of black...

And if anyone is in the market for a CT MIDI and ETS125, this seems like a great deal - if you can embrace the Imperial Evil Droid look!
https://www.facebook.com/share/14ytskTuZp/