Guide to Plastics

Find the plastic products, services and equipment you need

By Marianne Cotter, Freelance writer

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Determine the type of plastic products you need

Some of the most popular plastic products used today include polyproylene (food containers), polystyrene (disposable cutlery, CD cases), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (computer equipment cases), polyethylene terephthalate (or PET, commonly used for beverage bottles), polyester (textiles), polyamides (nylons), polyvinyl chloride (PVC pipes), polyurethanes (insulation foams), polycarbonate (CDs, eyeglasses), polyvinylidene chloride (Saran) and polyethylene (grocery bags).

I recommend: Use the materials selection tools at Solvay to help narrow down the polymer you want by property, type and/or grade. If your plastic products will come in contact with any chemicals, check the chemical resistance chart at Miller Plastic Products. RPI Reprocessed Plastics offers a variety of environmentally friendly, non-toxic plastics. Find plastics distributors and plastics manufacturers offering a wide variety of plastic products at Business.com.

Use online resources for plastics materials, suppliers and services

The Internet allows you to source plastic products and find plastics manufacturers worldwide.

I recommend: MyPlasticsindustry.com is an online marketplace for suppliers and buyers of plastics processing materials, machinery, molds, tools and plastics consulting. 123plastics.com and IndiaMART’s Indian Plastic Portal are both India-based plastics trade resources that connect buyers and sellers worldwide. IDES is a subscriber service featuring a plastic products search engine.

Plastics molding services

Plastics molding is a category that includes many processes, such as injection molded plastics, blow-molding and dip molding.

I recommend: To obtain multiple quotes for injection molded plastics jobs, simply email your 3D CAD files along with project specifications to Quickparts.com. ICO Products specializes in rapid mold injection to produce soft-steel injection molds for prototypes and production parts. Try the online cost estimator tool on ICO's homepage. MacRae’s Blue Book lists custom plastics manufacturers and plastics molding services. See Business.com’s molded plastic directory for a variety of molding services and equipment.

Plastics extrusion services

Plastics extrusion is a process by which small beads of thermoplastic materials (often called resin) are fed into a long rotating screw inside a heated barrel where the resin is melted into molten plastic and then passed into a die where it takes its final shape.

I recommend: Get multiple quotes for plastics extrusion services and other processes at MFG.com. HPE Extrusion Solutions specializes in complex plastic extrusions. Aero Rubber Company produces industrial rubber products including rubber tubing and rubber cord using extrusion and other processes. Fabricated Extrusion Company offers plastics extrusion processes to produce parts for semi-truck trailers, swimming pools and spas, exercise equipment, office furniture, impact doors, vending machines and construction.

Look for plastics companies that offer product design assistance

Some plastics manufacturers will help design your product based on a simple rendering.

I recommend: Sunburst Plastics will work with you from design to finished product, recommending materials and processes, even if all you have is a concept. The design services at Inland Plastics include engineering decisions, tooling options, materials options, production run efficiencies and package alternatives.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Explore the realm of plastics products, colors and finishes before settling on plastics manufacturers.
• •  To get accurate bids from plastics companies, send them detailed 3D CAD designs.
• •  Quantities and size will impact your final cost. Look for plastics manufacturers that specialize in the quantities you need.