Plastics are extremely versatile. There are more than 25,000 engineered materials available to manufacture complex applications, and high-performance blends and hybrids can be formulated to meet the very specific requirements of complex plastic parts and products.
The wide variety of plastics available opens up a number of possibilities, but selecting the proper resin takes a thorough understanding of your application. More specifically, it takes guidance from a proven injection molding partner.
For engineers working with the Kaysun team, the process usually entails three steps:
1. Discuss
Answering key questions during product design discussions with an expert plastics engineer helps us gain key insights into what the material needs to do:
- What is the expected physical load for the product?
- What is the mechanical function?
- Will the product be used under conditions of fluctuating and/or extreme temperatures?
- Will there be any exposure to chemicals?
- Will dissimilar materials be used in assembly?
2. Research
Project-specific answers are used as the basis for a search in our extensive in-house database — founded on 60 years’ worth of injection molding work and materials knowledge — to find plastics with the appropriate characteristics, such as:
- Strength
- Rigidity
- Chemical resistance
- Temperature resistance
- Flexibility
- Impact resistance
- Appearance
- Conductivity/shielding
- Frictional properties
- Flame resistance
In conjunction with the database search, we consult with our resins suppliers to narrow the list of recommendations to the top 3 or 4 plastics that best align with project performance and pricing needs.
3. Recommend
We confidently deliver a focused list of materials for engineers to consider. This robust process ensures our customers’ engineering teams save time and money in the long run since certain aspects of the part design can be modified prior to production, avoiding potentially costly rework. Our refined 360° view of the entire part strategy — design, specifications, requirements, improvements — provides far more value than if an engineer is left to decide on materials based on material specs alone.