What is Plastiform?
Plastiform is a two-component impression compound polymer technology used in Quality Control & Metrology to confirm dimensions, surface condition of a part. It can also be used to protect part from various treatments during machining.
Every Plastiform is made out of component A and B (Base and Hardener).
Mix it with a 1:1 ratio, wait for the mix to cure (a few minutes for most products, exact time printed on the cartridge), and you have a replica of any surface with a one micron resolution. The original part stays intact.
Plastiform is present in 80+ countries since the early 1980s ans is now an industry standard for most manufacturers.
Plastiform in short
- Polymerization in minutes (per reference value, printed on every cartridge)
- 1 µm resolution
- Can be used everywhere, including under water.
- REACH-compliant
The six properties that define Plastiform
- 01 / 06
Virtually no shrinkage
Polymerization causes no measurable loss of volume.
- 02 / 06
Micron resolution
Captures every detail to better than 1 µm.
- 03 / 06
Shape-retention memory
Returns to its form after temporary deformation.
- 04 / 06
No adhesion, no residue
Works on metals, alloys, PVC, wood, plaster, and even under water.
- 05 / 06
Biocompatible & safe
Non-toxic, non-hazardous, handled without PPE.
- 06 / 06
Resistant
Resist to high stress during removal phase, and returns to its original shape.
Usee in industrial quality control
Plastiform replaces and avoids up to 98% of destructive controls. You simply take an impression instead of cutting the part open.
The process is simple. You pour the product in, demold it and that’s it, you can measure the replica directly.
The output is faithful enough that profile projectors, vision systems, CMMs, and roughness testers all read it as if it were the original.
Plastiform can be used in a vast group of industries, such as:
- Aerospace turbines and engine components
- Automotive cylinder bores, gear profiles, thread profiles
- Energy: nuclear (PMUC approved products, all are eligible on requests), oil & gas
- Watchmaking & Bio-mecanics micro-components
- Mold-makers and polishers inspecting surface finish
A 50-year invention
The brand sits inside Rivelec, an industrial company founded in 1972 and based in Montpellier.
The Plastiform range came out in the early 1980s to solve one problem: stop cutting parts open to verify internal features. Forty years and several million impressions later, that is still what it does.
How this Help Center is organized
The Help Center is organised into six paths. Pick the one that matches your situation:
- New to Plastiform? → Path 1: Getting Started
- Picking a product? → Path 2: Choose Your Product
- Taking an impression? → Path 3: Take an Impression
- Measuring the result? → Path 4: Measure & Inspect
- Something went wrong? → Path 5: Troubleshooting
- Looking up a fact? → Path 6: Reference
Ready to take your first impression?
The next article walks through a complete impression, box-open to measurement, with F50 on a simple internal bore. Skip to the product anatomy first if you prefer the mental model before the procedure.
