Plastic Components Standards: A Beginners Guide
When sourcing a plastic component, it doesn’t matter whether you are an engineer developing a prototype for a special project or a purchasing agent given a part to source last minute. Either way, you need to make sure you have asked and answered all the questions related to your item to ensure you receive what is needed.
Knowing the basics helps.
What quantity do you need?
Have you chosen a material?
Do you have any other special requirements?
Additionally there are are also some lesser-known but equally important questions related the purchase of plastics, such as:
- What standard will be used to produce my plastic component?
- What kind of quality control do I require?
- Does my part have to be made out of a material specified to an ASTM standard?
- Do I need a data sheet on the properties of that material?
These questions might lead you to this next one: Where can I learn more about quality standards and about what is going on in the plastics industry?
To help answer these questions, here are some useful and interesting websites to take a look at to learn more about standards and plastics.
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) www.ansi.org
The voice of American standards, ANSI was originally established as the American Engineering Standards Committee. A year after it was founded in 1919, it approved its first standard on pipe threads. ANSI adopted its present name in 1969. Throughout its reorganizations and name changes, it has steadily increased its efforts to coordinate and approve the voluntary national standards known as American National Standards.
Craftech uses the ANSI standard in the development and manufacture of our standard product line.
2) American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) www.astm.org
ASTMD was formed in 1898 by chemists and engineers from the Pennsylvania Railroad. It was the industrial revolution that spurred the need for material specifications with the use of newly invented Bessemer steel.
Currently, there are over 12,000 ASTM standards that operate globally. The expertise of over 30,000 members representing over 150 countries is used to improve performance in manufacturing and materials, products, processes, systems and services. Therefore, we often see ASTM standands called out on prints or in material requests
3) UL-Prospector ulprospector.com
Provides material datasheets. If you are looking for information on plastic properties (including mechanical properties and chemical resistance) here is a good source for obtaining those datasheets, whether it be for engineering or a customer or to compare materials.
4) American Society of Quality (ASQ) www.asq.org
ASQ is a global community dedicated to quality. It provides the quality community with training and professional certifications. It traces its beginnings to the end of WWI,
At Craftech,we are very familiar with the standards for plastic fasteners. Contact us with any questions you have.
Need more information? Download our free plastic materials guide. We also have a guide to thread standards.
Questions? Comments? Let me know in the comments section below.