Quality Materials, Competitive Pricing
We recently asked some of our clients the importance of certain factors in choosing a supplier. Not just a quality plastic sheet or rod supplier, but any of their suppliers of key materials in their production. The number one, most important and consistantly critical item...was quality of materials.
It really wasn't a suprise to us when we found this out, we really already knew this. We put quality at the top of our list of critical factors in our purchasing.
What about you? Is the quality of the raw materials you buy one of the key factors, if not the most important factors in making a purchasing decision?
After the results we totalled, we went about trying to determine why this is the case. And, once again, the answers were obvious. Quality materials means machining a part once. Quality materials means the parts 'st
ay sold' and don't come back. Quality materials means they machine properly, stay within tolerance, hold up under designed loads and chemicals. As you can see in this picture, we do run accoss some poor materials, highly stressed materials and materials with imperfections and voids (this Nylon part shouldn't look like this).
Bottom line, we put a face to poor quality, and it wasn't pretty. This sure made us re-double our efforts to maintain the best quality plastic materials available in the marketplace. Rest assured, that we take this seriously, and that the material you get from us with be the best grades of material available.
Let us know your feelings on this issue. We really do want to know. Is the higher quality material make a difference when you machine a part? How much is this worth to you to not have to machine the part a second time due to receiving inferior or poor quality raw material?
If you have been on the wrong end of the quality material purchase, we want to help. We have seen the flood of new and untested raw materials from over seas arriving in the market, and the results have not been positive. We continue to work with our 
American suppliers to keep our pricing competitive, but the quality at the top of the chart.
We stock a large variety of plastic sheet and rod items, and a range of plastic tube. We also have trucks arriving weekly with replacement inventory and special order materials. Call or come by to review the sizes and shapes of your commonly used plastic materials, we are happy to assist.
Contact one of our Plasticologist's for details on the materials you are using. Give us the opportinuty to offer a superior grade of plastic material at a competitive price.
How To Increase Production With Expert Grade Plastic Sheets
If there is one issue that absolutely everyone is aware of, it is that the quality of work that can be attained is mainly decided by the quality of materials used. A expert workman can't execute with inferior materials. There needs to be a combination of quality materials and skilled expertise for excellence to be achieved.
When machining any kind of plastic sheet, you are not able to compromise on quality. Aside from quality, you also need to have the plastic sheet best suited for the job. If you are a skilled, you may probably know what you need. If you are not sure, then you would need a supplier that can guide your material choice seeking at the different kinds of plastic, one can easily get puzzled. This is where a good and proficient supplier comes in helpful. They can manual you through the many different kinds of plastic sheets relying on your needs.
When you are hunting for a material that has very high impact strength, is bond-able and weldable to itself, cuts well with normal equipment, machinable, heat or vacuum form-able and more, you should merely use Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS). This material is used to make furniture, computer casing and more.
Different Types of Plastic Sheet
If your project requires a clear material like Plexiglas or Perspex (Acrylic trade names), then you merely go for Acrylic Sheet. Just in case you did not know, this is a good replacement for glass as it is transparent, has high UV resistance and has 10 times the impact resistance of glass while being lighter than glass by about 50%. There are many uses for this material.
When you take a look at the inside of your refrigerator, the material that is used for the walls is High Impact Styrene (HIS). As you can probably guess that it is great at low temperatures. It is also one material that is used in printing, die-cutting, stamping etc. Another form of High Impact Styrene is what we all know as Styrofoam (a foamed Styrene). Almost all people has used this at one time or the other, it makes foam cups to inexpensive ice chests, to home insulation and craft items.
There are many other materials you may come across like: Acetal, Noryl (PPO), Nylon (Polyamide), PEEK, PETG / Vivak, Polycarbonate (Lexan), Polyester / PET / PBT, Polyethylene (HDPE/LDPE), Polypropylene, PVC (Rigid Vinyl), PVDF (Kynar), PTFE / TFE, UHMW and many more.
Choosing the Proper Plastic Sheet
The need to choose the right material are not able to be over emphasised. genuinely and truly, you are sure of finding the correct material when you have found an experienced and reputable supplier.
How can you establish an experienced and reputable supplier? This is an important question. The first thing to do is find out how much the supplier knows about plastic sheet. Look for a company that has been around for a while, and has employees with lots of experience with materials and how to select the proper plastic. Ask for recommendations, advice etc. If a supplier can answer your questions satisfactorily, then chances are that they can also provide you quality materials.
Call on a Plasticologist
Having access to a "Plasticologist" is no doubt a great plus. It can really be frustrating when you finish a job only to discover that it will not work simply mainly because you used the wrong material or an inferior one.
As you go out to pick the plastic sheet for your next project, be sure you take your time and find a supplier that would be willing and able to direct you through the process of selection so as to keep away from regrets.
Contact us for more information. Call us @ 866-832-9315 or click here to send us an email.
There is no denying that Polypropylene sheet is simply a wonder of modern technology. Ubiquitous, this material has a wide variety of applications in areas as diverse as textiles, packaging, foodstuffs and, of course, the chemical industry. Commonly found around the house in Tupperware and household carpeting, it is even used for banknotes in Australia.
Unlike similar materials like Nylon, Polypropylene is completely water resistant. This property and its outstanding durability make it the product of choice for the manufacture of high-use, outdoor carpeting seen around swimming pools and miniature golf courses.
Polypropylene’s chemical makeup hinders bacteria and mildew growth making it particularly suitable for use in medical and food processing equipment.
