Millions of plastic components are machined. If the annual volume is high enough, converting it to a molded part could be of advantage. With machining, you pay for the full rod or sheet, and then machine a fair amount of the plastic onto the floor as waste. Extruded sheet and rod is usually more expensive per pound than injection molded pellets. For example, if molded pellets are $5.00/lb. extruded rod of the same material will cost around $10.00/lb. Then, you have the cost of machining on top.
Machined components don’t just have to be plastic to become a molded part. Many parts International Plastics produces were originally machined metal parts. Be it brass bushings, aluminum, zinc castings, machined brass, many of these components can become molded parts, saving you money. Polymers such as PEEK, PPS, Radel, Ultem, and the special filler systems that can go into polymers these days can give your components better properties, lower cost, and longer use life.
Contact International Plastics, LLC today to discuss with our engineers converting your component to a molded part.