Plastic is an indispensable item in today’s industries and households. Its versatility and availability in abundance make it a popular item for varied industrial and commercial applications. However, plastic has to undergo several fabrication processes to be converted into working parts.
What is Plastic Machining?
Plastic machining refers to the subtractive plastic manufacturing processes that help draw raw stock of plastic into the desired shapes and sizes. It involves using several machines like mills, lathes, cutting machines, grinders, drill presses, or any other controlled machine to fabricate products from plastic.
Varied Kinds of Plastic Machining Processes
A short brief on the varied kinds of plastic machining processes:
Drilling:
One of the commonly used tools, the drilling machine helps to form holes or cylindrical holes in the plastic. There is a lot of heat generation in the drilling process, and hence, some general rules should be followed while drilling heat-sensitive substances like plastic.
Milling:
While milling plastics, operators use vacuum systems, double sided tape, or fixture clamps so that the plastic workpiece is held firmly to the milling machine. At the same time, it has to be ensured that the work piece is not clamped too tight.
Turning:
The turning process involves using a lathe to shape the plastic piece. This process is the opposite of the milling process.
Sawing:
Specialised equipment like a table saw or band saw is used to cut the material into the desired number of pieces.
What is Custom Plastic Fabrication?
Custom plastic fabrication is the designing, manufacturing, and assembling of plastic products through varied methods. Following are the varied processes involved in custom plastic fabrication.
Blending
This process involves melting two or more plastics to form a mixture, which is then transformed into the desired shapes. The quantity and specifications of the compounding plastics should be precise for perfect fabrication.
Moulding
This fabrication process has several sub-categories like injection moulding, blow moulding, and rotational moulding.
Injection moulding: This process is slightly costlier than other processes but ranks high as far as versatility is concerned. It is best suited for manufacturing plastics that need a higher melt index.
Blow moulding:
Blow moulding is an uncomplicated and clear-cut process similar to the one used for glass moulding. It is best suited for fabricating single-piece hollow objects in bulk quantities. All plastic items like fuel tanks, plastic bottles, etc. are made using this process.
Rotational moulding:
Continuous rotational movement and the consequent generation of centrifugal forces help in the creation of even-walled products. This process becomes cost-effective for certain items and is normally used in making big hollow containers.
Plastic Extrusion
This process scores over others due to its high speed, sturdiness, and better stress enduring capability. Melting the plastic and converting them into small pellets is the first step in this process. Forcing these pellets through a die is the next step. Extruded plastic items are seamless.
Thermoforming
Heat is used to soften thermoplastic which is then shaped into the desired requirement. Tooling costs are relatively low under this process.
Die Cutting
Thin plastic items use this process of manufacture. Examples of some products made through this process include polyester film, polycarbonate film, and HDPE sheet.
Lamination
This process is used to increase the appearance and longevity of the product. Commonly used plastic compounds for lamination include synthetic resin and film.
Plastic Foaming
This fabrication process is used for the creation of plastic insulators. The materials used in creating plastic foam comprise polystyrene and polyurethane.
On a Summarising Note
There are several custom plastic fabrication companies available in Australia. What is important for ensuring each client’s satisfaction is to choose a company that is reputed, reliable, and staffed with professional experts.
