Plastic Fabrication

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Machined plastics, engineering plastics, custom plastics and all other plastic products are created by plastic manufacturing operations. The terms "plastic fabrication" and "plastic manufacturing" can be used interchangeably; plastic machining, plastic welding and plastic extrusion can all be described as fabrication or manufacturing processes. Because plastic fabricators are the source of all plastic products, every consumer of plastic components relies on them for the creation of the products they need. Everything from stock products like plastic washers to custom products for specialized electronics must be created by a fabricator. The automotive, food and beverage processing, restaurant, electronics, packaging, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, medical, consumer goods and construction industries all make extensive use of plastic products. Nylon, polyester, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene and acrylic plastics are just a few examples of the many plastic materials used by industry. In addition to providing plastic forming services and formed plastic products, the plastics industry provides a variety of commercial and consumer plastic shaping products; plastic cutters are just one of many examples.

Plastic is a versatile material and has become a popular alternative to metals, wood and glass because of its relative ease of production and low cost. It is also temperature resistant, long lasting and resilient to exposure to many different environmental conditions and substances, including high and low temperatures, moisture, abrasive chemicals, vibration, pressure and high impact. Most raw plastics are composed of a plastic resin in the form of powder, flakes or small granules. When subject to sufficient heat and pressure, that raw plastic can be shaped into useable plastic products. Some examples of common plastic forming processes are extrusion, injection molding, blow molding and vacuum forming. After such a forming process, a formed plastic product can be shipped to customers or sent for additional fabrication processes. Punching, stamping, engraving, etching, bending, cutting, drilling, tapping and assembly are all possible post-formation processes that are offered by plastic fabricators. Different plastic parts require different kinds of attention, and plastic fabricators offer a wide range of processes to make whatever kinds of changes to a plastic part that may be necessary.

Important considerations for plastic fabrications are size parameters, working temperature ranges, tensile strength, temper (hardness or softness) and color requirements. Plastic manufacturing can produce a wide variety of products for both the consumer and industrial sectors, including washers, adapters, bearings, bushings, guide rings, insulators, shims, spacers, o-rings, wear rings and hardware such as screws, nuts and bolts,. Some specific examples of industries that use plastic fabrications include the chemical processing, electronics, sign making, toy manufacturing, packaging, shipping, automotive, agriculture, architectural, food and beverage processing, engineering and lighting industries. Plastic fabricators not only fabricate and assemble plastic products, but they can also be involved in the design process. The parts may be specialized and custom-made or come in standard sizes and pre-engineered designs. Many manufacturers offer a diversity of molds and product dimensions from which their customers can choose. Assembly operations include the cutting, gluing or welding of plastic parts together or to other materials in order to form finished products. Examples of assembled plastic products include display racks, toys, plastic tanks, enclosures, carts and signs. Plastic fabrication processes can be performed manually by technicians or automatically by computer controlled equipment. Most plastic fabrication processes are operated by computer numerically controlled (CNC) software, which uses a computer to carry out the fabrication process. These automated machines all but eliminate human error, are very fast and efficient and can produce high volumes of complex, identical products.

Successful plastic fabricators are sensitive to the varied needs of industry. For example, in the medical and food industries, plastics must be contaminant resistant and non-toxic. They must be watertight and fabricated to withstand exposure to many different substances, including abrasive chemicals, fats and oils, as well as bodily fluids. Plastic components like machine parts and hardware are often used within manufacturing and industrial applications. These plastic products must be able to endure abrasion, resist chemicals, oil and moisture and have a high tensile strength, since they are continually exposed to harsh conditions and environments. There are many benefits to using plastic products and parts, including vibration dampening, which is especially useful in the automotive industry, as well as the fact that plastic is durable and shatter resistant. Plastic is often used outdoors because it can often withstand both high and low temperatures, and unlike many metals, will not oxidize when exposed to water.

Image Provided by Brogan Manufacturing, Inc.

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Types of Plastic Fabrication

• Acrylic fabrication is plastic fabrication that utilizes acrylic, a plastic material distinguished by its weather resistance, transparency, stability, chemical resistance and color-fastness. Acrylics are available in films, sheets and resin adhesives.
  
• Custom plastic fabrication is the process of producing any plastic item to meet specific parameters per a customer's request. Custom plastic fabricated products include carrying cases, specialized displays, covers and machined parts.
• Engineering plastics are plastic materials that are characterized by their high strength and durability compared to other plastics.
• Machined plastic is plastic that has been subject to mechanical shaping processes.
• Plastic assembly is the plastic fabrication process that involves bonding or connecting one or more pieces. This process may involve cutting the pieces to the precise shape and size before assembling them; the assembly itself could consist of welding or bonding adhesives.
• Plastic components are products made of plastic; a plastic component can be a tool, a toy or any other plastic product.
• Plastic CNC machining is the machining of plastic parts through a computerized, numerical control machine. It is common to machine parts through a CNC machine, as it assures precision and accuracy.
  
