Plastic stamping might not be as common compared to its metal counterpart, but in key situations, it’s just as — if not more — vital. As a cost-effective alternative, plastic stampings are ideal for mass-produced components.
Winco Stamping knows plastic stampings inside and out. In our guide to optimizing your plastic stampings, we’ll cover critical topics such as material selection, understanding the advantages, stamping techniques, and more.
Maximize Your Plastic Stampings with Proper Material Selection and Best Design Practices
There are several types of plastic used to make many products we use on a daily basis. These varying types of plastic all contain different properties that are best suited for specific applications. Here are a few common types of plastic and where they would best work.
- Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMW): This specific form of polyethylene has a higher molecular weight than most polyethylenes, which enhances its properties, making it stronger and more resistant to the elements.
- High Density Polyethylene (HDPE): While it has a smaller molecular weight compared to UHMW polyethylene, HDPE is more dense and makes for a great selection for multiple environments. HDPE is one of the most common forms of plastic used in manufacturing to date. It can be seen in numerous products including milk jugs, plastic bags, toys, and pipes.
- Nylon 6/6: Another highly dense and strong plastic material, this grade of nylon offers numerous advantages including chemical and heat resistance.
Stamping Techniques
Plastic stampings can be achieved through three different methods. Each has its advantages and applications.
- Hot stamping
- Heated dies are used for high strength and detailed parts
- Cold stamping
- Best used for plastics at room temperature; ensures accuracy and precision
- Microstamping
- Surface detailing, branding, or other types of finishing
Design Best Practices
The biggest consideration for best practices with plastic stampings is ensuring consistency. Not just in shape, but in thickness as well. One slight variation is enough to affect an entire production run and, since plastic stampings can be mass produced at a high volume, that is a costly error.
Here are a few ways to ensure you’re following best design practices.
- Specify wall thickness throughout the part.
- The less intricate the shape, the better. It allows for faster production, saves on cost, and quality doesn’t suffer.
- Communicate with the manufacturer about product application as they may have other insights into the design to best optimize your part.
Connect With Us
Winco Stamping is an industry leader in various sectors of metal stamping, but we also know a thing or two about plastic stamping. We focus on short run to medium run sized production backed by our in-house tooling services.
Our ISO 9001 certification, our service mentality, and quality management are central to everything we do. Ready to take the first step with plastic stampings? Contact us today to learn more about our process and how we can serve you.
