Materials
Plastics we machine
We CNC machine practically any machinable engineering plastic, from UHMW and acetal to PEEK and Ultem, plus aluminum, brass and bronze. If the grade isn’t on your drawing, we’ll suggest suitable plastics with your quote.
Find your plastic
Trade names work too
Common searches
- UHMW UHMW-PE, UHMWPE Industrial
- HDPE High-density polyethylene Industrial
- Polypropylene PP Industrial
- PVC Polyvinyl chloride Industrial
- CPVC Chlorinated PVC Industrial
- ABS Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene Industrial
- Acrylic PMMA, Plexiglas Industrial
- Acetal Delrin, POM, Celcon Mechanical
- Nylon PA 6, PA 6/6, cast nylon Mechanical
- Polycarbonate PC, Lexan Mechanical
- PET PET-P, Ertalyte Mechanical
- PBT Polybutylene terephthalate Mechanical
- PTFE Teflon Fluoropolymers
- PVDF Kynar Fluoropolymers
- PCTFE Kel-F, Neoflon Fluoropolymers
- ECTFE Halar Fluoropolymers
- PEEK Polyetheretherketone High-performance
- Ultem PEI, polyetherimide High-performance
- PPS Polyphenylene sulfide, Ryton High-performance
- PSU Polysulfone, Udel High-performance
- PPSU Polyphenylsulfone, Radel High-performance
- Polyimide Vespel High-performance
- G10 G-10, FR4, glass-epoxy Thermosets and laminates
- Phenolic Phenolic laminate, Micarta Thermosets and laminates
- Polyurethane PU, urethane Thermosets and laminates
- Aluminum Soft metal Soft metals
- Brass Soft metal Soft metals
- Bronze Soft metal Soft metals
Not on our list? We very likely machine it.
Our list covers the plastics we see most. Send the grade with your drawing and we’ll quote it.
Request a quotePlastic search needs JavaScript. Plastics index
Choosing a plastic
Choose by what the part has to handle
The common choices for each condition, as general guidance. If your drawing already specifies a grade, we machine to it.
01 / 08
Wear and sliding
Parts that slide, rub or carry a moving load.
Common choices
- UHMW Very high abrasion resistance and low friction. A common choice for conveyor wear surfaces. UHMW page
- Acetal Hard, low friction and stable in size. Suits gears, bushings and close fits. Acetal page
- Nylon Tough and wear resistant, with lubricated grades for bearing surfaces. Nylon page
Parts that often need this
Not sure? Send the drawing or the old part, and we’ll suggest suitable plastics.
Request a quote02 / 08
Impact
Parts that take knocks, drops or repeated strikes.
Common choices
- UHMW Exceptional impact strength, including at low temperatures. UHMW page
- Polycarbonate Very high impact strength, and available clear. Polycarbonate page
- Nylon Tough under repeated shock loads. Nylon page
Parts that often need this
Not sure? Send the drawing or the old part, and we’ll suggest suitable plastics.
Request a quote03 / 08
Chemicals
Parts in contact with acids, caustics, solvents or cleaning chemicals.
Common choices
- PTFE Resists almost all chemicals. Soft, so it suits seals and seats more than structural parts. PTFE page
- PVDF Strong chemical resistance, with more stiffness than PTFE. PVDF page
- Polypropylene Resists many acids and caustics at moderate temperatures, at a lower cost. Polypropylene page
Parts that often need this
Not sure? Send the drawing or the old part, and we’ll suggest suitable plastics.
Request a quote04 / 08
Heat
Parts that run hot, or sit close to hot equipment.
Common choices
- PEEK Keeps its strength and chemical resistance at high temperatures. PEEK page
- Ultem High heat resistance and strength, with inherent flame resistance. Ultem page
- Polyimide For the highest temperatures among machinable plastics. Polyimide page
Parts that often need this
Not sure? Send the drawing or the old part, and we’ll suggest suitable plastics.
Request a quote05 / 08
Electrical insulation
Parts that keep current from passing between components.
Common choices
- Ultem High dielectric strength that holds up with heat. Ultem page
- G10 Glass-epoxy laminate. Strong, rigid and a long-standing insulator. G10 page
- PTFE Excellent insulating properties across a wide temperature range. PTFE page
Parts that often need this
Not sure? Send the drawing or the old part, and we’ll suggest suitable plastics.
Request a quote06 / 08
Holding tight size
Parts with close fits, bores and mating features.
Common choices
- Acetal Low moisture uptake, and machines cleanly to size. Acetal page
- PET Very stable in size, with low moisture uptake. PET page
- PEEK Stable and strong where heat or chemicals are also involved. PEEK page
Parts that often need this
Not sure? Send the drawing or the old part, and we’ll suggest suitable plastics.
Request a quote07 / 08
Wet service and washdown
Parts that run wet or are washed down regularly.
