Polymorph / Shapelock

Polymorph / Shapelock mouldable Plastic

This page is about Polymorph / Shapelock, check out the main project index for the rest.

Polymorph (UK), or Shapelock (US), is a low temperature melting point plastic which can be softened in water, so it is an ideal material for home fabrication. This article shows some sample project made from the material, and shows the process for use.

Polymorph, also called Shapelock, Instamorph, ‘Incredible mouldable plastic’ and others, is actually a plastic calledPolycaprolactone. This is a biodegradable polyester polymer with a low melting point of around 60′ C. This can be softened in hot water and moulded by hand to make any shape you wish within reason.

Polymorph is typically supplied as a tub or bag of pellets as pictured below, but once softened can be even be made into fairly complicated mechanical assemblies such as pulleys and motor mounts.

You can also press the soft Polymorph into a mould, made from wood for instance, to get sharper edges etc. You can cut and drill the plastic once it’s cooled, but use a slow cutting speed so that friction doesn’t melt it again.

I’ve used Polymoph to build my Android 10 project. You can check out Android 10 part 1 and Android 10 part 2, although the project has been superseded by Android 11 for now.

As Polymorph is a low melting point plastic it is of course not suitable for some applications. You should even be careful if you leave your project in direct sunlight or in a car on a hot day.

Also be careful not to burn yourself with the hot water you use to soften the plastic.