28 Years of Manufacturing Experience in China Since 1980, China Array has been manufacturing stainless steel industrial components in China for export to the US and Europe. It has decades of experience in the machining, fabrication and polishing required for top quality post molding operations. Complimenting its in-house production capabilities, China Array has developed an extensive network of trusted suppliers allowing it to make or out-source every conceivable accessory component a customer might need.

POST MOLDING OPERATIONS & ACCESSORY COMPONENTS

Plastics' Unique Machining Characteristics

Air Tight Plastic on Plastic Seal

Unlike steel, thermoplastics have an inherent elasticity. To machine a plastic part to tight tolerances this elasticity must be taken into account. (And, different thermoplastics have different degrees of "give".) Specialized jigs and fixtures are required to counter act the natural "springiness" of plastic. Lubrication of the plastic and the machine tool is also unique to plastic.

Machining, heat staking, ultrasonic welding and other post molding operations can introduce stress and microcracking into a thermoplastic component. Knowledge of a material's properties is essential to minimizing these tendencies. (Sometimes machining stress is unavoidable and a part will be annealed to alleviate the stress, but again, this is a judgment call for engineering.) Machining highly filled thermoplastics represents another set of challenges for post molding. Depending on the type and percent of fill the approach to machining can be different.

Controlling the Front End

The front-end of the molding process (materials selection, mold design and construction and processing) significantly influences a thermoplastic part's response to post molding operations. China Array, by controlling the front end, can assure precision post molding operations with tight tolerances, a minimum of stress to the part, and consistently high quality.

Accessory Components

Inserts, gaskets, housings . . . the list of accessories that are used in conjunction with plastics is nearly endless. Producing a high quality accessory and being aware of how it interacts with the particular plastic with which it will be used is critical to the over all performance of a finished good.

Will the accessory introduce stress into the plastic? Does the plastic material have the correct dimensional integrity to fit well with the accessory? Will chemicals, heat, impact or other aspects of the intended application cause failure over time? How will the accessory and its assembly affect the cost of a product? These are all engineering issues that need to be considered in producing an effective accessory component.

China Array by combining strong thermoplastics engineering capability and decades of stainless steel manufacturing can answer the above questions, and then, more importantly, implement the production of a high quality accessory component the will work effectively with the molded thermoplastic component for which it is intended. It is another example of how China Array's control of the entire process ensures appropriate parts with consistently high quality.