RESOURCES

How CNC Machining Works In plastic manufacturing, plastic CNC machining stands out as a versatile method for creating complex parts, assemblies, and prototypes with exacting precision. We delve into the essentials of CNC machining plastics and what you need to know most about the process. What is CNC Machining? CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machining plastic…

Controlled Fluidics Joins The Ingersoll Rand Family Specialized plastics manufacturer Controlled Fluidics joins the multinational industrial flow product company Ingersoll Rand We are excited to announce that Ingersoll Rand has completed its acquisition of Controlled Fluidics. The leadership teams at Ingersoll Rand and Controlled Fluidics are excited about our future together and the opportunity to…

Announcing The Arrival of The Ultimate Plastic Product Design Guide Featuring 150+ pages of expert-backed content to guide product designers on creating the highest quality products possible. Exciting news is here! The staff here at Controlled Fluidics is thrilled to announce the release of our latest resource – our Ultimate Plastic Product Design Guide! Packed…

Controlled Fluidics & Quantum Plastics Announce Partnership A Quantum Leap in Plastics Partnership Controlled Fluidics Joins Forces with Quantum Advanced Engineering Plastics This groundbreaking development promises to change the world of fluidic components. Controlled Fluidics, headquartered in New Hampshire, is proud to announce a strategic partnership with Quantum Advanced Engineering Plastics, based in Delaware. This…

Navigating the Transition: The 9-Step Guide to Shifting Plastic Manufacturers When terminating a partnership between your business and another, many project managers, engineers, and designers face a daunting task: how do you find your next partnership as quickly as possible? Shifting from one plastic manufacturer to another takes time, research, and trust that can overwhelm…

Pete Poodiack talks about Vespel plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about Ultem plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about UHMW plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about Torlon plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about Teflon plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about Tecadur plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about Rexolite plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about Radel plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about PVDF plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about PPS plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about PVC plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about Polysulfone plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about Polypropylene plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about Polycarbonate plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about Phenolics/G10 plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about PET plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about PES plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about PEEK plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about PBT plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about Nylon 6/6 plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about Nylatron GS plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about Noryl plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about LDPE plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about Fluorosint 500 and 207 plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about ECTFE (Halar) plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about Delrin AF plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about CTFE/KEL-F plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about CPVC plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about COC/COP plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about Acrylic plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Pete Poodiack talks about Acetal and Delrin plastics and what makes them popular materials for plastic machining and fabrication.

Revolutionizing Fluidics Design A New Dynamic Partnership Flow Circuits & Controlled Fluidics In the world of technology and innovation, partnerships between companies from different sectors can often yield groundbreaking results. Such collaborations can spark creativity, pool resources, and drive the development of cutting-edge solutions. Today, we’re excited to unveil an exciting new partnership between Flow…

Plastic Machining with ABS Plastic Pete Poodiack, VP of Sales and Marketing at Controlled Fluidics, talks about ABS plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication. Play Video ABS stands for “acrylonitrile butadiene styrene”, but it’s more commonly known by its acronym, ABS. This is a very popular thermoplastic used…

Ultem can be a great choice for manifolds that need thermal strength, thermal resistance, and chemical resistance. Check out the podcast to learn more.

Polycarbonate is slightly more expensive than acrylic but has more thermal and chemical resistance. It can also come in medical-grade quality. Learn more on the podcast.

When designing bonded manifolds, you have to be aware of stress-cracking risks, cost, threading, and material choice. Listen to the podcast to learn more.

COC and COP plastics offer advantages over other amorphous materials. They are chemically resistant with great light transmission capabilities. Check out the benefits.

One of the most popular materials for a wide variety of applications, acrylic is low cost and offers high light transmission. Check out the podcast to learn more.

Deep Dive Into Drilled Manifolds President and Principal Engineer Tom Rohlfs looks at the pros and cons of drilled manifolds. He explains the production process and outlines designs that are ideal for drilled production methods. Transcript John Maher: Hi, I’m John Maher. I’m here today with Tom Rohlfs, President and Principal Engineer at Controlled Fluidics,…

An injection molded manifold features injection molded components bonded together to make a manifold. Look at the production process and pros/cons of injection molded manifolds.

Microfluidic manifolds are manifolds with very small channels, typically below a half millimeter. Look at the manufacturing process for microfluidic manifolds.

Multi-layered bonded manifolds offer advantages over drilled manifolds with plugs. Multi-layered bonded manifolds allow you to create complex channel routing.

In this podcast, Tom Rohlfs talks with John Maher about the plastic manifold design process. He explains what customers should expect when they work with a manifold manufacturer through the design process. John Maher: Hi, I’m John Maher. I’m here today with Tom Rohlfs, President and Principal Engineer at Controlled Fluidics, a plastics machining company…

Plastic Manifolds 101 In this podcast, Tom Rohlfs, Principal Engineer & President at Controlled Fluidics, provides an overview of bonded plastic manifolds, covering their primary functions and in which industries he sees getting the most use out of them. We then proceed to discuss how they’re manufactured and which materials bonded manifolds use most often.…

How NASA Uses Plastic Manifolds in Mission Critical Space Applications Dr. Antonio “Tony” Ricco, Chief Technologist at The NASA Ames Research Center, and Matthew Chin, NASA Flight Systems Engineer, sit down with the Controlled Fluidics team to discuss their BioSentinel project. To summarize, their BioSentinel project looks to discover potential life on Enceladus and Europa (the icy…

