Plastic Fabrication - laser and CNC routing

         Manufacturing Services

Laser Cutting
CNC Routing
5 Axis Routing
Diamond Edge Polishing
Computerized Cutting
Vacuum Forming
Pressure Forming

   Laser Cutting

Our 1000-watt dual headed Laser cuts and polishes simultaneously. We can cut sizes up to 49" x 98" and up to 1.25" thick.
Our CAD Department is equipped with the latest software. We can read most computerized formats or create programs from blue prints as well as scan or digitize from sketches and samples.

   CNC Routing / 5 Axis Routing

Our six CNC Routers produce large quantities of quality
parts quickly. We have the capacity to meet the toughest
delivery schedules. Our newest addition can machine parts
as large as 84" x 216". It has twin 84" x 108" tables with
4 router heads each with its own 8 place tool changer.
Whether your parts are flat or formed, our 5-Axis Router
machines parts conventional routers can't.

   Diamond Edge Polishing

Our Diamond Edge polisher produces a high quality polish without the stress associated with flame polishing. You can even cement directly to the polished surface.

   Computerized Cutting
Our computerized saws enable E & T to cut your parts with precision accuracy.

   Vacuum Forming
We at E & T have always been a leader in vacuum forming, and with our in-house toolmaking facilities, we can assist you from the design stage through prototyping and production. Using both rotary and single station equipment, we are able to produce parts up to 4' x 8' and in a large variety of materials from simple Poly Styrene, ABS, Acrylics, PETG and Polycarbonate to exotic materials such as fire retardant and low smoke materials for the transportation industry. The use of pressure forming can create the parts that appear to have been injection molded, but without the high tooling costs and long lead times of injection molding.

There are a number of ways to turn raw materials into plastic products. Each method, or process, is performed differently and results in very unique results, They all have one thing in common: each molds or shapes thermoplastics by softening the material so it can be formed into the shape of a product. Some of the most common plastic processing methods are thermoforming, injection molding, extrusion, and blow molding.

The thermoforming process is commonly used to make plastic sheets. In the thermoforming process, compressed air is used to push a hot plastic sheet into the hollow shape of curved in mold. Vent holes in the bottom of the mold allow trapped air to escape. When the plastic cools, the plastic product is removed. Some commonly know products made from the thermoformed include lunch trays, signs, briefcase shells, refrigerator door liners and packages.

Injection moldiing uses a piston or screw to force plastic resin through a heated tube into a mold. Within the mold, the plastic cools and hardens, taking on the shape of the mold. The mold is then opened and the plastic removed. Items such as toys, combs, car grills, and some types of containers are injection molded.

Unlike the other processes, which begin at the start of the process, after each part is removed from the mold, extrusion is a continuous process. In the extrustion process, plastic pellets are first heated in a long barrel. In a manner similar to a pasta making machine, a rotating screw then forces the heated plastic through a die, on opening that shapes the material into its desired shape.
As the plastic form emerges continuously from the opening, it is cooled and solidified, then cut to the desired length. Some good examples of extruded products include drinking straws, plumbing pipes and plastic ropes.

Blow molding is used to form bottles and other containers from soft, hollow thermoplastic tubes. First a mold is fitted around the outside of the softened thermoplastic tube, and then the tube is heated. Then are is blow into the softened tube, much like inflating a balloon. This forces the outside of the softened tube to conform to the inside walls of the mold. Once the plastic cools the mold is opened and the newly molded container is removed. Blow molding is used to make such plastic containers as soft drink bottles, jars, detergent bottles and storage drums.