Custom plastic fabrication is the process of designing, manufacturing, and assembling plastic components and products. There are many fabrication processes and methods that are used to create plastic components and products. Let’s explore the custom plastic fabrication processes used to create your plastic products.

Common Plastic Fabrication Processes

CNC Machining

CNC machining is a very popular fabrication process since it is so precise. The process uses a pre-programmed computer software to dictate the movement of factory tools and machinery to create complex and detailed parts with tight tolerances. There are a few CNC machining processes that are particularly common — CNC milling, turning, grinding, and lapping. 

  • CNC Milling: This process uses a cylindrical cutter on an axis to shape flat surfaces, grooves, or other characteristics into the part.
  • CNC Turning: During this process, the workpiece is spun at a high speed and a stationary cutting tool shaves material away to form the finished product.
  • CNC Grinding: This machining process uses a rotating grinding wheel to remove material from a workpiece to achieve a high degree of surface quality.
  • CNC Lapping: An abrasive material and the workpiece are both rotated at high speeds and brought into contact with each other to yield the surface finish

At Ensinger, we want to make sure our CNC machining services are as efficient as possible. Our team uses collaborative robots called cobots to increase the precision of the parts and products we produce, allowing us to adhere to the tightest tolerances (up to +/- 0.0005 inches).

Plastic Annealing

Plastic annealing is the process of heating up a plastic part to half of its melting temperature before cooling it down and allowing the plastic to relax. This process reduces the internal stresses of the plastic to assist with downstream processes. One of the reasons plastic annealing is used is if your part is warping during fabrication since the process can help prevent that warpage from occurring.

Plastic Bending

Plastic bending services are used to shape plastics to fit the needs of your application. These services enable the development of curved and seamless shapes, allowing for a high-quality finished product look. At Ensinger, we can bend clear plastics such as acrylic, polycarbonate, and PETG as well as low-friction materials like HDPE and Nylon.

Plastic Bonding

Bonding plastics to other polymers or other substrates can be difficult, however, it is necessary for the functionality or aesthetics of many products. There are a few types of plastic bonding processes that can be used: 

  • Solvent Bonding: This bonding process requires coating plastics together with a specific solvent and clamping them together. The solvent will soften the plastic and will evaporate, bonding the plastics together.
  • Ultrasonic Bonding: High-frequency, or ultrasonic, sound waves are applied to two or more plastics that are held together under pressure to bond them together.
  • Adhesive Bonding: This bonding method binds plastics together through the use of a particular adhesive.

At Ensinger, our team is able to bond your plastic parts or products through any of these methods and we can even help you decide which process is right for you.

Assembly

Assembly is critical to making sure your plastic products are exactly as you imagine and can function exactly as they are needed. Full assembly includes bonding them, installing threaded parts, and completing bearing assembly. At Ensinger, we can fully assemble your product or part as soon as they are done being manufactured.

Quality Custom Plastic Fabrication from Ensinger

At Ensinger, we have decades of experience fabricating custom plastic parts and products. We have extensive knowledge of plastic characteristics and their make-up to properly bend, bond, and fabricate your products.

In addition to our fabrication and CNC machining services, we can take on your project from start to finish. Our team will help you design and engineer your products so they function as expected while also being easy and efficient to manufacture. We also offer injection molding services to accurately and quickly manufacture your products.

Contact our team to learn more about our custom plastic fabrication services.