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Not All Plastic Suppliers Are Created Equal

Not All Plastic Suppliers Are Created Equal

by | Jul 24, 2013 | Educational Post, Made In The USA, Mentor Nuggets

Big Differences Between Plastic Suppliers

While you can purchase a piece of plastic from many different suppliers, there are some significant differences between these suppliers. Some of the main differences are in the manufacturers and the materials that you get supplied. High quality Simona PVC rod machined to finished part

We see a wide range of materials and some drastically inferior grades of materials being sold to clients. Some materials have been produced too quickly or cooled too quickly causing a very high stressed plastic piece. These high stressed materials will warp, twist or crack when they get heated or during cutting. This material on the right is a piece of highly stressed Nylon. While cutting the material, our new customer had to stop the saw due to the severe warping and binding of the saw by this material. This new client brought this 24″ long part, and asked if we would cut it for him. We bought this part from him as an excellent example of a high stress plastic. (We did cut a quality piece of material to solve his problem).

One example of differences between manufacturers, is Gehr PVC rod is NSF 51 certified, while Simona PVC rod is not.

Other things you should consider when choosing a quality plastic supplier:

Quality of Materials

Origin of Materials

Huge in stock inventory of Performance Plastic Rod

Huge In Stock Inventory of Plastic Rod

Expert Support

In Stock Materials

Cutting – Converting Services

Longevity – How Long Have They Been In Business (We started in 1975)

Product Knowledge and Experience Equals Quality Plastic Suppliers

We believe that providing quality products is only part of our duty to you. You have intrusted us to help with your requirements, and we believe we should be good stewards of this trust, all part of being a quality plastic supplier. A plastic sheet supplier should advise you if the material you are looking for is the ‘wrong’ material. Acrylic does not do well at 450 degrees. Styrene does not make a good chemical tank. HDPE and PTFE do not bond. These and many more ‘land mines’ are things we help our clients with everyday. We have an experienced client support team (plastic experts), and we value the opportunity to assist our clients with this experience. Go ahead, ask us a question – that is why we have a “Ask A Plasticologist” page on our website.

If you need help, from what are the properties of Acetal, to temperature range on Ultem, please contact us. We look forward to assisting you and all our clients. Feel free to contact us with any questions, concerns or requests – call us at 866-832-9315 or e-mail us here.


Topic: Plastic Suppliers, Plastic Sheet Suppliers

I Thought Plastic Was A Cheap Material…

I Thought Plastic Was A Cheap Material…

by | Feb 25, 2013 | Choosing A Plastic Material, Educational Post, Informational Post, Mentor Nuggets

I thought Plastic was a Cheap Material?

We do hear this question regularly. And, maybe, in years gone by Plastic was that Cheap material.

Back in the 50′s and 60′s, plastics were very inexpensive, and were very limited in types and availability.

What cause this to change?

Plastics are primarily produced from Oil and several Oil by-products. As oil pricing has skyrocketed from the 50′s, so did the low end plastic material pricing.

In addition, a new generation of high tech, mechanical and engineering grades of plastic we developed. These plastics replace metals and other substrates in manufacturing. They out live, out perform most materials at a fraction of the cost of the material it replaces. broke chair - I Thought Plastic Was A Cheap Material...

Isn’t Cheap better?

All materials are not designed to the same standard. This is true with plastics as well. Choosing the wrong plastic for a project can be a costly mistake. All engineering perimeters should be considered: strength, impact, sunlight, water absorption, electrical resistance, temperature range, etc. We’ve all witnessed the ‘cheap’ plastic kids toy that lasts but a couple of days, the clip or cover in your car breaks off, the inexpensive outdoor furniture and so on. These are examples of under designed or choosing a material for its resin cost, not its physical properties. Thus, no, cheaper is not better. Cost should be just one of your decision criteria.

What Should You Do?

The answer is really quite easy. Ask.

Talk to one of our experienced ‘Plasticologists’ and tell them your requirements. You’re input, and a little time to answer some questions could save you enormous time and expense in your finished parts. All plastics are not created equal, and neither are all plastic suppliers. Give us a try, and take the guess-work out of choosing the right material for your job.

Some of our lower cost materials: HDPE, PVC, Styrene – less expensive, not cheap. Each with very specific strong points, and yes weak areas as well.

Cheap plastic is most likely not the best plastic.