Interview with Bay Advanced Technologies The A-Team Built for Fluidics We’ve got some fun news: Controlled Fluidics will now feature content exploring our work with our clients and referral partners. This is an exciting opportunity for everyone. We show how our products work, what problems they solve, and where they are used. Our partners get…

Machining Plastic Vs 3D Printing We analyze the key differences between these two processes so you can make a better decision for your next plastic project. Updated July 15, 2024 Controlled Fluidics is very selective about the technology, procedures, and materials we use to serve our customers. Several industries use specialized plastic components (like…

Your Top 6 Questions on Plastic CNC Machining Answered You asked. We’re answering. Updated 6/28/2024 We here at Controlled Fluidics practice precision and excellence using 5-axis CNC machines (among several others) to produce customized plastic components and assembly. We maintain our place at the forefront of utilizing the newest technologies and practices for precision…

How Medical & Research Are Using Plastic Manifolds Many industries are increasingly using bonded manifolds as their technology, sophistication, and repeatability have improved, and designers realize their inherent value. Complex manifolds – with arrays of different valves – can deliver functions such as pneumatic control, cleaning cycles, dosing, reagent mixing, flow and bacteria analysis, particle…

The Best Plastic Resins & Materials For Creating Bonded Manifolds Edited for clarity and format on March 28, 2024 Bonded manifolds offer a variety of benefits. Ease of design flexibility means manufacturers like Controlled Fluidics can create intricate channels in almost any configuration. Controlled Fluidics’ low-pressure bonding technology means channels retain their shape throughout…

What is a bonded manifold? What they are, why they’re important, and how to tell if you need one *Updated November 10, 2023 If you’ve spent time on our website, you have likely encountered the term “bonded manifold.” But what exactly are those, and do you need one? The field of fluidics often requires smaller…

At Controlled Fluidics, we pride ourselves on solving our customers’ problems, no matter the challenge. Sometimes that means figuring out how to manufacture complex plastic parts involving tight tolerances, complicated geometries, and unstable materials. In fact, we have pushed the boundaries of plastic machining to help our customers design and create some of the world’s…

MicroMachining Techniques & Assemblies As assemblies and products continue to demand more compact arrangements, micromachining only gets bigger in popularity. Controlled Fluidics is a world class manufacturer of micro machined plastic components. We have the capabilities to produce micro components (in large or small quantities) to customers’ specifications and hold to tolerances of +/- .0005…

Controlled Fluidics & The Fight Against COVID-19 *Updated May 27, 2021. When a global pandemic hits, there are some professions you expect to become essential: doctors, nurses, pharmacists, grocery store clerks, helpdesk workers at Zoom, and…the employees at Controlled Fluidics. That’s right. You may not have realized it, but COVID-19 created a demand for plastic…

Have you taken a spin around the Controlled Fluidics website lately? If not, it’s worth a minute of your time to see what’s new. With the following a new website design project, visitors can now enjoy three websites for the price of one. Controlled Fluidics has two sides to its business: bonded manifolds and machined…

Controlled Fluidics: The Insider’s Info Get the information that only few people know about Controlled Fluidics through this post. Principal & President Tom Rohlfs goes into some little-known details about the inner workings of the company. A lot can change over thirty years, and plastic machining and manifolds are no exception. To say Controlled Fluidics…

The 3 Most Concerning Extreme Conditions For Plastics What To Know About Environmental Extremes When Selecting Plastic Materials You can find plastic machined parts and manifolds as critical parts of devices in almost any environment: from cell counters in a climate-controlled lab to components on the International Space Station. When machining components that must perform…

How 5 Axis CNC Machines Improve Plastic Production Some components can only be produced with 5-axis machines, such as items used in the aerospace, medical, or space flight industries. Advances in technology depend on increasingly complex components. Plastic machined components and manifolds are no exception and must perform accurately and consistently in more demanding environments…

Increasing Patient Safety in Medical Procedures Why Plastics Help Make the Medical Industry Safer For All When engineering devices with medical applications, it’s critical to keep patient safety at the center of all design choices. Fortunately for the engineers working on medical components, polymers combine the favorable properties of glass and metal with unique properties…

Your Guide To Polishing Plastic A Quick Primer on Plastic Polishing Methods and Techniques *Updated November 3, 2023. When a project calls for optically clear or smooth components, it’s simple to turn to glass or quartz as a material solution. However, while either material will produce an optically clear or smooth product, polished plastic…

Metal Vs Plastics A Comparison of Material Advantages & Disadvantages Each material needed for a product needs careful consideration and comparison before making any final decisions. We weigh the pros and cons of plastic and metal to ensure you make the right decision for your next project. When your manifold or precision component project is…

5 Plastic Resins/Materials That Can Take The Heat A successfully completed high-performance plastic machined part or manifold performs consistently well under even the most stressful conditions. In addition, professional machining and polishing prevent dangerous, costly malfunctions. While final success depends on many factors falling into place, selecting the right material for the job is essential…

4 Signs On When To Seek Help From A Specialized Plastic Manufacturer Edited 3/14/2024 You’ve clarified what kind of product you need, the specifications it needs to meet, and the environment in which it will need to perform. Now it’s time to wade into the world of design, material selection, and production. We understand that…