Thank you for your overwhelming response to our recent technical paper, Machining Plastics the Essential Guide to Tools and Techniques! We’ve heard from many of you stating that this guide to engineered plastic components has become a go-to resource for your machine shop. We’ve also had some follow-up questions about the cost vs. performance debate, especially with regard to more-expensive materials. When does the cost of machining expensive plastics outweigh the cost of traditional metals? Read on for more (and to view our relative cost of materials chart).
If you want to learn more, please visit our website.
Plastics are an excellent replacement for bronze, stainless steel and cast iron, as they excel in high temperatures and extreme environments. But this level of performance can be costly, since engineered plastics are not inexpensive. Consider that PBI-Celazole is 25x the price of cold-rolled steel, and 15x more expensive than Type 303 steel. At these price points, it is critical to choose just the right engineered plastic for your application before beginning any machining.
At TriStar, our theory is that the cost of the material should be an investment in performance. Once you’ve reviewed the primary application conditions (environments, temperature requirements, mating hardware, etc.), and made a selection, you should next consider the cost of a material failure. A higher-quality material will provide a higher-quality part. And a higher-quality part can help you reduce in-field failures and costly recalls.
Here’s a quick review of the relative cost of plastic materials:
JVC Product Page
Introduction
This page is includes information on the costs of different plastics used in mechanical
engineering. The costs are obtained by reference to links found on the internet (links 1,2 below).
I have converted the costs to english units although the costs are based on american costs in dollars and
imperial units. The costs are really only useful in as relative indicators. Real costs
depend on country of supply and market conditions.
The resin prices do not seem to relate directly to the cost of standard products e.g Tube, rod etc
Table showing relative costs of various plastic raw materials / resins
The table below can only really be used to give broad relative initial material costs.&
Note: I am in the process of updating this information for early .
Typical adjustments are Nylon 66 is now about 50% higher than the table and ABS is
about 30% higher based on minimum range prices. However
current prices are all falling due to the world recession.
Material
Cost. �/kg
min
max
ABS
1,006
1,38
ABS (transparent)
1,57
2,07
Acetal (homopol)
1,63
1,89
Acetal (20% Glass Fibre)
2,01
2,77
Acrylic
1,42
-
Acrylic (Impact)
2,36
-
Nylon 66
1,76
2,11
PTFE
5,66
11,31
PFA
22,4
31,7
PVDF
8,55
11,31
PEEK (30% Glass fibre)
41,49
-
Polythene (LDPE)
1,18
1,28
Polythene (HDPE)
1,18
1,28
Polypropylene
1,06
1,29
Poystyrene
0,92
1,13
Poystyrene (Struct.Foam)
1,32
1,36
EPS
1,07
1,13
Polysulfone (30% Glass fibre)
7,0
7,07
Poyurethane (ester type)
2,33
3,21
PVC
0,77
0,91
Silicones
7,30
8,05
Real Costs
In order to try to arrive a reasonably practical costs for plastic components I have
obtained the cost of a representative plastic stock (a rod 50mm dia x 0.3m long).
This stock has an approximate volume of 0,m3.
This size has been selected because the stockist which are conveniently accessible on the internet,
generally provide costs in dollars /foot length with diameters in inches and the above size approximates to 2" dia x 1 foot long.
I have calculated the volume and weight and used these results together with the raw
material prices above to obtain the theoretical basic material costs.
These have been tabled below against the prices obtain from the internet (link 3 below) for rod prices.
I am in the process of updating these prices updated prices are shown *
Are you interested in learning more about engineering plastic price? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!
Comments
All Comments ( 0 )