The Power of Smallᵀᴹ

[Plastiblocks]

Here is a first video in a series of short clips to show the equipment we use to injection mold all the rods, blocks and sheet:
The Factory of the Future

 

[KBeitz]

new tool...

 

[magicniner]

This equipment can mold parts that are larger than itself.

Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that it can pump enough molten plastic to make parts larger than itself?
I'm assuming that if you add all the components required to make a part bigger than that equipment it's total volume and footprint will extend quite significantly?

 

[vtcnc]

Here is an excellent write up on the capabilities, round start-up costs, etc. of said equipment.

Plastics Technology - Intrusion Molding

 

[RWanke]

I don't think plastics has a place on a machinist forum.

[moderator's note: This vendor has done a lot to support our site and encourage hobby machining. They belong here.]

When I was working in the machine shop of the company that employed me we turned a LOT of plastic. Big plastic bearings. I'm talking 9" OD x 8" ID x 18' long.

 

[Plastiblocks]

Here is an excellent write up on the capabilities, round start-up costs, etc. of said equipment.

Plastics Technology - Intrusion Molding

Thank you! that's one of the articles about this equipment.

And here is a new video we just uploaded:

 

[Plastiblocks]

When I was working in the machine shop of the company that employed me we turned a LOT of plastic. Big plastic bearings. I'm talking 9" OD x 8" ID x 18' long.

Our largest current diameter is 8" x 24 long solid injection molded plastic. However, we can make larger parts without difficulty. Just so far didn't have any demand for larger diameter solid rods.

 

[Plastiblocks]

Here are few videos to describe the technology, more is coming, subscribe to Omachron YouTube Channel to stay up to date:

The Factory of the Future

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxvFe4cQK8s&t=42s


This 25-lb superblock being molded by our tabletop machine.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNMjpn1rPHs&t=10s

Small Volume Production Success

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB5W5uqoWB4&t=4s


Modular and Scaleable Plastic Extruders and Injection Molding Machines

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dazN-rLr74&t=2s

 

[jdedmon91]

When I was working in the machine shop of the company that employed me we turned a LOT of plastic. Big plastic bearings. I'm talking 9" OD x 8" ID x 18' long.

Yes I was machining plastic parts for textile plants in the mid 70’s. In fact here locally there is a shop that machines plastic exclusively. I have a lot of Delrin UMHW in my material pile. Most is old fixtures that came from Eaton that I picked up before retirement.

I just got sent a Quill wheel to take the place of an handle on my Lagun by Jim Enos. The hub that the wheel is mounted to is UMHW. I had to machine a spacer to move the wheel out away form the quill feed clutch engagement lever. I machined it up out of Delrin that I repurposed.

I posted a video to my channel. I machined a lot of things out of rectangular stock

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[jdedmon91]

I have a textile machine shop... I've turned a lot of plastic in my time...

View attachment 281570

That looks like my home shop turning rectangular stock round on an arbor. I used to make hubs for tire treatment stands for kart racers just that way. In fact I recently made some hubs if for a friend.

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[jdedmon91]

I thought I’d add I have a lot of rectangular plastic stock. In fact I need more round stock and to purchase it is expensive. So I do like woodworkers take square pieces of stock and turn them round for stock.

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[Plastiblocks]

When I was working in the machine shop of the company that employed me we turned a LOT of plastic. Big plastic bearings. I'm talking 9" OD x 8" ID x 18' long.

If the shop that you worked for still exists, they should try our products, all of our blocks and rods are low stress, machine grade.

 

[RWanke]

If the shop that you worked for still exists, they should try our products, all of our blocks and rods are low stress, machine grade.

The material we made bearings out of for the marine industry was made by Thordon. I was under the impression it was a specialty plastic developed just for marine purposes.

 

[Plastiblocks]

Opportunity is Knocking

Opportunity is Knocking

You can now make and sell finished goods from recycled plastic for less than the cost of new plastic resin! Plastic is an amazing material. It is used in all aspects of our daily lives. It's both a blessing and a curse.

www.omachron.com

 

[cekestner]

Machining is machining, in aluminum, steel, plastics or wood. It is still machining.

