Up to this point, we have relayed a lot of information to aid in your design efforts. While we could add more, this final chapter should give you everything you need to get going.

We want your project to succeed, and if you have followed this guide so far, your chances will increase exponentially. We will leave you with these final pieces of advice to create the best plastic products possible.

When choosing a manufacturer to build your products or machine your plastic parts, many consult their default shops. While general purpose manufacturers make great metal parts, plastics are much different. Plastic machined components need not only specialized technical knowledge and experience but also the right technology to create well-crafted plastic products. Some concepts can carry over from metal machining, but not all do. It stands absolutely important to know these differences in machining products. We’ve detailed what to look for when choosing a plastics manufacturer below.

MAKE SURE THE MANUFACTURER USES THE PROPER COOLANTS

We use water based — not oil based — coolants. While oil-based coolants may work well for metal parts, the oil can embed in the surface of the plastic and/or cause stress cracks.

USE A SHOP THAT ONLY MACHINES PLASTICS — NOT ALSO METAL

When a machine cuts metal, chips from the metal migrate into the coolant. These chips can embed into the plastics causing discoloration and contamination.

VERIFY THE BUSINESS'S TOOLING, TECHNIQUES, AND MACHINES ARE SPECIFICALLY FOR PLASTICS

There are three very important points that every good plastic machinist understands: how stresses form in plastics, how to support plastics when machining, and lastly, the proper ways to machine plastic to minimize post machining changes. Without understanding these points, it's better to find another place that will carefully consider these before production.

PROPER THREADING

Threading is a critical aspect of a manifold. A plastics-only machine shop knows how to make stress-free threads. Flat bottom ports are the most common interface. We at Controlled Fluidics has refined our techniques to produce the highest quality. Below are some photos of the bottom face of a threaded port: one by us, and the other by a competitor.

We offer free manifold design support for those companies needing assistance on their fluidic system. Our engineers are experienced in selecting the right components to make your project successful. From pump, valve, and sensor choice to creating a budget-friendly yet realistic layout for a product, we guide in every step of the process. Here is the basic approach for a design support request.

After working with our design team, request a quote through our quote form or by calling us at (603) 673-4323. Our engineers will consider all angles and concerns when designing for your project. We want to ensure that we get all the right information to provide the best design possible. Clients and customers usually choose from one of the two following options for designing manifolds.

FULL DESIGN REQUEST

Customer supplies basic schematic and components. Controlled Fluidics provides the complete layout. A full design request will include a quote for the design and an estimate for manufacturing the manifold.

DESIGN COMPLETED

Customer/client provides the completed manifold design. Controlled Fluidics can provide design for manufacturing support as an add-on. Includes a quotation for the manifold.

Have a sketch of the fluid path but don't know where to begin? We can help. We can design the entire manifold including valves and porting from your schematic. The initial quote will be for the design effort and a rough estimate for the manifold cost.

STEPS IN FULL DESIGN REQUEST PROCESS

1. Reach out to our experienced team to get the conversation started.
2. Our team will have a few conversations to understand fully the purpose of the design and to ensure it's a great fit that meets expectations. We will continue to work with you until we get it right. From there, we will factor in all the necessities discussed to give the most accurate numbers possible to meet your budget concerns.
3. We will use our decades of experience to create a manifold design that meets and exceeds expectations, taking into consideration all project concerns while maintaining close contact with the project's lead.
4. We understand that circumstances change, and projects can change in their desired end results. We will work with your team to ensure that we get the design right before moving to production.
5. We will never move into production without the customer's final approval. Satisfaction is our top priority. Once we receive final confirmation, we will give the final production costs before moving into the good part: creating a physical manifold.

SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM

This usually means a 2D sketch or layout sample of your manifold design.

COMPONENT LIST

We will need to see the list of anticipated components that you plan to use with the device.

PHYSICAL SPACE CONSTRAINTS ON MANIFOLD

We will need to know what space limitations there might be for the expected manifold.

OPERATING PARAMETERS

Please let us know what the design needs to withstand in terms of:

• Pressures
• Temperatures
• Chemicals
• Flow rate
• Valve sizes
• Liquid or gas (Media)

SENSING REQUIREMENTS

Please include any sensory or sensor requirements that might be need including in the overall design.

SPECIAL TOLERANCE REQUIREMENTS

±0.005 in/125 µm is standard.

QUANTITY

Let us know how many pieces, components, assemblies, etc. that you would need.

