Of all the different materials that manufacturers use to make products, plastic is probably the most intriguing. The interesting thing is that every day, millions of people touch plastic in one form or another. Yet, they never give the manufacturing process a second thought. After learning how plastic manufacturers in Toronto and other cities in Canada create a viable material, you’ll likely appreciate everyday items more.
From the Beginning
Producing plastic begins with the extraction of raw material, whether from refined crude oil or natural gas. After heavy machinery pulls it from beneath the earth’s surface, it goes through a refinery process. From there, the facility converts the material into small plastic pellets.
Those pellets are what plastic manufacturers in Toronto and other cities in Canada use to produce finished products. That involves using one of the methods mentioned below.
Different Methods Used by Plastic Manufacturer in Edmonton
There are several ways to process plastic products. Depending on a customer’s needs, a company that provides services for plastic fabrication in Toronto or other places in Canada will determine the best and most cost-effective approach. This is an important part of the manufacturing process since every method has unique lead times, cycle times, setup costs, unit costs, and so on.
- 3D Printing – A plastic manufacturer in Edmonton or other cities in Canada uses this technology to create three-dimensional prototypes of the product design
- Blow Molding – Compressed air gets forced into a heated plastic tube to create a hollow product. Plastic manufacturers in Toronto and other cities in Canada use blow molding to make bottles, children’s toys, and even various automotive components
- CNC Machining – Data gets entered into a computer. From there, a CNC machine automatically performs the assigned task. This method of fabrication can bore, mill, drill, lathe, grind, and more
- Extrusion Molding – With this, an extrusion machine applies pressure on the die to form the desired shape of the plastic
- Injection Molding – This method of plastic fabrication in Toronto and other cities in Canada involves pouring molten thermoplastic into a mold, which gets pressed through a screw by a shot chamber
- Polymer Casting – This entails melting the resin. The resin goes into a mold and then cools
- Rotational Molding – For this method, rotational plastic crates rotate on two axes to create a hollow product
- Vacuum Forming – This method forms different plastic shapes by heating the plastic, stretching it over the mold’s surface, and then applying vacuum force
Even for some of these, a plastic manufacturer in Edmonton and other cities can choose a secondary or add-on process. As an example, they might opt for stretch blow molding, which, as the name implies, stretches the preform.
The next step for plastic fabrication in Toronto or other cities has to do with selecting the appropriate material. Again, the manufacturer selects the right plastic according to what the customer’s product demands.
Finishing the Product
To complete the fabrication process, the now cooled and formed solid form of plastic ejects from the mold. Following the customer’s specifications, it’s painted or finished in some other manner. The last step is for the plastic manufacturer in Edmonton or other cities in Canada to package and ship the product to the waiting customer.
A Reliable Source for Quality Plastic
The quality of the material used as part of plastic fabrication in Toronto and other cities in Canada dictates the quality of the finished product. At Johnston Industrial Plastics, we offer a broad range of superior plastics. Call us to learn more.
