The polyethylene milk jugs, detergent bottles, traffic bollards, drinking-water pipes, kayaks, and outdoor playground equipment are made of. Cheap, tough, chemical-resistant, and recyclable as #2 in nearly every municipal stream. The most-produced thermoplastic on Earth by mass — about 60 million tons a year.
Semi-crystalline polyethylene with low branching, density 0.94–0.97 g/cm³. Tm 130–135 °C, Tg -120 °C. Tensile 25 MPa, elongation 600%. Excellent chemical resistance — survives nearly every common acid, base, and solvent at room temperature. Surface energy low; joins by ultrasonic welding or hot-plate welding. UV-degrades without carbon-black or HALS stabilization.
The vast majority of hydrocarbons still end up in the tanks of vehicles, and most natural gas is used to generate power and heat. Yet the remaining 10 per cent — the by-product of refining oil and gas — plays a disproportionate role in our lives. These products clothe us and feed us. They help keep us clean and healthy, and are embedded in the vast majority of items available for purchase today. They are among the newest human creations we know, yet it is impossible to imagine the world without them. They help us conserve energy but they are produced from a fossil fuel.
Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere matte finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material. Or grab the whole library at once: ForMaterials library →
# finish: matte albedo #e0e2e4 metallic 0.00 roughness 0.75 ior 1.45 transmission 0.00 clearcoat 0.00 sheen 0.00 anisotropic 0.00
{
"albedo": "#e0e2e4",
"metallic": 0.0,
"roughness": 0.75,
"ior": 1.45,
"transmission": 0.0,
"clearcoat": 0.0,
"sheen": 0.0,
"anisotropic": 0.0
}
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) · finish: matte
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_polyethylene_hdpe")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value = (0.7454, 0.7605, 0.7758, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value = 0.750
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value = 1.450
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value = 0.000
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) · finish: matte
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_polyethylene_hdpe", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse", (224, 226, 228)) # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic", 0.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness", 0.750)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.450)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 0.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.000)
{
"_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
"_about": "High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) \u00b7 finish: matte",
"baseColor": {
"r": 0.7454,
"g": 0.7605,
"b": 0.7758
},
"metallic": 0.0,
"roughness": 0.75,
"ior": 1.45,
"opacity": 1.0,
"anisotropyLevel": 0.0,
"_notes": "Channels listed are the standard Substance pbrMetalRough output. Drop into a Uniform Color node per channel, or as the constant input on a layered stack."
}{
"asset": {
"version": "2.0",
"generator": "ForMatter"
},
"materials": [
{
"name": "mat_polyethylene_hdpe",
"pbrMetallicRoughness": {
"baseColorFactor": [
0.7454,
0.7605,
0.7758,
1.0
],
"metallicFactor": 0.0,
"roughnessFactor": 0.75
},
"extensions": {
"KHR_materials_ior": {
"ior": 1.45
}
}
}
]
}# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) · finish: matte
def Material "mat_polyethylene_hdpe" {
token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_polyethylene_hdpe/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>
def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.7454, 0.7605, 0.7758)
float inputs:metallic = 0.000
float inputs:roughness = 0.750
float inputs:ior = 1.450
float inputs:opacity = 1.000
float inputs:clearcoat = 0.000
token outputs:surface
}
}
The cutting-board polymer. Soft, gummy, chips long and stringy — O-flute endmills mandatory. Climb-mill for clean edges; conventional-mill leaves a fuzz. Doesn't take adhesives well (low surface energy) — design mechanical fasteners. Use the swarf 'pocket' op for relief features, 'outline' for profile.
Onsrud Cutter plastic feeds & speeds (HDPE table); Curbell Plastics HDPE machining notes.
→ try this material in swarfSPI / PLASTICS recycling guide (RIC 2); ASTM D3350 HDPE pipe specifications.
House vocabulary — terms ForMatter uses with intent.
Materials and processes for people who design and make things.
A local-first library of materials, processes, applications, and finishes — equal weight, citable everywhere, so a student can move from "what is this" toward "what's actually buildable here, now, by me." Part of the renato.design ecosystem — sibling of Plenum, Specimen, Ingenue, gesture, graf, and the Renato Rhino plug-ins. Form and matter, inseparable.
Half of teaching materials is teaching how the material is made into the thing. The standard subscription library was always light on that half. The wedge here isn't better samples or a prettier interface — it's treating Process as a peer entity, not a footnote.
Conway, Lefteri, Forty, Sparke, ASM, GIA. Every voice: Voices.
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