FUNCTION/PURPOSE DESCRIPTION

A description of the functions/purpose of the complete fluidic system isn’t always required but can be very helpful. The more our engineers understand your system, the more they can help assure the manifold fully meets your intentions.

REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPLETED DESIGN REQUEST

QUANTITY

How many pieces are needed? (We will appreciate exact quantities)

ORDER FREQUENCY

How often will you need this order filled: once, quarterly, annually?

LEAD TIME REQUIREMENTS

How soon do you need these complete? We can work with short timelines in special cases, but it is not always guaranteed.

MATERIALS DESIRED

We work with over 30+ different types of specialized plastic materials and even some rarer ones. Our special partnership with Quantum AEP grants us special access to prices that fit just about every budget.

If you have it ready, we ask that you send along your 3D model in a STEP format along with your 2D models in PDF with additional information not shown in the 3D model. We accept other formats as well. See our quote request form for more details.

2D models are often necessary to add detail to the design but a 3D model is required to make a manifold. When a 2D and 3D model conflict, the 3D model is used to make the final decision.

Details to put in a 2D Model:

• Tolerancing
  • Our standard tolerance is ±0.005 in/125 µm when not specified.
  • We can support tighter tolerances but they must be specified in a 2D model accompanying the 3D model. Tighter tolerances may cost more, Apply them only where necessary.
• Surface finish
  • Our standard finish is 32 µin RA (0.8 µm). For more on finishes, check out Surface Finish (our typical finishes), and clarity levels in our optical machining page.
• Material
  • Please specify your material choice on the 2D drawing
• Location of threads
  • Please specify all threaded holes.
• Thread sizing
  • Threads are assumed to be class 2B threads.

For those that need to handle the product themselves, we can provide sample manifolds from our inventory. We understand that these sample manifolds are an opportunity to review our quality and chemical resistance testing. We have those available in all materials that we bond. Simply inform us when you request a quote.

When it comes to plastic prototypes, this is our specialty. As a manifold tends to be the heart of a system, we know that they undergo several iterations and testing to reach the desired goal. You can expect a prototype from Controlled Fluidics to have the same quality as a full-scale production.

However, please note that we don't make just one part because of fallout through the manufacturing process. Depending on difficulty, we typically start with 3 to 5 blanks. For those customers who want a small amount (≤ 5 pieces), we will quote a lot charge with a quantity range. The lowest quantity is the guaranteed delivery amount. The largest is the highest quantity the customer can receive if there is limited fallout.

We can use 3D printing for prototypes as a less expensive alternative to making fully machined parts. However, the products that come out are not on the same level as production quality. Usually we need to add some secondary machining, especially if the design has threads or threading.

Machined manifold standard production timeline: 4 - 6 weeks*

Bonded manifold standard production timeline: 8 - 12 weeks*

A bonded manifold will take longer to produce than a machined manifold because we essentially make three separate parts. Layer 1 is the first part, and Layer 2 is the second part. Then we bond those two together with assembly machining done as the third part. Generally, we make all of Layer 1 as a group, then all of Layer 2, and so on.

We ask that you keep this in mind as we do batch flow, not single flow production. We have found that the batch processing method saves more money for our customers overall. Single piece flow actually ends up costing more during manifold production because of the setup times involved and our strict adherence to our quality standards.

 

*While typical, unforeseen events can alter timelines that extend past these timelines.

Every manufacturer will have their own processes when it comes to returns and exchanges for defective products. We do our best to alleviate any issues that customers have with our products to ensure complete satisfaction.

If you find yourself in a situation where your product does not meet expectations, here are the steps to initiating the process with us.

COMPLETE A THOROUGH PRODUCT INSPECTION AND INVESTIGATION

To ensure that we know where we went wrong, we will ask for details about the product as well as the deficiencies. We will also ask about your assembly process methods to see if any improvement can be done from either side.

GATHER & SEND PHOTOS

This provides us with a visual aid and to provide a better diagnosis.

GET YOUR QA/QC DEPARTMENT CONTACT

We understand that people are busy, and it may seem easier to have a liaison between the manufacturer and your internal QA/QC department. However, this system does more harm than good. Please ensure that you have your internal QA/QC personnel's contact information ready to provide smoother communication and more efficient troubleshooting. We will need to have a technical discussion of the issue before an RMA is given. Every part we create is built to the customer’s exact specifications.