• Plastic cutters are metal blades used to cut plastic.
• Plastic fabricators manufacture goods and components made out of plastic.
• Plastic machining is the process of subjecting a plastic part to a mechanical reforming process such as drilling or grinding. 
• Plastic manufacturing is the process of developing plastic products.
• Plastic parts are any specially designed parts of plastic material that are engineered and machined for industrial applications.
  
• Plastic products are any goods made from plastic materials.
• Plastic washers are round, flat, disk-like plastic products that are drilled or stamped with a hole at their center.
• Plastic welding is a fabrication technique that uses hot gas and extrusion welding to bond sheet plastic together to form plastic tanks and containers, as well as to fuse welding pipes.

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Plastic Fabrication Terms

Acrylic - A manufactured plastic material that provides transparency, color-fastness and weather resistance.

Additive - Substances that modify the characteristics of polymer resins. The different types of additives include viscosity modifiers, pigments, fillers and reagents.

Binder - A substance, such as a resin, that binds materials together. Binders provide mechanical strength solidification and adhesion to surface coatings or guarantee consistency.

Bond Strength - The quantity of adhesion that connects bonded surfaces.

Brightener - An additive that enhances plastic coatings to make them brighter or smoother used in the plastic fabricator process.

Catalyst - A material that alters the pace of a chemical reaction pace so that it does not undergo any permanent changes in its own structure. This term also refers to a substance that significantly increases the curing of a compound when introduced in small amounts, contrasted with the quantity of primary reactants.

Colorants and Pigments - Additives that alter the color of plastic. Colorants and pigments include resin color premix or a powder.

Color Stability - The capability of a surface coating to resist deterioration normally caused by environmental conditions.

Compounding - The necessary procedure for blending the polymer with all the required substances to make a final plastic fabricated product.

Composite - A plastic structural substance that is comprised of a blending of materials, usually a thermoplastic resin or thermoset and a reinforcing element. Composite also refers to a strengthening fiber within a polymer resin; in either case, the collective result is greater than the isolated elements.

Compressive Strength - The capacity of any material to withstand any crushing forces.

Continuous Service Temperature - The maximum temperature in which a material is able to function reliably for multiple applications and extensive periods of time. Manufacturers do not consistently define the long term period.

Coupling Agent - A material that functions as an interface to create a chemical bridge between the resin and mineral fiber or fiberglass. Coupling agents enhance bonding.

Cure - The process of altering properties of polymers into a state of greater stability and usability. Curing is achieved through radiation, heat or reaction with chemical additives.

Delamination - The process of disconnecting the layers of a composite.

Flexural Strength and Yield - The calculation of a plastic material's ability to resist fracturing in the event of bending.

Flow Line - Also called a "weld line," it is a score on molded plastic that occurs from the contact of two flow fronts in the molding process.

Forming - The procedure in which an existing shape of a plastic is changed to another preferred one.

Hardener - A substance or substance blend that, when added to a material, enhances or controls the curing reaction by participating in it.

Heat Stabilizers - Additives that enhance the capability of a material to resist any negative effects of exposure to heat. Heat stabilizers are utilized to enhance the overall service temperature of the material.

Impact Modifiers - Additives utilized to increase capability of a material to resist the force of an impact.

Laminate - The process of putting a sequence of layers of polymer and reinforcement into a mold. The resulting product is called a laminant.

Layer -- A single layer of laminate or lay up.

Lay Up - A process in which layers of polymer resin and other reinforcements are applied to a mold to produce a part.

Light, UV Stabilizers and Absorbers - Additives that enhance the capability of a material to resist the harmful effects of UV and light exposure, consequently enhancing the life of the material.

Molded Part - Plastic parts produced by primary processing. Molded parts often do not need a finishing operation.

Polymer - A chain molecule that is typically found in plastics and made up of long molecular chains created from monomers, which occur as repetitive building blocks.

Reinforced Plastic - Material of plastic with increased mechanical properties, resulting from the embedding of high-strength fillers in the composition.

Sandwich Construction - A composite of two laminate layers with a structural core material between them. Sandwich construction produces stiff, lightweight structures.

Sheet - Continuous phase plastic that is formed in such a way that the thickness is extremely low in proportion to the length and width. Specifically, a sheet is more than 0.25 mm.

Stress Crack - An internal or external crack that results from tensile stresses lower than the short-time mechanical strength.

Tackifiers - Additives that increase the bonding capability or adhesiveness of a material.

Tensile Yield Strength - The highest stress a material can resist when exposed to a stretching load before yielding.

Tensile Break Strength - The highest stress a material can resist when exposed to a stretching load before breaking.

Thermoplastic - A category of plastics that are able to be softened or hardened through heat and cold. These materials, which include PVC, nylon, polystyrene and polycarbonates, undergo a change that is primarily physical as opposed to chemical.

Warpage - An inconsistent alteration in internal stresses, which causes deformation or distortion of the material.

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