Case Study: Excelite's CNC Precision Machining of Polycarbonate Components

Top #Tags

⌈Polycarbonate Sheets⌋ ⌈CNC Machining⌉ ⌈Bending⌉

Learn how Excelite’s sheet cutting and CNC machining, bending services to build a custom structure from the ground up and quickly scale up production.

Industries	Manufacturing Services Utilized	Project Brief	Solution
An industrial product for taking an initial concept from prototyping through to production.	Sheet cutting and CNC machining, thermoforming fabrication	This project demanded components with exceptionally high precision bending radii to ensure proper fit within the overall assembly.	The company turned to Excelite to provide the polycarbonate sheet components for the ground-up build.

Building From the Ground Up

In the fast-paced world of engineering and product design, precision and quality are paramount.

Excelite had a customer that they are a leading engineering and industrial design firm, sought to create a high-performance polycarbonate component with tight tolerances for one of their innovative projects.

To achieve this, they turned to Excelite, a trusted manufacturer known for its expertise in polycarbonate fabrication.

Challenges

The polycarbonate component should be not only met stringent bending radii dimensional tolerances but also exhibited superior impact resistance and clarity.

The component was intended for use in a high-tech industrial device, where reliability and performance are critical. The challenges included:

Tight Tolerances:
The component needed to be manufactured bending with tolerances of Up and Down 45 degree R .15 inches to ensure proper fit and function within the device.
R.015 MAX FOR INSIDE SHARP CORNERS
CNC Machining Properties:
For CNC turned or CNC milled plastic parts, a machining standardized tolerance of 0.1 to 0.2% of the nominal size, and for special parts the min. tolerance for small sizes being 0.05 mm.
Material Properties:
The selected polycarbonate had to maintain its structural integrity under varying temperatures and environmental conditions.
Production Volume:
A solution that could accommodate both low-volume prototyping and scalable production runs.

The Solution of the Component

Excelite’s extensive experience in precision machining and thermoforming of polycarbonate made them the ideal partner for this project. The collaboration involved several key steps:

Material Selection:
Excelite recommended a high-grade, machine-grade polycarbonate that offered excellent impact resistance and clarity, ensuring the component would perform reliably in the medical environment.
Design Optimization:
The Excelite’s engineers talked with the client’s design team closely to discuss the component design, ensuring that it met the required tolerances while optimizing for manufacturability.
Advanced Machining Techniques:
Excelite utilized state-of-the-art CNC machining technology to achieve the tight tolerances. This process allowed for precise cuts and finishes, resulting in a high-quality component.
Excelite also created a mold for the bending radii. Materials of varying thicknesses have distinct bend radii, and the challenge in this case lies in achieving two bends radius within a short distance while maintaining precision. Thus, the utilization of mold fabrication became imperative.
Quality Control:
Throughout the production process, Excelite implemented rigorous quality control measures, including dimensional inspections and material testing, to ensure that every component met client’s exact specifications.

Glad to See

The collaboration resulted in the successful production of the precision polycarbonate component.

On-Time Delivery: The project was completed ahead of schedule, allowing the client to meet their product development timeline without delays.
High Precision: The final components were manufactured within the specified tolerances, ensuring seamless integration into the industry device.
Enhanced Performance: The selected polycarbonate material provided the necessary durability and clarity, exceeding the performance expectations.

By leveraging Excelite’s expertise in polycarbonate manufacturing, you are able to deliver a high-quality, precision component that met the demanding requirements.

This successful project not only highlights the capabilities of Excelite but also sets the stage for future collaborations in innovative product development.

Do not hesitate to reach out to Excelite for your specialized projects; we excel not only in short-distance bending but also in long-length bending (exceeding 3 meters)!