Different Methods of Plastic Fabricating

Ready to start a business involving plastics? You may need to know a bit about plastic fabrication. Plastic fabrication is the process of using specialized procedures and machines to transform raw sheet plastics into specific shapes and moulds. These can be products in themselves, like utensils, or used to manufacture other products, like bottles or car parts. Because of the low cost and ease of use of plastics, many industries in Calgary and everywhere else rely on plastics fabrication.

Different methods of plastic fabrication produce many different types of materials. These are some of the more common processes:

Hand Lay-Up 

Hand lay-up plastic fabrication is a popular method of producing plastic parts. It involves using sheets of plastic to create a mould for the part. This process is manual, whereas most other methods are automatic.

Spray-Up

Spray-up plastics fabrication is the process of spraying fibrous plastics onto a fabricating surface. This surface could be metal, wood, textile, or other materials. Once sprayed and heated, the fibres of the plastic adhere to the fabric and form a solid and strong object.

Resin Transfer Molding

In the process of resin transfer moulding, pieces of metal press together to form moulds. The piece goes into the mould, and molten plastic pours over the top. The pressure drives the molten plastic into all the spaces between the two pieces of metal that form the mould. This ensures that every corner fills with plastic.

Resin Film Infusion

This process involves using heat and pressure to bond or embed resins into films. The films are multi-layer polyester coated with an interlayer of plastic fibres.

Compression Molding

This process melts plastic material until it becomes a liquid. A machine then compresses the liquid plastic into a mould of the desired shape. The pressure from the mould causes the heated plastic to cool and harden, forming an instant solid plastic object.

Filament Winding

Filament winding is a process where melted plastic extrudes through a heated nozzle, then coated onto a rotating mandrel. The mandrel then inserts into a chamber of compressed air where the plastic cools and settles into an orderly, tightly coiled form.

Centrifugal Casting

This process uses centrifugal force to rapidly cool the mould, which eliminates the need for expensive metal moulds. Molten plastic spins at high speeds before cooling the material and shaping it into the desired shape.

Extrusion

Extrusion involves shaping plastics into an object through a heated die. The plastic pushes through the die, shaping it to the desired form.

Injection Molding

Injection moulding is a process that heats plastic into a liquid. Then, it is mixed with additives and injected into a closed cavity where it cools and hardens.

Find a Trusted Partner for Plastic Fabrication

Starting a plastic product business involves not just finding reliable suppliers but also creating good working relationships. Make sure you have a supplier of industrial plastics in Calgary that knows your needs and keeps everything professional. If you are looking for high-quality plastic distributors near me, contact us today, and we'll be happy to assist.