Structural insulator. Stiffer than Delrin. FR-rated.

G10 and FR4 are nearly identical glass-epoxy laminates. The only difference: FR4 contains flame retardant (usually bromine-based) to achieve UL 94 V-0 rating. G10 burns if ignited. For electronics applications, FR4 is mandatory for safety. For mechanical applications where fire rating doesn't matter (knife handles, standoffs outside electronics), G10 is slightly cheaper and mechanically similar.

Glass fiber dust is a respiratory and skin irritant. Machining G10/FR4 requires: dust extraction (HEPA or better filtering), protective clothing and gloves, eye protection, and dedicated tooling (dust contaminates other shop equipment). Our G10 machining is in dedicated area with proper ventilation. For customers: handling finished G10 parts is safe — the hazard is during machining only.

Yes — G10 is a true structural composite. Tensile 260 MPa, flexural modulus 18 GPa. Used for battery separator plates, test fixtures, knife handles. Loads are anisotropic (varies with fiber direction), so specify fiber orientation on drawings. Limitations: brittle failure mode vs tough thermoplastics, glass-fiber dust hazards during machining.

Yes — dielectric strength 20 kV/mm (short-term). For sustained high-voltage service, derate to 5–10 kV/mm. Standard for medium-voltage electrical insulation, transformer bobbins, and switchgear components. For applications above 100 kV, specialty insulating ceramics or silicone elastomers are preferred.

Yes. We regularly machine FR4 to custom PCB shapes for specialty applications: spacecraft PCBs with weight cutouts, automotive PCBs with mechanical interlocks, industrial control PCBs with custom mounting features. We also machine PCB substrates for mechanical brackets that happen to also be conductive pathways. Non-standard PCB mechanical shapes are our specialty.