Services
What We do
CNC Routing
CNC routing of plastic is the ideal process for manufacturing flat panel-type components such as machinery windows/screens, equipment housings, panels & doors. CNC routing is also the first process step in manufacturing machine guards and other plastic fabrications. Virtually any rigid plastic can be processed using this technology.
Our Capabilities
Our CNC routing equipment has been chosen to provide:
The largest standard bed sizes available in the UK
The ability to machine materials up to 70mm thick
Efficient processing software to achieve quick programming and setups
What We do
Multi Axis CNC Machining
Our goal is to fully meet your cnc machining needs, we have 3-axis, 4-axis and 5-axis capabilities.
Why we have invested heavily in our machining capabilities
We can now cut complex shapes and engineered parts
We can accurately cut parts with high dimension stability
We have a quick set-up to meet your needs
What We do
Laser Cutting
Laser cutting is a non-contact form of cutting that uses a focused laser beam to cut a variety of plastic materials cleanly. When you need state-of-the-art laser cutting and laser profiling services, our CNC-controlled plastic laser cutting machinery will deliver. We laser cut acrylic, mylar, polypropylene, polyester, and several thin film laminates including printed membrane switch materials.
Plastics We Can Laser Cut
Our range of machines are designed specifically for laser cutting plastic.
They allow us to process the following material and thickness combinations:
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acrylic – from 0.5mm film to 50mm thick block
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mylar – from 0.1mm to 1.0mm
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polypropylene – up to 1.2mm
Key Benefits of Laser Cut Plastic:
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Quick and efficient cutting
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High-quality cut finish
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Low-cost set ups & no tooling costs
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Highly intricate cut patterns can be achieved
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The ability to change component designs easily
Applications for our Laser-Cutting Services
- Laser cutting of industrial components for a variety of industries
- Contract manufacture of finished acrylic products for product marketers
- Cutting of retail display components and stands for designers and shop fitters
- Subcontract laser cutting of acrylic profiles for screen printers
- Subcontract laser cutting of acrylic profiles for plastic fabricators
Acrylic
Laser cut acrylic has a fine polished edge. Clear, frosted and tinted materials give the best edge results. All colours, including solids, can be cut with an extremely fine level of detail. In our experience, the best results are achieved when laser cutting the Perspex and Plexiglas brands of acrylic. We recommend these brands highly due to their consistency, quality and colour range availability. We do cut other brands of acrylic when a customer has a specific colour requirement and so our cutting experience includes material from all major suppliers including Mylar and Melinex.
Polypropylene
Polypropylene is a flexible, durable and clean plastic. The practical thickness limit for laser cutting polypropylene is much more restricted than acrylic. Acceptable results are achievable on relatively thin sections and the best results are achieved using material less than 1mm thick.For thicker polypropylene components we advise CNC routing as our recommended process. In spite of the thickness limitation we have seen significant growth in applications specifying thin section laser cut polypropylene.
Polyester Film
Laser cut polyester film has a number of applications in industry. Laser cutting can be a better approach to processing these materials that stamping or die cutting. In our experience, this applies when a cut pattern is intricate, when the components are large, or when the ability to adjust design is important.
What We do
Laser Engraving
CNC routing of plastic is the ideal process for manufacturing flat panel-type components such as machinery windows/screens, equipment housings, panels & doors. CNC routing is also the first process step in manufacturing machine guards and other plastic fabrications. Virtually any rigid plastic can be processed using this technology.
Key Benefits
There are many applications for laser engraving, from equipment and component marking though to promotional products. Control panels and equipment fascias are a speciality.
The quality feel of an engraved component
Ability to engrave small font sizes
Superior reproduction of fonts and logos
What We do
Plastic Fabrication
Fabrication is a generic term that is often applied to all aspects of sheet plastic processing. In addition to welding, we join plastic components together using two processes:
Chemical bonding provides good mechanical strength and can create mitre, face, lap and butt joints. It also has the benefits of being a quick process, can be used to produce clean-looking joints on clear materials and does not ‘contaminate’ the plastic with metal parts.