Common choices
- UHMW Absorbs almost no water and resists many cleaning chemicals. UHMW page
- Acetal Low moisture uptake keeps it stable in wet service. Acetal page
- HDPE Absorbs almost no water, at a lower cost than UHMW. HDPE page
Parts that often need this
Not sure? Send the drawing or the old part, and we’ll suggest suitable plastics.
Request a quote08 / 08
Food and detection
Parts for food, beverage and pharmaceutical equipment.
Common choices
- UHMW Available in food-contact grades and metal-detectable grades. UHMW page
- Acetal Available in food-contact grades and detectable grades. Acetal page
- Detectable grades Metal- and X-ray-detectable versions of common plastics, so stray fragments can be found. Detectable plastics page
Food-contact compliance comes with the material grade and its supplier documentation. Tell us the requirement and we’ll suggest suitable grades.
Parts that often need this
Not sure? Send the drawing or the old part, and we’ll suggest suitable plastics.
Request a quote01 Wear and sliding
Parts that slide, rub or carry a moving load.
Common choices
- UHMW UHMW page Very high abrasion resistance and low friction. A common choice for conveyor wear surfaces.
- Acetal Acetal page Hard, low friction and stable in size. Suits gears, bushings and close fits.
- Nylon Nylon page Tough and wear resistant, with lubricated grades for bearing surfaces.
Parts that often need this
02 Impact
Parts that take knocks, drops or repeated strikes.
Common choices
- UHMW UHMW page Exceptional impact strength, including at low temperatures.
- Polycarbonate Polycarbonate page Very high impact strength, and available clear.
- Nylon Nylon page Tough under repeated shock loads.
Parts that often need this
03 Chemicals
Parts in contact with acids, caustics, solvents or cleaning chemicals.
Common choices
- PTFE PTFE page Resists almost all chemicals. Soft, so it suits seals and seats more than structural parts.
- PVDF PVDF page Strong chemical resistance, with more stiffness than PTFE.
- Polypropylene Polypropylene page Resists many acids and caustics at moderate temperatures, at a lower cost.
Parts that often need this
04 Heat
Parts that run hot, or sit close to hot equipment.
Common choices
- PEEK PEEK page Keeps its strength and chemical resistance at high temperatures.
- Ultem Ultem page High heat resistance and strength, with inherent flame resistance.
- Polyimide Polyimide page For the highest temperatures among machinable plastics.
Parts that often need this
05 Electrical insulation
Parts that keep current from passing between components.
Common choices
- Ultem Ultem page High dielectric strength that holds up with heat.
- G10 G10 page Glass-epoxy laminate. Strong, rigid and a long-standing insulator.
- PTFE PTFE page Excellent insulating properties across a wide temperature range.
Parts that often need this
06 Holding tight size
Parts with close fits, bores and mating features.
Common choices
- Acetal Acetal page Low moisture uptake, and machines cleanly to size.
- PET PET page Very stable in size, with low moisture uptake.
- PEEK PEEK page Stable and strong where heat or chemicals are also involved.
Parts that often need this
07 Wet service and washdown
Parts that run wet or are washed down regularly.
Common choices
- UHMW UHMW page Absorbs almost no water and resists many cleaning chemicals.
- Acetal Acetal page Low moisture uptake keeps it stable in wet service.
- HDPE HDPE page Absorbs almost no water, at a lower cost than UHMW.
Parts that often need this
08 Food and detection
Parts for food, beverage and pharmaceutical equipment.
Common choices
- UHMW UHMW page Available in food-contact grades and metal-detectable grades.
- Acetal Acetal page Available in food-contact grades and detectable grades.
- Detectable grades Detectable plastics page Metal- and X-ray-detectable versions of common plastics, so stray fragments can be found.
Food-contact compliance comes with the material grade and its supplier documentation. Tell us the requirement and we’ll suggest suitable grades.
Parts that often need this
Not sure? Send the drawing or the old part, and we’ll suggest suitable plastics. Request a quote
Plastics index
Plastics we machine most often
Listed by family, with the trade names they’re often sold under. If yours isn’t here, we very likely machine it too.
07 plastics
Industrial plastics
Everyday plastics for wear, washdown and chemical service.
05 plastics
Mechanical plastics
Stiff, stable plastics for gears, bushings and close fits.
04 plastics
Fluoropolymers
For harsh chemicals, low friction and wide temperature ranges.
06 plastics
High-performance plastics
For heat, strength and electrical insulation.
Not listed? We machine practically any machinable plastic. Send the grade with your drawing.
Trade names belong to their respective owners.
Buyer questions
Plastic materials FAQs
Something else? Call (630) 904-2525.
That’s common with worn or obsolete parts. Send the part or photos, and tell us what it does and what it runs against. We’ll suggest suitable plastics with your quote.
Delrin is a brand of acetal homopolymer. Acetal copolymer, sold under names such as Celcon, is the other common type. If your drawing specifies one, we machine to it.
Yes. Teflon is a brand name for PTFE. If your drawing calls for a specific PTFE grade, we machine to it.