October 29th, 2009
Here is set of photos showing the progression of vapor polishing a plastic part. The first shot is of the part before polishing. The second is during vapor polishing. We only polished half of it to show the difference in finish that vaporing can offer. The final photo is of the part fully vapored. Many potential customers ask about having us vapor parts that they machined. Normally, we do the machining in house but we also offer vaporing as a service. The thing about vapor polishing though, is that any surface imperfections can be magnified. For example, if you give us a piece of machined acrylic, ultem, or polycarbonate that has heavy feed lines or chatter, the vaporing will bring out the poor finish. The truth is, poor finish in = shiny poor finish out. If your machining is fundamentally good and your surface finish is smooth, vapor polishing can brilliantly polish your plastic parts. Engineers and Machinists should also know that overly aggressive machining can impart stress in the finished parts. This can be problematic during the vapor polishing process because the parts may end up with crazing visible inside the material or on the surface. Ultimately, we like to do our machining in-house so we can be sure the parts our customers receive will be as good as possible. However, If your in-house machining work is strong, you will be very satisfied with East Coast Precision Manufacturing’s vapor polishing service. Can’t wait to hear from you!
East Coast Precision Manufacturing
Plastic Polishing
Secondary Plastic Machining
Tags: acrylic, cnc, machined plastic, mill, milled, polycarbonate, ultem, vaporpolish
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October 7th, 2009
At East Coast Precision Manufacturing, we not only provide our customers with machined plastic but also other composites. This is an example of G10 machining. Some engineers may recognize it as FR-4 but we often refer to it as “fiberglass” here at the shop. It is a laminated composite held together by an epoxy binder. It is mainly used in circuit board applications but is also structurally superior to many other materials and finds its way into applications that can take advantage of that. For some, it is difficult to machine. It is very abrasive to tooling, easy to burn, and may de-laminate if the machinist is not experienced in cutting it. Here at East Coast, we do an excellent job of cutting it due to our time proven methods. Send us an RFQ, we’d love to work with you.
Milling at East Coast Precision
FR-4 Wikipedia Page
Tags: cnc, contour, Fiberglass, G10, machined plastic, mill, milled
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October 1st, 2009
Here are some photos of a plastic part machined out of clear polysulfone. Engineers choose polysulfone for their applications because it has a very high service temperature. This allows it to be used in assemblies where high temperatures are encountered regularly, such as autoclaves. Polysulfone can also be used as a membrane in filtration systems.
Polysulfone on Wikipedia
CNC Milling at East Coast Precision
Not enough capacity? Outsource your plastic machining to us
Tags: cnc, lathe, machined plastic, mill, milled, multiple-ops, polysulfone, turned
Posted in Turned and Milled Work | No Comments »
September 23rd, 2009
I recently read a good post about nominal screw diameters and hole clearances over at Toolmonger, a blog I personally read. Give it a look if you’re interested. They regularly feature interesting tools, projects, and ideas that engineers would enjoy reading. From Scissors to Shop Class History to Gauge Blocks, they have some great stuff!
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September 14th, 2009
This part is an example of our milling department’s capabilities. It is machined out of a sheet of polycarbonate and vapor polished to a perfectly clear finish. Engineers designing parts that require visually or optically clear finishes should know that polycarbonate is an excellent material choice. Acrylic works well too but polycarbonate polishes to a clearer finish almost every time.
This part is used in a light housing and is implemented as a lens. The inside of the lens has been cosmetically machined to help with light diffusion.
Outsource your plastic machining needs to us
Polishing Q&A
Polycarbonate Wikipedia page
Tags: cnc, machined plastic, mill, milled, polycarbonate, vaporpolish
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August 19th, 2009
Teflon work has been a core component of East Coast Precision’s lathe department. Teflon is often used as an insulator in radio connections or as a gasketing material due to its inert qualities.
This is an example of some micromachined Teflon parts we made a few weeks ago. This part was cleanly machined with no burrs in just one operation. We were able to turn, drill, bore, mill a flat, and mill a notch in the part with a single setup.
About Teflon
Plastic Turning Page
Teflon Parts
Tags: bore, c-axis, cnc, lathe, machined plastic, micromachined, milled, ptfe, small parts, teflon, tight-tolerance, tir, turned
Posted in Turned and Milled Work | No Comments »
August 14th, 2009
Take a look at some more of our work in polycarbonate. This part was turned on a cnc lathe out of polycarbonate, sometimes referred to as lexan. It features a vapor polished finish and concentric grooves on the face. This part is a button that is backlit by a light. It is believed that the concentric grooves will help diffuse the light.
During the initial quoting and machining phase, we worked closely with the customer while they finalized their design. Sometimes that means making a few, sending them out, and waiting to hear back from them. This close relationship is one that not many other shops can offer. The size of East Coast Precision allows us to be nimble when working with our customers.
Our goal is for each customer to feel as if East Coast Precision is an extension of their business and for them to know their parts are as important to us as they are to them.
CNC Plastic Turning
Vapor Polishing
Our Commitment to Customer Service
Tags: cnc, groove, lathe, machined plastic, polycarbonate, turned, vaporpolish
Posted in Turned Work | 1 Comment »
August 12th, 2009
Here is a PTFE manifold we recently machined on one of our mills. We have developed techniques that allow us to mill Teflon in such a way that burrs are either minimized or eliminated, thus saving part deburring time. This customer has East Coast do some light assembly work for them as well. We install the push to connect fitting you see in the first picture.
Teflon (PTFE) is often selected for manifolds for its inert qualities. Many chemicals do not affect PTFE.
East Coast Precision can work with you to produce great parts in Teflon or any other plastic material.
Teflon Machining
Milling Department
Request a Quote
Tags: machined plastic, mill, milled, ptfe, teflon, thread
Posted in Milled Work | No Comments »
August 10th, 2009
Polycarbonate is a material often found in environments where it may be subject to impact forces. This lens that we machined is no exception. It was milled on East Coast’s state-of-the-art vertical machining centers. To ensure a clear finish, the polycarbonate was vapor polished after machining. In some cases, our customers are not sure what they ultimately need in their plastic parts. When questions, concerns, or changes need to be addressed, our customers speak directly with engineers and machinists that are directly working on their part. That is one of the many benefits of working with East Coast Precision Manufacturing.
If you need plastic machining of polycarbonate or any other materials, we would love to be considered.
Vapor Polishing
Vapor Polishing FAQs
Milling Department
Customer Service
Tags: machined plastic, mill, milled, polycarbonate, vaporpolish
Posted in Milled Work | No Comments »
August 6th, 2009
Here are some small Teflon parts we recently shipped. The first thing to notice is the size of these parts. They feature a blind hole and micro-grooves on the OD. We made a custom ground groove tool so they could be machined with no burrs and come off the machine clean.
Click on images to see them a bit larger:
Plastic Turning at East Coast Precision
Teflon Machining at East Coast Precision
What is Teflon?
Tags: groove, lathe, machined plastic, micromachined, ptfe, small parts, teflon, tight-tolerance, turned
Posted in Turned Work | 1 Comment »