Excellent pliability also makes polypropylene useful in various applications where other materials would fatigue and fail from repeated use. Specifically, plastic door hinges and the lids of coffee cups are made from polypropylene.
Polypropylene is extremely useful in the semiconductor industry as it can be can be manufactured to a high degree of purity making it an excellent vehicle for the carrying of wafers and other semi conducting chips.
A thermoplastic polymer, Polypropylene can be formed into almost any shape by compression, injection or vacuum forming. It is ideal for forming custom designed containers. Its ability to withstand physical machining further broadens its uses. This last fact, coupled with its high melting point, allows Polypropylene to be used as the form for other polymer castings.
It is uniquely resistant to most chemical and organic solvents, degreasing agents as well as most acids and bases. Functionally, this lightweight material combines corrosion and electrolytic resistance with a high tensile strength across a wide range of temperatures. From an aesthetic viewpoint, it dyes easily, yet is difficult to stain and is mildew resistant.
Polypropylene sheet is used in a broad variety of applications, but is particularly suited to the manufacture of chemical tanks for the following reasons:
- Can be formed into almost any shape
- Unsurpassed chemical resistance
- Reliably handles all acids, alkalis and solvents up to 180°F
- Resistant to abrasion, cuts and moisture
- High tensile and compressive strength
- Dependably maintains rigidity in all weather conditions
- Superb dielectric properties
- Wide variety of formulations including conductive, glass filled and static dissipative
- Approved by the USDA and FDA for use in food processing applications
In short, polypropylene is superbly suited to construct containment vessels for a wide assortment of chemicals. Its outstanding resistance to abrasive chemical compounds permits it to be used in laboratories, chemical plants and food facilities. It is remarkably resistant to corrosion even at high temperatures and chemical concentrations. The fabrication of Polypropylene tanks is achieved by welding together sheets with very hot air and a 'welding rod' made of the same material.
Polypropylene is typically available in rods and sheets. The rods are produced in various diameters from one quarter to over 4" in diameter. Sheet thicknesses run from one sixteenth to over 2" in thickness. The colors available are usually natural, black and white although it can be custom run in almost any color. For more specific information on polypropylene rods and sheets, try our site at:
www.iplasticsupply.com/materials/polypro-polypropylene-sheet-rod
In its present form, polypropylene sheet has proven to be a wonderfully versatile and useful compound. It is readily recycled and nontoxic. The addition of specialty additives has broadened its appeal even further. Polypropylene can be molecularly tailored to suit almost any need. Further refinements to this remarkable material will likely increase its use in the future.
Contact us for more information on this or any other plastic sheet or plastic rod material. Call us at 866-832-9315 or click here to submit a request.
Polycarbonate Sheets
We supply Polycarbonate Sheets manufactured by Bayer Material Science, called Makrolon. This material is clear and can be used for glazing, window replacement, sneeze and machine guards, etc. While we openly admitt that there are several 
manufacturers producing Polycarbonate sheet, we feel that the Makrolon is the finest quality available with the best blend of physical properties.
Makrolon is considered 'unbreakable' and is the only general purpose polycarbonate sheet on the market with a UL 94 V-0 rating on .220" thickness and above.Most other polycarbonate sheets carry the UL 94 HB (horizontal burn) rating. This is critical for many saftey applications.
The original inventor and trade name for Polycarbonate was General Electric Plastics, when they invented Lexan®, this trade name is now owned by Sabic Plastics - they bought the entire General Electric Plastics Division a few years ago. Sabic makes some of the best and high tech plastic resins available in the marketplace. We carry plastic sheets and rods in Ultem®, Noryl®, and others all made by Sabic Plastics.
Polycarbonate has some very interesting properties, like:
- Can be straight bent - cold
- Is available in Bullet Resistant grades (.750 - 1.250" thick)
- Has excellent flame rating: UL 94 V-0 in .220" and thicker
- Is very clear, and can be used in glazing applications
- Is very tough and considered unbreakable as glazing
While no one plastics is the solution to all problems, Polycarbonate does have a favorable 'properties to cost' ratio, and does have exceptional high impact stength. 
Polycarbonate is available as sheet from .030" - .500" as clear glazing grade, .375 - 3.0"+ in machine grade (not optically clear), Zelux W - .500 - 2.0" in optical grade plate, .250 - 6.0" diameter rod, and a wide range of tube sizes.
If you are looking for a tough material, clear or not, Makrolon Polycarbonate Sheet is a great material to consider. For more information, please call us at: 866-832-9315 or Click Here to request further assistance.
Since 1975, Industrial Plastic Supply has supplied machinable and mechanical plastics to industry. That is over 36 years, and we are still growing strong. One main reason for this longevity and growth is our service. We have some of the finest client support team members in our industry. 
The average length of experience in our client service department is over 16 years in the plastics industry. This means we know our stuff, and we are happy to answer the tough questions our clients ask. While a few of our team are fairly new, most are very seasoned and have been asked your hard question by a different client sometime in the past. We are happy to assist with what ever your questions are. If your needs are Plastic Rods, Plastic Sheets, Plastic Tubes, Plastic Strips or any other plastic material, contact us today.
We help clients with difficult problems everyday, and no, there is now extra charge for the service. You come first, and answering your unusual and challenging design issues are part of what we do.
One of our regular pages online is our "Ask A Plasticologist" page, and here you can get to our helpful team anytime. Please take a moment and ask us your questions, put our Plasticologist to the test!
Contact one of our top notch client support team members. Call us at 866-832-9315, or feel free to ask us online here.