There are a variety of industries involving tubing products that might require custom tubing. For example, manufacturers in the automotive industry often require tubing products carefully crafted to exact specifications in order to make sure everything functions the way it is meant to. One small variation in wall thickness in a section of tubing might be enough to prevent a vehicle from running properly.
While considering configurations for custom plastic tubing extrusion, there are several variables that must be determined before the plastic extrusion process can begin. First and foremost, one must decide what plastic resin best suits their needs. Many types of plastic materials can be extruded, allowing for choices to be made based on durability, chemical resistance, resistance to corrosion, and more. A tubing manufacturer will review a client’s needs meticulously before extruding to ensure they know if they need to color match a final product, if it needs to meet FDA regulations, etc. Through this process, the client can be confident they receive a high-quality product that meets their needs.
When looking for custom tubing that will perform well in high impact or high temperature scenarios, a polycarbonate composite or a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) might be a manufacturer’s best choice, while low density polyethylene (LDPE) is better used in applications that do not require a strong resistance to abrasion, such as plastic packaging or garbage bags.
Perhaps the most well-known of the plastic polymers is polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. PVC is one of the most versatile and cost-effective plastic materials used in custom plastic extrusion. With the use of additives in the extrusion process, manufacturers can produce flexible PVC that can then be manipulated into different tubing shapes as needed.
Often used in the automotive industry, thermoplastic resins like polypropylene can be combined with an elastomer and fillers to create thermoplastic olefins (TPOs) in a wide range of possible formulations. TPOs perform excellently in cold weather applications and are highly customizable as well as being able to be manufactured in custom colors, which makes them useful in a range of scenarios.
Plastic Extrusion Technologies offers custom plastic extrusion of plastic materials ranging from polystyrene to acrylic and everything in-between. With in-house engineering and tooling, Plastic Extrusion Technologies produces a high-quality product that you can be sure will meet your every custom tubing need.