Plastic Rapid Prototype is used for the verification of product’s design, exhibition or selling. Common crafts ofrapid plastic prototype include CNC machining, 3D printing, vacuum duplicate moulding and reaction injection moulding. And the common materials are ABS, PC, POM, PP, PMMA, PEEK, PS, soft plastic, silicone, rubber and thermal-resistant materials, like PPS, PEFE, bakelite, PA+30%GF.
The commonest material ofrapid plastic prototype is ABS. Because of the machinability and good-looking after surface treatment, the application of ABS becomes wider and wider, especially in the field of CNC machining prototype. The utilization rate of ABS is 90%. ABS prototype can be processed separately, and the strength will not be impaired after conglutination. It is suitable for the shell of large-size product.
The thermal-resistant materials ofrapid plastic prototype include PPS, PTFE, bakelite, black PC, PA+30%GF. Except for black PC, the other four materials cannot be conglutinated, therefore, they need to be processed by CNC wholistically. The wear-resistant materials of rapid plastic prototype are POM and PA. But these two materials need to be processed by CNC wholistically, because they cannot be conglutinated. Besides, to enhance the strength, the inner parts should be processed by CNC wholistically. However, to save cost, many small prototype providers will process the inner parts separately. The customers cannot find the damage until the completion of the assembling of the prototype.
Choosing the rightprototype provider is the first step of successduring new product development. When choosing therapidplasticprototype provider,not onlythe quality but also the cost should be taken into consideration. Bordersun has been focused onrapidplasticprototype for 18 years. With exquisite technique and efficient service of over 20-year experienced technicians, Bordersun received the recognition of customers worldwide, expanding our business to east Asia, Europe, north America, south America and south-east Asia.
The types of CNC machining plastic prototype are various, and different materials need different manufacturing craft. ABS is the most common material for prototype, while PC and PMMA are often used for transparent prototype, like the lens of apparatus, mobile, and glasses. During the manufacturing, it is very important to pay attention to distinct details. Many small workshops chase for the speed and ignore the details, resulting the fall apart of prototype in halfway. It not only results extra cost, but also time-wasting.
Good impact resistance, high strength, stable structure, dampproof, machinability, all of these make ABS can meet the demand of various prototype. CNC machining ABS prototype needs polish and the surface treatment. Because of the different hardness of plastics, the time and difficulty of polish differ. The polish of ABS is much easier, while the polish of PC, PA66 and POM are harder.
PC has good strength and toughness, and its luminousness can be 89%. The impact resistance of PC is 250-300 times of glass, and 30 times of PMMA plate (with same ply). PC is a kind of amorphous thermoplastic resin with comprehensive performance. It has excellent electrical insulation, extensibility, dimensional stability, and chemical corrosion resistance. Because of the mechanical strength, big-sized parts are difficult to be made with 3D printing. Therefore, CNC machining PC prototype has more advantages for big-sized prototype.
CNC machining PA prototype has high mechanical strength, and it is dimensionally stable without water absorption. Besides, it has high tensile and pressure resistance. It is widely used in various apparatus, and accessories of domestic appliance. However, the water absorption of nylon PA66 is too fast, and the tensile and pressure resistance will decrease when the temperature and humidity increase.
POM has good tensible strength, mechanical properties, impact strength, abrasive resistance and lubricity. There are two colors of POM, black and white. The density of POM is 1.42, and the temperature resistance is 100℃. The insulativity of POM is excellent and immune to temperature and humidity, and the permittivity and dielectric loss change little during the wide fluctuation of temperature, humidity and frequency, therefore, it is often used for gear, accessories of automobile, instruments and jigs. The CNC cutting of POM prototype is fast, and the surface can be treated with burnish and polish. CNC machining POM prototype needs to be finished at once. It cannot work with glue.
PMMA is the best choice for transparent prototype. PC is incomparable to PMMA. There are transparent materials among PC too, but they have to be fumigated to be transparent, and the effect is not as good as the PMMA. CNC machining PMMA prototype can be totally transparent after burnishing, and the transparency can be 95%.
