Engineered Plastics and alloy metal machining
Macfab excels at producing complex components from engineered and specialty plastics, non-ferrous metals and aluminum alloys. Through our years of precision CNC machining, we have developed proprietary knowledge on processing and machining plastics and alloys efficiently and precisely.
Engineered and Specialty Plastics
In general, commodity plastics are selected for everyday use with limited applications in commercial and industrial applications that require robust performance or specific characteristics and qualities. Specialty plasticsare customer designed to serve a specific purpose and specific characteristics of performance. Engineered plastics are designed for use challenging applications and design.
Engineered plastic generally have low density, good mechanical characteristics machinability, dimensional stability, chemical and wear resistance, well suited for mechanical unit under stress, applications exposed to acids and gas, high temperatures, low friction, housing, structural components, and robust applications. The are designed to withstand mechanical and environmental conditions the commodity plastics would not endure. In addition, most engineered plastics have low thermal conductivity, low VOC and ideal for low-cost mass-production. Common applications include medical devices, electronic and electrical components, trace analysis and simple introduction, valves, seals, structures, couplers, housings, nozzles, tubes, manifolds.
Design and manufacturing requirements of the application will determine the best choice of plastic or plastic blend. PEEK and Ultem are thermoplastics, with good machinability, ideal for retanining mechanical and chemical properties used in demanding applications such as medical devices and high pressure applications. PTFE (aka Teflon by brand name) has good chemical resistance, good mechinability, low moisture absorption, and excellent for harsh conditions, frequently use in o-rings, gaskets and other applications that require high heat tolerance chemical resistance. ABS would be best choice for applications requiring high impact tolerance and survivability. Nylon is another thermoplastic that is self lubricating and ideal for bearings, gears, slide and other applications that require excellent wear properties. Plastic blends such as Delrin and polycarbonates are other opportunities, each with their own qualities and characteristics.
The choice of specialty and engineered plastics and plastics blends is extensive. Macfab’s decades of experience is key to success in any project. propriety processes, off-gassing, extensive knowledge, experience and capabilities with plastics make Macfab your first choice when it comes to machining complex plastics.