I often prototype something in wood or plastic to get the kinks out before doing it in metal for the final. It is a great way to save time and money, and easy to fix problems.

I recall when I spent two 8-hour turns making some shifting forks, and when I got to the final operations I realised that I had made them in a mirror image of the actually required part.

I headed for the bandsaw and cut one out of a scrap 2x4 and put it near the Cincinnati's vise so I could make the next two forks correctly.

Prototyping out of plastics or wood is hard to beat.

 

[bhigdog]

Whenever a left, right, or mirror image part is required remember... Bob's Law.
If there is a 50-50% chance of it being correct it will be wrong 75% of the time...........Bob

 

[Janderso]

While we are on the subject of, "made here".
I've been working for Ford dealerships since 1976.
The dealership I started at had parts manuals back to the 20's. For decades you could repair parts and components. Remember the old cam driven diaphram fuel pumps?
Heck, you could buy the diaphram, gasket, spring etc. Starters, generators could all be rebuilt. We would grind valves and replace bearings, hone cylinders, brake cylinders would be rebuilt. Unheard of today. It wasn't until 80's that we migrated into assemblies.
Now days, we don't rebuild a transmission, it would be cost prohibitive. We sell a factory remanufactured unit that carries a 3 year unlimited parts and labor warranty. If we rebuilt it, you would get 90 day labor and 24 months on defective parts.
The business has changed!

 

[C-Bag]

While we are on the subject of, "made here".
I've been working for Ford dealerships since 1976.
The dealership I started at had parts manuals back to the 20's. For decades you could repair parts and components. Remember the old cam driven diaphram fuel pumps?
Heck, you could buy the diaphram, gasket, spring etc. Starters, generators could all be rebuilt. We would grind valves and replace bearings, hone cylinders, brake cylinders would be rebuilt. Unheard of today. It wasn't until 80's that we migrated into assemblies.
Now days, we don't rebuild a transmission, it would be cost prohibitive. We sell a factory remanufactured unit that carries a 3 year unlimited parts and labor warranty. If we rebuilt it, you would get 90 day labor and 24 months on defective parts.
The business has changed!

I hear that about change! But like engine and trans rebuilding you mention " cost prohibitive ". I've seen firsthand the rebuilders are cutting corners and 99% of rebuilds don't last as long as OEM, but just long enough to get by the warranty. And I for one miss being able to rebuild my cars but cannot think of a single plastic thing that could rebuilt.

 

[Janderso]

Good point C-Bag. Before my 2002 F-150 burned in the fire, it had the original transmission, the engine did not burn a drop of oil. It had 257,000 miles on the old 5.4 l engine.

 

[cekestner]

While we are on the subject of, "made here".
I've been working for Ford dealerships since 1976.
The dealership I started at had parts manuals back to the 20's. For decades you could repair parts and components. Remember the old cam driven diaphram fuel pumps?
Heck, you could buy the diaphram, gasket, spring etc. Starters, generators could all be rebuilt. We would grind valves and replace bearings, hone cylinders, brake cylinders would be rebuilt. Unheard of today. It wasn't until 80's that we migrated into assemblies.
Now days, we don't rebuild a transmission, it would be cost prohibitive. We sell a factory remanufactured unit that carries a 3 year unlimited parts and labor warranty. If we rebuilt it, you would get 90 day labor and 24 months on defective parts.
The business has changed!

I remember when one of the local Ford dealers lied to me about how "Ford doesn't sell the fan motor separate from the fan assembly, which is $ 650."

Two hours later, with only $ 71.00 duked to the auto parts store, the replacement fan motor was operational in my 1991 Taurus.

 

[GunsOfNavarone]

Sometimes I run mock ups in Plastiblock, my bike's seat, I made the bushing it pivots on out of Plastiblock. So many uses invaluable to machinists IMO.