THE NEW PIPER AIRCRAFT, INC.
PA-32-301FT / 301XTC
MAINTENANCE MANUAL
PAGE 7
Jun 1/03
4D11
51-00-00
2. Thermoplastic
Repairs
The following procedures will assist in making field repairs to items made of thermoplastic which are
used throughout the airplane. A list of material needed to perform these repairs is given in
Chart 1, along with suggested suppliers of the material. Common safety precautions should be observed
when handling some of the materials and tools used while making these repairs.
A. Surface Preparation:
(1) Surface dirt and paint if applied must be removed from item being repaired. Household
cleaners have proven most effective in removing surface dirt.
(2) Preliminary cleaning of damaged area with perchlorethylene or VM&P Naptha will
generally insure a good bond betweenn epoxy compounds and thermoplastic.
B. Surface Scratches, Abrasion or Ground-in-Dirt: (Refer to Figure 2.)
(1) Shallow scratches and abraded surfaces are usually repaired by following directions on
containers of conventional automotive buffing and rubbing compounds.
(2) If large dirt particles are embedded in thermoplastic parts, they can be removed with a hot air
gun capable of supplying heat in temperature range of 300°F to 400°F. Use care not to
overheat material. Hold nozzle of gun about 1/4 of an inch away from surface and apply heat
with a circular motion until area is sufficiently soft to remove dirt particles.
(3) Thermoplastic will return to its original shape upon cooling.
CHART 1
THERMOPLASTIC REPAIR LIST OF MATERIALS
Item Description Source
Buffing and Rubbing Automotive Type - DuPone DuPont Company
Compounds #7 Wilmington, DE 1998
Ram Chemical #69 x 1 Ram Chemicals
Gardena, CA 90248
Mirror Glaze #1 Mirror Bright Polish Co., Inc.
Irvin, CA 92713
Cleaners Fantastic Spray Local Suppliers
Perchlorethylene
VM&P Naptha (Lighter Fluid)
ABS-Solvent Cements Solarite 11 Series Solar Compounds Corp.
Linden, NJ 07036
Solvents Methylethyl Ketone Local Suppliers
Methylene Chloride
Acetone
Epoxy Patching Compound Solarite #400 Solar Compounds Corp.
Linden, NJ 07
Hot Melt Adhesives Stick From 1/2 in. dia. Sears Roebuck & Co., or
Polyamids and Hot Melt Gun 3 in. long most hardward stores
Hot Air Gun Temp. Range 300° to 400°F Local Suppliers
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