What are the benefits of plastic fabrication over metal fabrication?

As manufacturing continues to change rapidly, manufacturers constantly seek cost-effective, lightweight, durable, and flexible materials that suit their current manufacturing processes. Historically, metal was considered the preferred choice for manufacturing in both the industrial and commercial sectors; however, throughout many industries, plastics have become the dominant alternative.

Plastics are taking over components manufactured using metal within many different industries, including water treatment, chemicals, food, pharmaceuticals, construction, etc. The reason for this change is that manufacturers recognize that using plastics provides greater performance, lower costs, less required maintenance, and more versatility than using metals.

This blog will discuss why many manufacturers choose to use plastics instead of metals by outlining some of the primary benefits associated with plastic fabrication.

1. Lightweight Yet Strong

One of the main benefits of plastic fabrication is the low weight of the materials.

Materials such as polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (HDPE), PVC, and acrylic are much lighter in weight than many metals (steel and aluminium, for example). On the other hand, the engineering plastics available today can provide excellent strength and durability despite their low weight.

Why This Is Important

  • Easier to Handle and Install
  • Less Expensive to Ship
  • Lower Structural Loads on Buildings and Equipment
  • More Efficient Moving Components and Assemblies

In industries where weight is important, such as water treatment, automotive parts, and industrial equipment, plastic fabrication has a clear advantage.

 

2. Excellent Corrosion Resistance

Outstanding Corrosion Resistance

No matter how much moisture or chemicals are present, plastic does not rust, corrode, or oxidize like metals do when exposed to those types of environments.

For metal fabrications, there is often a need for:

  • Anti-corrosive coats
  • Galvanization
  • Regular maintenance/painting

With plastic fabrication, you do not have to worry about those problems.

All of the benefits associated with plastic fabrication are:

  • Ideal to use in chemical processing and storage applications.
  • Excellent for use in offshore and marine environments.
  • Longevity and durability in extreme acidic and alkaline environments.

Ultimately, these plastic-fabricated parts will work great in chemical tanks, scrubbers, ductwork, strainers, piping systems, and many parts that make up water treatment systems.

 

3. Cost-Effective Manufacturing

The manufacture of plastics is generally less expensive than the manufacture of metals, especially for custom or small batch production.

  • Some of the potential cost savings include:
  • Lower Costs of Raw Materials (in many cases)
  • Decreased Machining and Processing Time
  • Fewer Finishing Requirements
  • Decreased Labor Costs Due to Ease of Use in Fabrication

Additionally, plastics can be welded, bent, cut, and shaped using far fewer resources than metals. Therefore, total production costs for plastics can potentially be less than total production costs for metals.

 

4. Design Flexibility and Customization

One of the great advantages of using Plastic as a material is the adaptability of plastic products through the various methods of production.

Examples of the broad range of production capabilities include:

  • Highly articulated shapes can be made by crafting small molds.
  • Plastics can be machined using Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) technology, welded, and shaped by heat, creating complex geometries at a much faster rate than metals can be created.
  • Various thicknesses, colors, textures, and light transmission characteristics can be incorporated into plastic parts when they are in the manufacturing process.

In most cases, plastics are produced with far more detailing than are typical of metals, generally resulting in likes of far fewer welds and joints, therefore allowing for very complex parts to be manufactured within a relatively short period of time.

The combination of all of these features has made plastic fabrication a very viable alternative for many different customized types of components, as well as for prototype components or for specific types of application-based design.

 

5. Chemical and Electrical Insulation Properties

Plastic is an excellent insulator.

Advantages of using plastic include:

  • Electrical insulation – plastics do not conduct electricity.
  • Plastic resists chemical reaction far stronger than metal.
  • Plastic is safe for use in an electrical/electronic equipment environment.

Plastic parts are typically used in:

  • Electrical enclosures
  • Cable management
  • Chemical process
  • Laboratory and pharmaceutical equipment.

Metal parts typically require added insulation treatments, requiring extra cost and complexity.

 

6. Low Maintenance Requirements

Low Maintenance Needs

A second significant advantage of using plastic for machining and constructing components is that the need for ongoing maintenance is minimal.

The need for metal products to be maintained requires:

  • Ongoing painting
  • Rust prevention
  • Regular inspections for corrosion/wear (due to fatigue)

Plastic-fabricated products, however, do not

  • Rust/corrode
  • Requires much in the way of regular cleaning
  • They are not affected by long-term storage

As a result of this reduced use of materials/resources allows for the reduction of lifetime costs and an increase in the amount of time products can be in use, especially within industrial environments.

