Consider a Precision Plastic Machined Component in your Design
Many efforts have been undertaken by OEMs to remove costs from their products. Converting metal components to plastic components in an application can result in significant reductions in costs, design changes, overall weight and waste.
There exists a vast range of metal and plastic materials, where each one has a set of properties that are easily understood by designers and should be the first consideration when selecting the right material for any application. Metals are capable of maintaining their properties over a broad range of applications. Plastic parts are more susceptible to change under certain operating conditions. The key consideration for a possible plastic material in any application is the effect that normal operating conditions will have on the plastic component.
Today, plastic materials include an expanding variety of characteristics for tensile strength, heat tolerance, and chemical resistance. The number of plastic alternatives also continues to expand. Plastic parts can also be polished to an optical finish when required – a quality not available when using metal.
Matweb is a powerful site with a large searchable database that provides considerable information on the various grades of polymers available. Here you can do some additional comparisons and research on the best material for your application.
When analyzing the potential value of converting metal to plastic components in your application, please consider these points:
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What temperatures will the plastic part be exposed to?
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What chemicals will the plastic part be exposed to?
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Does the part need to conduct heat, electricity, or have radio frequency shielding qualities?
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What tolerances are required for fit, form and function?
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The answers to your application-specific requirements should serve as a guide to narrow down the list of potential plastic polymers that will suit your needs.
When called upon, we work reliably with our customers to take costs out of the design or save projects or designs that are in trouble; and we have been integral in getting our customers’ device to market faster.
