Materials · Industrial plastics
HDPE machining
Custom HDPE parts CNC machined to your drawing or sample: baffles, bumpers, rollers, spacers and more. Machined in our Aurora, Illinois shop.
HDPE at a glance
- Full name
- High-density polyethylene (HDPE)
- Also called
- Polyethylene, PE, PE 300
- Known for
- Light weight, low water uptake, chemical resistance and low cost
- With heat
- Expands more than most plastics, with a moderate heat limit
- Grades
- Natural, food-contact, colored, UV-stabilized and more
Parts in HDPE
HDPE parts we machine
The parts we see most often in HDPE, and why it suits each job. We machine any HDPE part to your drawing or sample, listed here or not.
- Baffles photo
Baffles
Takes on almost no water and resists many cleaners, for wet and washdown service.
- Bumpers photo
Bumpers
A non-marring wear face that won’t rust or corrode.
- Rollers photo
Rollers
Light, water-resistant shells and sleeves.
- Spacers photo
Spacers
Light, low-cost and corrosion-free.
- Sprockets photo
Sprockets
Light and quiet for light-duty and washdown conveyors.
- Gaskets photo
Gaskets
Resists many chemicals and stays at size wet.
Need a different HDPE part? Send the drawing, or the old part, and we’ll quote it. Request a quote
Is HDPE right for the part?
Where HDPE works, and where another plastic may suit
General guidance on how HDPE behaves. If your drawing names HDPE, we machine to it.
Where it works
- Water
- Takes on almost no water, so it stays at size in wet service.
- Chemicals
- Resists many acids, alkalis and cleaning chemicals.
- Light weight
- Light enough to float, and far lighter than metal.
- Low cost
- One of the lowest-cost plastics for machined parts.
- Toughness
- Takes knocks without cracking, even in the cold.
- Large flat parts
- Comes in large sheet, for baffles, pads and panels.
Where another plastic may suit
| If the part needs | Often used instead |
|---|---|
| Heavy or abrasive wear For heavy sliding wear and impact, UHMW lasts much longer. | |
| Stiffness or tight fits HDPE is soft and flexes under load. Acetal is stiffer and stays closer to size. | |
| Higher temperatures HDPE softens at moderate temperatures. | |
| Strong oxidizing chemicals Strong oxidizing acids attack polyethylene. |
Grades
HDPE grades
HDPE comes in natural, food-contact, colored and UV-stabilized grades. Name the grade on your drawing, or tell us how the part runs and we’ll suggest one.
| Grade | Typically used for |
|---|---|
| Natural (virgin) | General machined parts. White to translucent. |
| Food-contact grades | Parts that touch food. Compliance comes with the grade’s supplier documentation. |
| Black UV-stabilized | Outdoor parts that sit in sunlight. |
| Colored | Color-coded parts, guards and panels. |
| Marine board | UV-stabilized sheet for outdoor and marine parts. |
| Reprocessed | Lower-cost parts where color and purity matter less. |
| Metal-detectable | Food and pharmaceutical lines where stray fragments must be found. Detectable plastics |
Buyer questions
HDPE FAQs
Something else? Call (630) 904-2525.
All plastics we machineBoth are polyethylene. UHMW has much longer molecular chains, so it resists wear and impact far better. HDPE is lighter-duty and costs less, which suits many baffles, pads and panels. We machine whichever your drawing names, or suggest one with your quote.
Food-contact grades of HDPE are made for parts that touch food. Compliance comes with the grade’s supplier documentation. If your drawing specifies a food-contact grade, we machine to it, or we’ll suggest one with your quote.
HDPE is one type of polyethylene. The family also includes softer low-density PE and much tougher UHMW. For machined parts, HDPE and UHMW are the common choices.
Yes. We supply HDPE sheet and rod, cut to size when you need it, through our material supply service.