Plastic fabrications and plastic fabricators including plastic parts, plastic washers, custom plastics fabrication, plastic part design, plastics machining.  

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About Plastic Fabrication

A plastic fabricator is a manufacturer of plastic products or reinforced plastics. Fabricators cover a range of manufacturing processes involving plastics, including die cutting, stamping, laminating, assembly and packaging. Plastic fabrication is a general term that refers to the process of plastic manufacturing that produces specially designed plastic products. In strict terms, fabricating refers to the chemical process of plastic production. In many cases, the plastic fabricating manufacturer supplies plastic materials or parts to other manufacturers. These materials include original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and maintenance and repair operations.

Plastic fabricated parts include plastics that have been formed into molded parts, rods, tubes, sheeting, extrusion and similar products. Fabricating methods to create these products include punching, cutting, drilling, tapping, fastening or methods using other mechanical devices. The fabrication process for engineering plastic parts sometimes involves deburring, the removal of sharp edges from the cut plastic, which is usually done through the utilization of a CNC machining process. Deburring ensures a high degree of accuracy for plastic parts needed in machine applications.

Plastic fabrication refers to the design and manufacture of engineered parts, but it can also involve a combining and assembly process. The assembly process includes the cutting, gluing or welding of fabricated plastic parts together or to other materials. Products produced this way include display racks, enclosures, carts and signs. A plastic fabricator may be involved in these plastic manufacturing processes, but typically only if there is a need to control the process because of a desired characteristics in the end product, such as color or strength.

Generally, most manufacturing plants utilize plastics of some sort in the production of their products. Plastic fabricated products are beneficial, as they are often more cost efficient than metal or glass products. They can also be just as durable. Important considerations for plastic machined parts are size parameters, working temperature ranges, strength and color requirements. Products produced in the plastic fabrication process include washers, adapters, bearings, bushings, guide rings, insulators, shims, spacers and wear rings. Some specific examples of industries that use plastic fabricated products include the chemical, electronics, sign making, automotive, agriculture, architectural, engineering and lighting industries.

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Featured Articles

“Major Considerations in the Routing of Plastic”
http://www.plasticsmachining.com/magazine/2004/vanniserFebMarch.htm

“Guidelines for Fabricating Polycarbonate Sheet”
http://www.plasticsmag.com/features.asp?fIssue=Sep/Oct-04&aid=4073

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.
  
• Machined plastic is shaped rather than molded.
  
• 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 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 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 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.