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Assembly Considerations
When assembling and joining dissimilar materials, it is important to account for thermal expansion differences (see "Thermal Expansion" in this section). It is also important to make sure that the components are chemically compatible with each other. For example, some PVC tubing contains plasticizers that are aggressive to polycarbonate materials and can lead to stress cracking over time. Tubing manufacturers sometimes change their formulations, so it is important to periodically check the compatibility of the tubing. Certain electronic devices and give off harmful vapors or leach out chemical agents that can attack various plastics. These problems tend to be accelerated at elevated temperatures. It is important to remain vigilant for potential chemical compatibility problems.
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