| Recently, our company exhibited at a design | | | | * Greatest cost efficiency for lower quantities |
| show in New England. At the show, I could not | | | | * No parting lines, ejector marks or flash |
| help but notice how many engineers approached | | | | * No draft angles required |
| our booth and picked up our parts. They were | | | | * Closest tolerance possible |
| attracted by the various shapes, the colors, and | | | | * Lower component stress |
| the way the overhead lights shown off the many | | | | * Fastest turnaround time |
| sharp angles that only precision machining can | | | | * Low or no tooling costs |
| produce. They each would turn the part over and | | | | * Great material choices |
| over, show their companions, discuss among | | | | * Ease of producing features such as threads, |
| themselves, then every time, the visitor would | | | | undercuts and channels. |
| look up and ask this same question: | | | | Of course there are applications for which only a |
| "Are these parts injection molded?" "No, they are | | | | molded plastic part will do. Cell phones, toys, |
| not" I would reply and sigh inwardly knowing that | | | | computers. Millions and millions of these products |
| I was confronting yet another design engineer | | | | are produced each day, and molded parts is the |
| who believes that molded parts are more cost | | | | only way to keep costs down. However, for our |
| effective and a better choice. | | | | customers in the medical device industry, the |
| It has been our experience and that of many of | | | | nuclear industry, or measurement and |
| our customers', that precision machined plastic | | | | instrumentation, just to name a few, a precision |
| parts made to exacting specifications, not only | | | | machined plastic part, made to their exact |
| save money, but saves time as well, by getting | | | | specifications, meeting tolerances of +/-.0005, if |
| the device to market faster. When precise | | | | need be, that has been inspected, individually |
| measurements, clear finishes and no burrs or | | | | packed, and is ready for assembly upon arrival, |
| metal contamination are critical requirements, then | | | | provides both the cost savings and peace of mind |
| plastic machining is your best option. | | | | that molded parts cannot accomplish. Best of all, |
| Plastic machining has advantages worth | | | | precision machined plastic parts can be counted on |
| considering. | | | | to fit into your device and work every time. |
| * Greatest design change flexibility | | | | |