Customised machining : PROCESS plastic machining

Customised plastic machining also includes a wide range of products from the plastics industry. Mainly the cutting or machining of plastics is done with CNC, LASER or WATERJET machines.

« Machining is a family of processes for the manufacture of parts by the removal of material. The principle of machining is to remove material in such a way as to give the raw part the desired shape and dimensions, using a machine tool. This technique produces high-precision parts.
A machine tool is a piece of mechanical equipment designed to perform machining, or other repetitive tasks, with suitable precision and power. It is a means of production designed to hold a fixed, mobile or rotating tool and to impart movement to it in order to machine or deform a workpiece or assembly fixed on a fixed or mobile table. »

(Source : Wikipedia)

In LTP’s plastics processing offer, we differentiate between precision machining with machines equipped with several axes and 2D machining, i.e. the reworking of a standard housing. For example, 5-axis machining requires a dedicated machine park and trained and competent operators. The family of machine tools includes several devices such as saws, lathes, milling machines, grinders, drill presses, file vices and transfer machines.

At LTP, we machine in 2.5-axis flat or in volume with the same tolerances as we guarantee for the machining of elementary parts during the manufacture of a customised housing. (See GTC) Machining is carried out with a fleet of more than 10 latest generation NC machines (digital milling machines).

A digital machine is controlled by a computer and the milling spindles are controlled by a computer. For the machining of customised plastics, a CAD (Computer Aided Design) drawing is required, which is then translated into a program via a machining software package. The best-known CAD software providers are, for example, Top solid or SolidWorks according to Direct Industry.

The customised laser and water jet cutting of PMMA (PLEXI, ALTUGLAS)

Different plastics for machining are more or less difficult to machine. For example, the edges may lose their transparency and gloss when cutting transparent plastics. Laser or waterjet cutting, in contrast to digital cutting, offers better quality and precision producing mechanical parts, decoration, engraving on parts or protective casings. This machining method is mainly used for machining very small customised plastic parts or parts that require a very aesthetic finish.

The landscape of custom plastic processing companies in France

There are a large number of machinists in France and in Europe. To stand out from the crowd, you need to offer real value creation with high-performance equipment and a competent team. The latter requires a number of skills such as :

  • Boilermaker for the production of pipes, tanks or panels.
  • Senior Technician composite materials for design and production optimisation.
  • Research and Development Manager for the study and development of new manufacturing processes.

Or … product designer, toolmaker, machine setter, laminator etc.

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