Plastics are used to make millions of everyday products. Because of this, many companies depend on plastics manufacturers to provide the plastic products and services necessary to make or market their wares. Thanks to the Internet, finding plastics companies has never been easier.
Plastics companies may provide raw materials or finished plastic products. Many offer specialized products and services, such as injection molded plastics and plastics extrusion. To find the plastic products and processes you need, consider the following:
1. Determine the type of plastic products you need.
2. Use online resources to find plastics materials, suppliers and services.
3. Choose vendors who offer design assistance for your plastic products.
4. Look for plastics companies that offer molding services, including injection molded plastics.
5. Select vendors who provide plastics extrusion services.
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Determine the type of plastic products you need
Some of the most popular plastic products used today include polyproylene (food containers), polystyrene (disposable cutlery, CD cases), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (computer equipment cases), polyethylene terephthalate (or PET, commonly used for beverage bottles), polyester (textiles), polyamides (nylons), polyvinyl chloride (PVC pipes), polyurethanes (insulation foams), polycarbonate (CDs, eyeglasses), polyvinylidene chloride (Saran) and polyethylene (grocery bags).
I recommend: Use the
materials selection tools at Solvay to help narrow down the polymer you want by property, type and/or grade. If your plastic products will come in contact with any chemicals, check the
chemical resistance chart at Miller Plastic Products.
RPI Reprocessed Plastics offers a variety of environmentally friendly, non-toxic plastics. Find
plastics distributors and
plastics manufacturers offering a wide variety of plastic products at Business.com.
Use online resources for plastics materials, suppliers and services
The Internet allows you to source plastic products and find plastics manufacturers worldwide.
I recommend: MyPlasticsindustry.com is an online marketplace for suppliers and buyers of plastics processing materials, machinery, molds, tools and plastics consulting.
123plastics.com and
IndiaMART’s Indian Plastic Portal are both India-based plastics trade resources that connect buyers and sellers worldwide.
IDES is a subscriber service featuring a plastic products search engine.
Plastics molding services
Plastics molding is a category that includes many processes, such as injection molded plastics, blow-molding and dip molding.
I recommend: To obtain multiple quotes for injection molded plastics jobs, simply email your 3D CAD files along with project specifications to
Quickparts.com.
ICO Products specializes in rapid mold injection to produce soft-steel injection molds for prototypes and production parts. Try the online cost estimator tool on ICO's homepage.
MacRae’s Blue Book lists custom plastics manufacturers and plastics molding services. See Business.com’s
molded plastic directory for a variety of molding services and equipment.
Plastics extrusion services
Plastics extrusion is a process by which small beads of thermoplastic materials (often called resin) are fed into a long rotating screw inside a heated barrel where the resin is melted into molten plastic and then passed into a die where it takes its final shape.
I recommend: Get multiple quotes for plastics extrusion services and other processes at
MFG.com.
HPE Extrusion Solutions specializes in complex plastic extrusions.
Aero Rubber Company produces industrial rubber products including rubber tubing and rubber cord using extrusion and other processes.
Fabricated Extrusion Company offers plastics extrusion processes to produce parts for semi-truck trailers, swimming pools and spas, exercise equipment, office furniture, impact doors, vending machines and construction.
Look for plastics companies that offer product design assistance
Some plastics manufacturers will help design your product based on a simple rendering.
I recommend: Sunburst Plastics will work with you from design to finished product, recommending materials and processes, even if all you have is a concept. The design services at
Inland Plastics include engineering decisions, tooling options, materials options, production run efficiencies and package alternatives.
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