At Aetna Plastics, we help precision turning houses, Swiss/screw machine shops, and CNC job shops run cleaner, quieter, and more reliably, with plastics that protect parts, hold tolerances, and survive coolants and chips. Swiss-type screw machining uses a sliding headstock and guide bushing to support the workpiece close to the tool, so material choice for fixtures and wear parts directly affects finish quality and throughput.
Plastics bring a powerful mix of dimensional stability, non-marring contact, low friction, and chemical resistance to high-duty machining environments.
Benefits of Plastics in Metal Processing
Key advantages
Common Applications in Screw Machine Shops & CNC Job Shops
Our plastics serve a variety of needs:
- Workholding & fixturing: soft jaws, chuck/collet liners, nests, locators, spacers (acetal, UHMW, nylon, PET-P)
- Wear & motion: guides, rails, star wheels, chute/slide liners, bushings (UHMW, nylon, PET-P, PTFE)
- Machine guarding: clear shields, doors, and sight windows (machine-grade polycarbonate)
- Shop handling: non-marring pads, bumpers, dead-blow faces, part trays
- Coolant & chemical contact: PTFE seals, gaskets, and tubing; UHMW wear components near washdown zones
Materials for Screw Machine & Machine Shops
- Acetal (Delrin®/POM) – Easy to machine, low moisture absorption, excellent dimensional stability; great for nests, gears, rollers, and precision change parts.
- PET-P (Ertalyte®) – Outstanding dimensional stability and wear; internally lubricated Ertalyte TX excels in bearing/slide duties.
- UHMW-PE / TIVAR® – Very low friction, high impact/abrasion resistance, and noted noise reduction vs. metal contact; ideal for guides, rails, and liners.
- Nylon – Strong, stiff, and proven for bearings/bushings with low friction and reduced noise.
- PTFE – Ultra-low friction and broad chemical/temperature resistance for seals, bushings, and slide plates.
- Polycarbonate (machine-grade) – Tough, transparent guarding with excellent impact resistance and machinability.
- Phenolic laminates – Rigid, electrically insulating sheets for fixture plates, spacers, and thermal/electrical isolation.
Why Machine Shops Choose Aetna Plastics
- Broad in-stock selection of sheet, rod, tube, profiles, and laminates
- Cut-to-size & CNC fabrication (tight-tolerance parts, kitting, quick turns)
- Application guidance (material + grade for your tolerances, surface finish, coolant, and duty cycle)
- Fast, dependable delivery backed by 75+ years serving OEMs and job shops
