East Coast Precision Manufacturing » machined plastic

Tips for Customers and Engineers Who Want Vapor Polished Plastic Parts

eastcoastmfg — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:07:33 +0000

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

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G10, FR4, and Fiberglass Machining at East Coast MFG

eastcoastmfg — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:22:18 +0000

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

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Clear Polysulfone Machining at East Coast Precision Manufacturing

eastcoastmfg — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:45:09 +0000

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

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Milled & Vapor Polished Polycarbonate Coverplate

eastcoastmfg — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:42:45 +0000

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

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Teflon Insulator with C-axis work

eastcoastmfg — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:09:31 +0000

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

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Vapor Polished Polycarbonate Button

eastcoastmfg — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:47:11 +0000

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

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Machined Teflon / PTFE Manifold

eastcoastmfg — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:38:57 +0000

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

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Machined & Vapor Polished Polycarbonate Lens Housing

eastcoastmfg — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:42:19 +0000

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.

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MicroMachined Teflon Components

eastcoastmfg — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:59:17 +0000

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?

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Happy 4th of July!

eastcoastmfg — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:57:56 +0000

Happy 4th of July from East Coast Precision Manufacturing!

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