EPP Corporation

How to use the Plastic Design Guide

Refer to the Design Considerations at the bottom of this page. Consider whether each item on the checklist is a factor in the application or affects performance requirements for the component design.
Select the categories that have the greatest affect on your application.
Review the materials in the Plastic Properties Handbook [...]

New product development teams nationwide are frustrated with corporate cost cutting and lack of capital for their R&D plans. Valuable projects are put on hold because R&D budgets cannot cover the expensive introductory costs of new tooling and initial manufacturing of new designs. In today’s economic environment, corporate cost cutting is needed to help companies [...]

Selection of a truly qualified vendor is extremely important in today’s business environment. The time it takes to ask the right questions will pay big dividends – helping you obtain high quality machined plastic parts. And even though the rules for service and quality seem to be continually evolving, getting the best part at the [...]

Quality, of course, is directly related to price. Make sure the vendors you interview can provide the highest quality part at the lowest price. Plastic machining vendors can keep errors to a minimum if they are highly process driven, are ISO Certified, use documented SPC procedures, and own the proper inspection equipment such as CMM [...]

Ask about the type of equipment the potential vendor uses. The well-equipped plastic machining vendor will look pretty much like a metal machining shop, but the bona fide specialist will have equipment that has been adjusted or re-built expressly for machining plastic material. The right equipment will machine plastic using the correct speeds, feeds and [...]

Just as a metal machine shop is unlikely to have the material knowledge you need, neither are they going to be able to purchase plastics in large enough quantities to provide you with the best price.
Likewise, find out if the plastic machining vendor candidates you are considering can purchase materials directly from material manufacturer. If [...]

Quiz potential vendors on their knowledge of various materials and applications. Ask them to share the information they have from their material manufacturers. Do they have any property charts or plastic material handbooks to give you? Specialists in plastic machining should have a wealth of up-to-date information.
Material knowledge is a critical area. Good plastic machining [...]

Not all plastic machining vendors are equipped to offer all parts. Others may not be able to give you the best prices. The following guidelines can help you locate a fully-qualified, cost effective plastic machining specialist:

Material Knowledge
Purchasing Practices
Equipment
Quality and Price
Looking For the Best

Be sure to ask potential vendors how they comply with these guidelines.
If you [...]

Engineers and buyers often reach out to metal machining companies to produce plastic machined parts, thinking, “They use the same manufacturing processes, don’t they? Does it really matter?”
It does matter. If you’ve wondered whether you should have a metal machinist produce your plastic parts, The Short Answer Is – No, You Should Not.
Here’s why:
Cutting fluids [...]

With every project that includes plastic components, you will need to answer the question, “Should I machine or mold this part?”
The two major factors needed to reach your conclusion are quantity of parts and level of dimensional tolerance. As a general rule, you should consider plastic machining when lower volumes are needed or tighter tolerances [...]