Custom Plastic Fabrication Services
High quality custom plastic fabricated production parts in days | AS9100D | ISO 9001:2015 | ISO 13485 | ITAR Registered | Subject to availability.
lastic can be processed using a wide range of manufacturing methods. One of the lowest-cost methods is plastic fabrication. Plastic fabrication includes techniques such as: machining, precision cutting, bonding, welding, and thermoforming. Xometry offers a custom plastic fabrication service that can help you succeed with any plastic fabrication project while also maintaining the highest levels of quality.
Plastic Fabrication Processes and Machinery
Plastic fabrication refers to the process of shaping, forming, or bonding plastic sheets, tubes, rods, or bars. Fabrication does not include melt processing techniques like injection molding. The plastic fabrication process typically starts by consulting an expert. During this phase, the specific requirements of the part are defined. The initial conceptual design can be analyzed to determine if it follows applicable DFM (Design for Manufacturing) guidelines. The operating conditions must be largely known as they will determine what type of plastic is best suited to your application. Typical factors to consider are: operating temperature, chemical exposure, and load cases. Once these have all been considered, the design can be finalized and fabrication drawings produced.
Depending on the design, there are a number of fabrication techniques and tools available, the most common are listed below:
- CNC Machining: Plastic machining can be fast and does not place excessive wear on tooling (unless the plastics are filled with carbon or glass particles). Cutting tools are kept sharp to avoid heat build-up during cutting.
- Bending: Most plastics can be bent. In some cases, they may need to be heated in order to bend easily. This is especially useful for more brittle plastics like acrylic.
- Welding: Plastic welding is typically done with a specialized extrusion welding tool. This tool generates hot air and plastic is fed into an extruder that melts and pushes the plastic from a nozzle. The operator can join plastic components using either fillet or butt welds. The weld bead fuses with the base material to create a homogeneous bond. Other techniques like ultrasonic welding are also employed to fuse plastic components together.
- Routing: Plastic can be formed using a router in the same manner as wood routers are used. Chamfers or rounds can be cut on sharp corners, and pockets can also be cut. High-speed rotary tools can cause the plastic to melt, so care must be taken to ensure the tools are sharp.
- Sawing: Many different sawing tools are available such as: jigsaws, circular saws, band saws, and table saws. When cutting plastic, purpose-made cutting blades are used which have a coarse tooth spacing.
- Thermoforming: Plastic sheets can be vacuum-formed over various shapes by heating the plastic and then draping it over a form. A vacuum is then applied that forces the heated plastic over the shape.
- Drilling: Plastics are easily drilled. However, drill bits must be kept sharp and speed relatively slow. Blunt drills and high speeds will often melt the plastic rather than drill through it.
During the fabrication process and prior to releasing the component, rigorous quality inspections are performed to ensure the part meets stringent quality standards. Typical inspections can include: material checks, dimensional checks, and general visual checks.
