PCB Assembly Graphic

Material Selection

Let Us Help You Select the Right Prototype Materials for Your Application….

There are over 60,000 grades of injection moldable materials available with more added every year. It can be quite a daunting task to figure out which plastics are the best to use for your application. Our engineers have designed and specified materials for thousands of plastic parts and are ready to help take the confusion out of prototyping material selection.

Character with too many options representing Material Selection

Factors to Consider During Prototype Material Selection

Blue Gear Icon - Factors to Consider During Material Selection Mechanical

Mechanical

We strive to replicate production part quality, without sacrificing speed.

Target Icon - Factors to Consider During Material Selection Tolerances

Tolerances

Does the part require any unusually tight tolerances?

Weather Icon - Factors to Consider During Material Selection Environmental

Environmental

Is the part used in environments that require consideration such as chemical resistance, high/low temperature exposure, humidity, etc.

Assembly Line Icon Blue - Factors to Consider During Material Selection Assembly

Assembly

Prototype parts to be assembled need to be molded from compatible materials in some assembly methods such as ultrasonic welding, laser welding, adhesive bonding, etc

Arrow Icons - Factors to Consider During Material Selection Sterilization

Sterilization

Will the product be a single use sterilized disposable sterilized or a sterilized reusable? What will be the sterilization method?

Blue Shield Icon - Factors to Consider During Material Selection Regulatory

Regulatory

ISO, FDA, UL, IEC, USP are examples of regulatory agencies that have specific requirements for biocompatibility, food contact, flammability, etc.

Warning Icon Blue - Factors to Consider During Material Selection Electrical

Electrical

Certain applications require plastics to function as anti-static, static dissipative, ESD protective, conductive or insulating.

Calculator and Document Icon - Factors to Consider During Material Selection Cost

Cost

The part needs to be within cost targets while meeting all other requirements.

Paint Pallet Icon - Factors to Consider During Material Selection Aesthetic

Aesthetic

Transparency, color, gloss, surface finish, etc.

Clip Board Icon - Factors to Consider During Material Selection Special Requirements

Special requirements

Transparency, color, gloss, surface finish, etc.

Our Flexible Material Options

Once your material has been specified Protoshop offers prototyping material options to meet your molding needs:

Protoshop Stocked Materials

Protoshop maintains a variety of stocked material options that are immediately available for molding prototypes.

View Stock Materials

Custom Client Material Order

Protoshop can coordinate an order of a specific grade of material to be shipped directly to Protoshop. Protoshop can also coordinate compounded materials with specialty additives as needed.

Use Client’s Materials

Clients may ship plastic injection molding material to Protoshop that will be used to mold prototype parts.