Mechanical fixing is achieved with a range of well-known fasteners. This is generally used when superior mechanical strength is required.
Edge polishing is used to give a desirable polished look to a component. This is mainly used for acrylic components since they polish well and are often used for highly visual applications. We flame polish, wet sand and buff polish.
Plastic Welding.
Certain plastics, such as PVC, polyethylene and polypropylene are fabricated through the process of hot gas welding. Other plastics, such as polycarbonate and PETG can also be hot gas welded. Our team have a wealth of experience and skill developed over many years, and we have CSWIP certification for the hot gas welding process.
PVC welding is common in chemical and water industry applications and in glovebox applications. Polypropylene welding is common in water industry and heavy-duty industrial applications. Polyethylene welding has niche applications in oil & gas. Polycarbonate welding and PETG welding are used when superior joint strength is needed compared with bonded joints.
Line Bending.
Forming plastic can be accomplished using several techniques. Line bending of plastic is an efficient process for creating one or more tight radius bends in sheet plastics.
The main benefits of plastic line bending are:
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straight bends are produced very efficiently
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Set up costs are low
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No tooling is involved
Most applications for line bending tend to focus on single or double parallel bends to create objects such as rectangular covers and equipment housings. However, some fairly complex forms can be manufactured using this technique.
Drape Moulding.
Drape moulding is a forming process that is good for producing large radius curves in plastic panels and for making tubes and cones. It is particularly effective for large components and thick section materials.
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Relatively inexpensive tooling costs, so cost effective for low volume production
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Maintains material thickness’ limited stretching and thinning of material compared with vacuum-forming
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Achieves very good forming results on certain materials, especially acrylic
What We do
Assembly & Packing
Not only do we manufacture single plastic components, but also we assemble fabricated, machined and bought-in plastic components to create value-added sub-assemblies and finished products.
There are many reasons why our customers ask us to undertake their assembly or packing processes.
Some of our assemblies have included:
PVC and polypropylene equipment housings for chemical environments
Isolation chambers for lab research
Dessicator cabinets
Some of the main reasons are:
The customer does not have assembly or packing operations of their own
The sub-assemblies are made up mostly of components we have machined or fabricated
We have more experience of assembling plastic components than the customer and therefore we produce a higher-quality assembly at a cost-effective price
What We do
Injection Moulding
We offer plastic injection moulding processes using a number of injection moulding machines with 100 ton to 600 ton weight capabilities, to manufacture a wide variety of plastic components.
Most thermoplastics can be processed by Injection Moulding. The table below lists some of the commonly used materials:
Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene ABS
Polypropylene PP
Nylon PA
Polystyrene GPPS
Polycarbonate PC
Injection mouldings count for a significant proportion of all plastics products from micro parts to large components such as bumpers and wheelie bins. Virtually all industry sectors use injection moulded parts – below is a few examples of the most common sectors that we supply:
Aerospace
Industrial equipment
Hospitalities/Catering
Automation
Medical
Consumer Electronics
The flexibility in sizes and shapes possible through the use of this process have consistently extended the boundaries of design in plastics and enabled significant replacement of traditional materials thanks to light weighting and design freedom.
Whether you are looking to source a new supplier for an existing product or you have a new product that you are developing we can help.
What We do
Supply Chain Capabilities
Our goal is to fully meet your supply needs. We have the ability to supply components, sub-assemblies and full general assemblies. We have the ability to pack and label to your requirements. We have the ability to supply kits of parts.
We have the ability to supply one or more items from a bill of materials. We have the ability to supply semi-finished components to your nominated third party for further processing.
We have the ability to supply you with raw materials and then for you to send us part processed items for completion by us. Chances are, whatever your supply chain need, we will be able to help.
With over 2000 customers, we have learned how to adapt to the needs of each customer for order scheduling, delivery, change processing and communications. Examples of requirements we are able to manage include: