Family-owned precision machine shop · Aurora, Illinois · Since 1986

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Custom machined change parts

Plastic turn blocks

PHOTO NEEDED: CDS-machined turn blocks / corner tracks
Also called
Corner blocks & corner tracks
Guides
Containers or chain
Starting point
Worn block or drawing
Sets
With matching straight guides

Machined corner blocks and corner tracks that carry containers or chain through a turn. Matched to your worn block or made to your drawing, from one block to full line sets.

Request a turn block quote (630) 904-2525

Why corners wear first

Line pressure pushes into the curve

A straight guide just holds position. At a corner, line pressure pushes every container, or the chain, into the curved face. That’s why a turn block wears faster and differently than the guides either side of it.

DIAGRAM: top view of entry guide, turn block and exit guide; travel direction, side-load arrows, wear zone at mid-curve

  1. Entry

    Lower load

    Where the straight guide hands containers or chain to the block.

    A step or gap at the joint, or a lifted leading edge.

  2. Mid-curve

    Most side load

    Line pressure pushes everything into the curved face here, so it wears first and fastest.

    A groove or opened profile in the contact face.

  3. Exit

    Lower load

    Where the block hands back to the straight guide on the way out.

    A step at the joint, or containers catching as they leave.

When to replace a turn block

Signs a turn block is worn

These are common signs, not a diagnosis. Your maintenance team or the machine maker makes the call.

On the block

  1. Grooved or opened profile Worn into the heaviest part of the curve.
  2. Stretched fastener holes Holes worn oval as the block shifts under load.
  3. Shifted or lifted block The leading edge rides up or the block has moved.
  4. A step at the joint The block no longer lines up with the next guide.

On the line

  1. Containers tipping, scuffing or hanging up The worn profile stops controlling the turn.
  2. Pressure building behind the corner One container loses control and the rest back up.
  3. Wear on the parts around it Worn chain, rails, mounting plate or upstream alignment.

A new block won’t fix wear in the chain, the next rail or the alignment. Tell us where the trouble started.

What defines the block

The curve, sized to your line

The radius, and how the block meets the guides either side, set its shape. We machine to these four things.

  1. The turn

    • Turn direction
    • Angle
    • Working radius
    • Travel direction
    • Flat or inclined

  2. What it carries

    • Containers or chain
    • Chain style
    • Container shape
    • Filled or empty
    • Contact height
    • Marking to avoid

  3. Contact face and joints

    • Entry and exit shape
    • Profile of the guides either side
    • Gaps or steps at the joints

  4. Mounting

    • Overall size and thickness
    • Support underneath
    • Fastener pattern
    • Counterbores and slots

A worn block may keep its mounting holes but lose its original curve. Tell us which sizes come from a drawing and which you measured on the worn block.

Getting a quote

Start with what you have

Any one of these is enough to get a quote started. Pick yours to see what helps.

Send the drawing and we machine to it.

  • Quantity
  • Plastic, if specified
  • The guides it meets

Upload drawings, CAD files or photos on the quote form.

Send a drawing Or call (630) 904-2525

Send the old block and photos of the corner installed.

  • Turn direction and angle
  • What it carries
  • Quantity

Upload drawings, CAD files or photos on the quote form.

Start from the part Or call (630) 904-2525

Send what you know. We’ll ask for the rest.

  • Radius and angle, if known
  • Overall size and mounting
  • A photo of the turn

Upload drawings, CAD files or photos on the quote form.

Describe the block Or call (630) 904-2525

Plastics for turn blocks

Common choices, and why

Machined in Aurora

How your turn blocks are made

±0.002"–
±0.005"

On critical dimensions, depending on the plastic. Curves are milled from solid plastic on our CNC mills.

  • Matched to your guides

    Contact face, entry and exit shaped to meet the guides either side without a step.

  • Fit to your mounting

    Holes, slots and counterbores where your frame or drawing puts them.

  • Blocks and guides together

    Turn blocks with the matching straight guides as a set, with specs kept for reorders.

CDS Plastics building, Aurora, Illinois

Evaluating a supplier? See the shop and how we check the work.

Facility Quality

Buyer questions

Turn block FAQs

Something else? Call (630) 904-2525.

No. A twist block, or inverter, rolls containers over. A turn block carries them round a corner. We machine both, from your drawing or the old block.

It can help when the block is worn, but it isn’t guaranteed. Alignment, line pressure, the guides either side and the containers themselves all play a part. Tell us what you’re seeing and where it started.

We hold ±0.002" to ±0.005" on critical dimensions, depending on the plastic. We review your drawing and confirm the critical dimensions with your quote.

Timing depends on the block, plastic and quantity, and comes with your quote. For an emergency breakdown, ask about our expedited service.

Not a turn block?

What does yours do?

Container-line parts are easiest to name by their job. We machine almost any plastic part, so if yours isn’t here, describe it in a quote request.

Expedited service

Emergency breakdown?
Call the shop.

When a breakdown can’t wait, ask about our expedited service. Tell us the block and when you need it back, and we’ll work through the timing with you.

About expedited service
Call(630) 904-2525

Standard quote

Ready to send your turn block details?

Experienced help from your first quote to the finished part.

Request a quote