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.
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.
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.
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
Happy 4th of July from East Coast Precision Manufacturing!
Plastic machining is both an art and a science. Plastics can change dimensionally due to humidity, temperature and machining process and there is an “art” to keeping machined components within stated tolerances. All polymers and copolymers react differently to coolant and machining technique- the science required to properly machine plastic.
Plastic can be machined or molded to create plastic components. Plastic machining is typically used for low volume components or components that may have a short life span. While creating a mold is costly up front, each individual component created from the mold is a cost effective way to produce high volume, long life span components.
Machining a plastic component can allow an OEM to test certain materials for reactivity as well as tolerance to stresses. Parts can be turned or milled or both turned and milled. In selecting a shop for plastic machining, it is important that the shop have experience in both the science and art of plastic machining. Plastic only shops in particular will help to avoid contamination with coolants and metal fragments usually found in a metal shop. They are also familiar with both annealing and polishing of your plastic component.
In selecting a shop for your plastic machining, three criteria are important:
Take a look at an example of some PTFE (teflon) turning we do at East Coast Precision Manufacturing. The part you see here is thin walled. It features a OD grooving with a notched feature on one end.
PTFE is often used in the electrical and chemical industries. It is very chemical resitant, stable, and a good insulator.
Teflon machining is one of our core competencies here at East Coast Precision. We have been working with it for a long time and look foward to quoting on your teflon work today!
This a sample of some turned Ultem we have been working on at East Coast Precision Manufacturing. Ultem is known for its resistance to chemicals, solvents, and heat. It is often used for instrumentation and reusable medical components. More information about Ultem.
On this part, each end is bored to a very tightly toleranced TIR (total indicated runout). The outside diameter is nicely contoured as well.
East Coast’s machining processes allow for thin walled parts like this to be manufactured very little stress. This makes for a more durable and longer lasting part.
Here is a video of East Coast’s
This is the machining of the part we first featured on the blog a week or so ago. The process for other materials is very similar. We chose acrylic because the chip we produced was easy to blow off with a blast of air. Other materials would require cutting fluids and would have made it difficult to record and see clearly. Hope you enjoy.
UPDATE: It has come to my attention that the sound track to the video was quite obnoxious. Problem fixed. Apparently, youtube offers stock music for videos you upload. Pretty Cool.
Sometimes it is necessary to utilize multiple machines to effectively produce a part for our customers. This is an example of that. This manifold is machined from acrylic. A turning center (lathe) is used to turn the outside diameter and round features that are concentric to the center of the part. A vertical machining center (mill) is used to complete the rest of the features. On this part, we can see some port work, deep hole milling, and thread milling.
The manifold is also vapor polished for a nice finish. Acrylic vapor polishes quite well but if you need “optical” clarity, polycarbonate would be the way to go.
