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Devices and instruments machined from high-performance plastics and polymers for the medical industry, as well as other industries, offer many advantages over aluminum or stainless. They are lighter, just as strong and durable, and some are radiolucent (permeable to X-rays or other forms of radiation).
These materials are often machined on the same types of VMCs or HMCs as metal parts, but that doesn't mean the processes are the same. It was the need for precisionmachined plastic parts that led to the founding of Applied Engineering Plastics Inc. (AEP; Earth City, MO) by three veterans of the plastics industry, each with 20 years experience.
"We founded AEP two years ago concentrating on an underserved niche market," says Chris Klope, president. "We have 20,000 ft2 (1858 m2) with just under 20 employees. In our first year we met our sales plan, and we've already doubled that performance in year two."
Plastics continue to make inroads in the medical industry, as well as in the semiconductor, food processing, and aerospace industries. "There are plastic materials today that are designed to withstand 100O0F. Most people are shocked when they hear that," says Klope.
A short list of AEP's products includes plastic gears and sprockets; for custom packaging equipment, star wheels, worm gears, bushings, bearings, and wear pads. AEP's customers manufacture equipment for specific industries. Some customers make machines that test agricultural products, paint samples, and food products, requiring machining of PDA-compliant materials in a controlled environment.
"We've produced instruments for the ear, nose, and throat industry, devices for which our clients charge a good price. One of the complaints from doctors is that the anodization on aluminum instruments would wear off, leaving them looking cheap. The last thing they want is shoddy-looking equipment," says Klope.
The solution involved changing to a plastic that is lighter than aluminum and just as durable. "The color is integral to the material and can't wear off." Klope explains: "You can cut threads in it, you can put a fine surface finish on it, plus, it's cost-effective, In addition, our customers can talk about the environmental benefits of replacing nasty anodized aluminum with a clean material." A bonus: the doctor incurs less fatigue using the lighter...