There are a great many products in this world that are made from plastic and this is with good reason. Plastic is readily available, and easy to work with. There are different varieties of plastic, and many can be very effectively machined to make a great range of different pieces and parts. This is part of the reason why machining plastics is such a common practice to make what is needed for so many different industries.
Types of Plastic for Machining
There are numerous different types of plastic that can be machined, and each has its own unique qualities. For example, there is acrylic, which has a nice, clear finish, ABS, which is very strong, or polycarbonate, which is both transparent and tough with good elasticity and impact resistance. Other varieties might have qualities like good adhesion or a non-stick surface. Just a few of the other popular plastic types would include Fluorosint, nylon, PBT, polystyrene, Teflon, Torlon and eco-plastics.
The Machining Process
Machining plastics uses basically the same process as machining wood or metal. Machining is a general term that usually means to remove the excess from a piece of material to shape it into a desired piece or part. Specific machining techniques can include sawing, grinding, drilling, routing, tapping, polishing and more. Machining is often done on a CNC system, in which a central computer controls a number of processes and coordinates them to make sure that the finished product conforms to a set blueprint.
Machined Plastic Pieces and Parts
With a versatile material like plastic and a versatile process like machining, the only real limit on what you can create is your imagination and ability to make and follow a blueprint. You could make clear products like windows, aquariums, glasses and optics, or opaque ones like valves, bolts or door stops. Small plastic parts are often machined to be used as gaskets, washers, seals, tubes, gauges and more. Larger plastic parts might be used to make shafts, gears, manifolds or appliance parts.
There are few limits to the industries that use machined plastic parts too. Some of the major industries that use these pieces would include the aerospace, automotive, food processing, electronics, semiconductor and appliance industries, to name a few.
PEP Connecticut Plastics is your source for machining plastics. To learn more, visit Pepctplastics.com.