 

7. High Resistance to Chemicals and Moisture

Plastics can be engineered to withstand a variety of chemicals, including:

  • Acid
  • Alkaline
  • Solvents
  • Salts

Therefore, many of the applications of plastics are:

  • Tanks for chemical storage
  • Ducts (e.g., air conditioning ducts)
  • Scrubbing Systems
  • Equipment used in the Industrial Transmission of Fluids

Unlike plastics, metal fabricators would require costly alloys or a protective coating if you wish to use them in a similar manner.

 

8. Quicker Production & Installation

Plastic fabrication has many advantages over metal fabrication when it comes to production speed and efficacy.

Some advantages of plastic fabrication are:

  • Much easier to cut and shape
  • Quicker welding and joining techniques
  • Little or no surface finish required

Because plastic is not as heavy as metals, transport time and installation can be reduced, which means a faster project completion time.

9. Environmentally Friendly Options

Plastic is made in several different ways with respect to creating eco-friendliness and how it is made.

Some examples of plastic are:

  • They can be recycled.
  • They will usually last longer than other materials.
  • The production process of plastic requires much less energy to create than does the production of metal.

The manufacturing processes of metallic materials typically include energy-intensive operations such as smelting and forging, while the production process of plastics utilizes a significantly smaller amount of energy when produced appropriately.

 

10. Flexibility Across Different Industries

Plastic fabrication is applicable in many different types of industries, such as:

  • Water and wastewater management
  • Chemical and Pharmaceutical Production
  • Food Services
  • Automotive / Transportation Manufacturing
  • Building and Construction
  • Electronics / Electrical Slbsystem Industries

Because of their flexibility, plastics are a viable alternative to metals when using metals would be prohibitive due to the expense, impractical, or would be an inefficient choice for the application.

 

11. Enhanced Vibration & Noiseless Operating Environment.

Compared to metals, plastics absorb all forms of vibration/noise more readily.

The benefits associated with using plastics include:

  •  A reduction in the amount of operational noise emitted by machinery
  •  A reduced vibration-induced premature failure of machinery
  •  A higher degree of safety/comfort at the workplace

The use of plastics as sound/vibration dampers is especially beneficial in an industrial environment or for HVAC systems used in buildings or in an industrial capacity (i.e., powering a piece of industrial equipment).

 

12. Long-Term Durability and Performance

Long-lasting Durability and Reliability

Metals have traditionally been known for their ability to withstand abuse; however, engineered plastics can provide long-lasting structural performance without significant deterioration.

Components made with plastic provide the following benefits:

  • Retain their structural integrity
  • Resist damage from repeated exposure to a corrosive atmosphere
  • Exhibit consistent performance over long periods of time

Many applications have demonstrated that plastic products can perform better than metal products when subjected to extreme environments.

 

13. Non-Toxic and Hygienic for Sensitive Applications

The use of plastic fabrication in a variety of industries where hygiene and safety are paramount. Many plastics are not toxic, are food safe, and are resistant to bacteria. In contrast to metals, plastics do not interact chemically with items of food or pharmaceuticals. As such, plastics have been used in a wide range of environments, including food processing facilities, laboratories, and healthcare facilities. In addition, the smooth surfaces found on many plastics allow for easier cleaning and sanitization, ensuring adherence to the stringent hygiene standards placed upon a product used in those environments.

 

14. Custom Thickness and Transparency Options

Plastic has advantages over many materials; however, Plastics also possess a high degree of customizability that other material types cannot offer. Manufacturers may select from a wide range of thickness options and levels of transparency when manufacturing items using Plastic; for instance, Acrylic and Polycarbonate may be manufactured as either transparent or translucent products (i.e., Protection Covers and Inspection Windows) due to the nature of Plastic in comparison to Metal. In addition, the same level of customisation would require many more tooling investments than Metals, therefore providing a large advantage for using Plastics where custom design is important (see Examples of Displays and Functional Products).

 

 

Conclusion

One of the significant contributions that technology has given us is plastic fabrication as a less expensive alternative to metals. In this case, plastic is less expensive than metal and provides more options for the manufacturer as compared to metal.

Advancements in technology have opened up the potential for plastic fabrications to be the preferred method in almost every application today, therefore providing businesses with several future-focused opportunities to make an intelligent investment in plastic fabrication.

If you require durability, performance, and overall value, plastic fabrication will not be just your best choice, but in many cases, your only option for completing your project.