Machining Plastics
Dynalab Corp custom plastic fabrication department machines products for use in laboratories, industry, education and even the home. Plastics fill an interesting machining niche somewhere between wood and metal. Until recently there were no specific tools for plastics; wood cutting and metal cutting tools had to be tweaked to perform machining tasks on plastics. Turning, milling, boring, reaming, and threading are all easily accomplished on most plastics. There are a few basic rules to follow.
Plastics are generally poor thermal conductors and care should be taken to control heat. Some possible methods to achieve this include employing a liquid coolant and keeping spindle speeds low. Water soluble cutting fluids can work very well.
Another key element is the cutter material. We have found that un-coated cutters work best as they have dead sharp edges. It is important to put enough load on the cutting tool to create a good chip.
CNC milling recessed into an acrylic block to be used in a custom rack.
Feeds and
speeds are combined to permit the best cut, and there are as many
combinations as there are plastics. A common mistake is to feed too
slowly with the spindle speed too high, causing great heat. Small
diameter tools run at higher speeds than larger diameter tools. Also,
try to listen to the cutter, chirping, singing, and chatter are all bad
sounds.
Fixturing your workpiece properly is crucial. Top plates for
drilling, toe clamps for milling, chucks & collets, and of course
vices. Most plastics are non-porous which makes them excellent
candidates for a vacuum table hold-down system.
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 Dynalab 's Knee mill is a CNC milling machine used primarily for small quantity runs.
Partner 1 is among Dynalab's most used CNC machines. This unit normally runs continuously machining out holes for tube racks and complex side supports needed for stock products shown below.
103215 Series Thermometer Racks
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