Plastic milling with high precision and tight tolerances

Plastic Milling

Plastic milling is a machining process in which plastic saw to size is further processed into a component with the desired shape, dimensions, and functional details. Whereas sawing is primarily used to reduce material to the correct outer dimensions, milling is used to further shape the product. This includes contours, recesses, holes, and other operations necessary to transform a semi-finished product into a usable component.

Milling is particularly suitable when a plastic part requires more than just a straight cut. In many cases, it is the next step after cutting the material to size. From there, the product is further processed based on the desired shape, application, and technical requirements.

What is plastic milling used for?

Plastic milling is widely used for technical components in sectors such as machine and equipment manufacturing. Common products include guides, bearings, and a wide variety of machine parts. At the same time, there is great variation, as virtually every product is custom-made and tailored to the specific application. Milled plastic parts are also used in sectors such as the food industry and shipping.

This process is used for, among other things:

• guides
• bearings
• machine parts

Because the desired shape and function differ per product, plastic milling is 100% custom work. We therefore do not work from a standard product, but from what the customer needs. 

What can you do with plastic milling?

The main difference between sawing and milling lies in the machining possibilities. Sawing is linear, while milling offers much greater freedom of form. As a result, plastic milling can be used to create free-form contours, recesses, drill holes, tapped holes, threading, grooves, and bevels, among other things. Machining on multiple sides of a product is also possible.

This is precisely why milling is used for parts that must fit precisely within a machine, structure, or technical application. It is not just about the external dimensions, but also about the details that determine how a part functions or connects to other components. 

Machines and machining capabilities

Various CNC milling machines are used for plastic milling. Depending on the product, this is done on 3-axis or 5-axis milling machines. Woodworking machines are used for larger sheet parts. Which machine is most suitable depends on the size of the product, the complexity of the machining, and the shape that needs to be achieved.

For larger sheet processing, the material can also be laid out so that multiple parts are cut from a single standard sheet size. This allows for efficient use of material, especially when multiple parts of the same thickness are required.