Plastic Prototype

Machined parts in production-grade engineering polymers, with no tooling and no minimum order.

MaterialsABS, polycarbonate, POM, nylon, acrylic, PEEK, PTFE

ProcessMilling and turning from solid stock

Best forFunctional plastic prototypes

File formatsSTEP, IGS, STP, IGES, X_T

What Is Plastic CNC Machining?

Plastic CNC machining cuts parts from solid engineering polymer — ABS, polycarbonate, POM, nylon, acrylic, polypropylene, PEEK or PTFE — on the same milling and turning machines used for metal. Because the part is cut rather than moulded, there is no tool to make and no minimum quantity, so a single prototype costs a fraction of what a mould would.

The part is cut from the real production polymer rather than a substitute resin. That matters: fit, strength, chemical resistance and heat behaviour can all be tested with results that carry across to moulded production, which is not true of every prototyping route.

When Should You Choose Machined Plastic?

Machined plastic suits functional prototypes ahead of injection moulding, clear parts in acrylic or polycarbonate where optical quality matters, wear components in POM or nylon, and short runs where the volume will never justify a steel tool.

Tolerances are held to ±0.05 mm on most polymers and tighter on the more dimensionally stable ones. Plastics move more than metal under cutting heat and clamping load, so wall sections and tolerances are reviewed against the chosen material before machining starts rather than after a part fails.

Finishing includes vapour polishing for clear parts, bead blasting, painting, silk-screen printing and laser engraving. Send a STEP, IGS, STP, IGES or X_T file and we will quote against it.

Typical lead time is three to seven working days depending on quantity and finish. Beyond a few hundred parts, vacuum casting or injection moulding will usually cost less per unit, and we will tell you so when we quote rather than machining a run that should have been moulded.

Plastic parts machined from solid ABS, polycarbonate, acrylic, POM, nylon and PTFE.