Custom CNC Plastic ABS Nylon Parts Rapid Prototyping
ABS and nylon (polyamide or PA) are the fundamental materials for custom CNC machined parts for engineering applications and rapid prototyping. These materials are used for functional prototypes, custom components for low-volume custom parts, and high-precision mechanical components for the electronics industry, industrial equipment, automotive industry, and aerospace. Custom CNC machined parts for plastics (ABS and nylon) involve CNC milling or turning, while rapid prototyping involves a combination of CNC machining as the primary rapid technology, along with SLA or SLS for initial prototypes.
Advantages
- No mold cost: Eliminates expensive injection mold tooling (a critical savings for prototyping/low volume), with fast lead times (1–5 days for simple parts).
- Tight tolerances: Achievable tolerances of ±0.01mm for small parts, ±0.05mm for large structural parts – meets precision requirements for mechanical and electronic components.
- Complex geometries: Machines intricate features (undercuts, internal threads, deep cavities, custom contours) that are hard or impossible to mold.
- Material flexibility: Switches between ABS, nylon (PA6/PA66/GF), and other plastics with no tooling changes; supports post-machining modifications (ideal for iterative prototyping).
Application
- Electronics: ABS machined enclosures for industrial controllers, nylon insulators/bushings for circuit boards, precision ABS brackets for consumer electronics.
- Industrial Equipment: Nylon gears/bearings for conveyors, ABS jigs/fixtures for production lines, glass-filled nylon structural parts for machinery.
- Automotive: ABS interior functional prototypes (armrests, switch panels), nylon wear parts (door lock components, window regulators), underhood small structural parts (glass-filled nylon).
- Aerospace/Medical: Low-volume precision nylon fasteners (aerospace), ABS medical device housings (prototyping), nylon surgical instrument components (biocompatible grades available).