A common question we receive is “can I get this in a different color?”. That is tough to answer in the world of industrial plastics! The short answer is many plastics are available in a variety of colors but price, availability, and minimum order quantity (MOQ) are often strongly affected by this choice. In general, industrial plastics are fairly bland, coming in white, black, or a shade of brown. Certain plastics can be colorful, such as nylons and polyurethane, but for the most part they come in black and white.
When Are Colors Feasible?
First of all it never hurts to ask, and we’ll always be straightforward. For the most part; however, we do not stock any plastics in custom colors. This can strongly affect the price if orders need to be brought in on special and in small quantities. Remember that we have to ship product all over North America to “land” it at one of our Regional Sales Offices (RSO). Often, this means you are paying much more for the same plastic just to have a non-standard color. How long you have to wait for delivery is context dependent on your order, but 4-6 weeks would be typical.
Polyurethane, nylon, and some profiles of UHMW are the easiest to get in non-standard colors.
When Are Colors Not Feasible?
The primary barrier to getting a product in non-standard color is when you have to stick to a certain grade of plastic or have a certain additive. For example, we get asked if the anti-static UHMW is available in colors: it is not, because the additive itself makes the plastic black. Also regarding UHMW, “clean” reprocessed UHMW in non-standard colors are much easier to get ahold of in rod or extrusion rather than virgin grade material and a colorant.
Specs given for a product might also confuse requirements. We recently saw a spec for a project that called for black virgin UHMW that was certified to ASTM D4020 but this is impossible as ASTM D4020 specifically excludes UHMW with any and all additives, including color. Natural UHMW is white so a black colored resin, or any additive, automatically cannot meet D4020.
In summary, if you want a non-standard color for your project you need to realize that while it is technically possible you will pay significantly for it in increased cost, delivery, and minimum order quantity.
If you have questions or a request for a non-standard colored plastic – please contact us today.
We’ll be conducting on-site interviews for a variety of positions including:
***WE’LL HAVE THE BBQ FIRED UP AS WELL!
Come Visit and Stay for Lunch
SAME DAY: INVENTORY BLOW OUT!
On the same day as Hiring Day!
We’re blowing out our off-cut and excess inventory!
Select materials and products with drastically reduced prices.
WHEN: Sat. JULY 14 9:00am – 1:30pm
WHERE: 19695 92A Ave, Langley, BC V1M 3B3
We’re blowing out our off-cut and excess inventory!
Select materials and products with drastically reduced prices.
***WE’LL HAVE THE BBQ FIRED UP AS WELL!
Come Visit and Stay for Lunch
THE SAME DAY IS HIRING DAY!
On the same day; Saturday July 14 from 9:30am – 12:30pm we’ll be conducting on-site interviews for a variety of positions including:
Redwood Plastics and Rubber announced today the promotion of Nicholas Gavigan to Business Development Manger (BDM) for their flagship branch in Langley, BC.
Nicholas has worked with Redwood Plastics and Rubber for two years with an impressive track record as a Technical Sales Representative and will now be responsible for the growth and development of the Southern portion of British Columbia, Canada reporting to the VP of Sales and Marketing. Prior to joining Redwood, in addition to earning his Bachelor of Business Administration, Nicholas worked as a consultant, underwriter, accountant and production and operations manager.
One of the key questions we ask customers is “what is the application?” This question isn’t asked in order to steal your idea but to ensure that the plastic you’re looking for is optimal, or even workable in that application! Industrial plastics are excellent mechanical materials overall; however, like anything they do have both strengths and limitations. This article will review the core line of industrial plastics we carry, give the strengths, the limitations, and common applications/places where the plastic is wrongfully specified.
UHMW Polyethylene
Strengths: Well balanced properties, economical, and readily available.
Weaknesses: Poor dimensional stability
Specification errors: high load bushings, unrealistic tolerances, not compensating for thermal expansion.
Nylon
Strengths: High load bearing strength, diverse formulations, suits a wide variety of applications.
Weaknesses: Absorbs water, poor impact and cold-temperature properties.
Specification errors: Impact parts, marine applications (without accounting for swell), using nylon bushings in high RPM applications.
Acetal
Strengths: High load bearing strength, replaces nylon in “wet” applications, machines to excellent tolerances.
Weaknesses: Impact, temperature (especially steam) resistance.
Specification errors: Using black (copolymer) acetal in food processing applications. It is not food-safe, unlike the blue and white.
Tuffkast
Strengths: Excellent impact, cold weather, bearing, and moisture-resistance properties.
Weaknesses: High cost, elevated temperatures.
Specification errors: Typically in applications that generate high internal heat, such as a hammer cushion for pile drivers. Tuffkast is also softer than nylon, which can lead to increased wear in certain applications.
Polycarbonate
Strengths: Extremely high impact strength.
Weaknesses: Very prone to scratching.
Specification errors: As glass/sight part without upgrading to a anti-scratch version of the plastic.
Acrylic
Strengths: Scratch resistant, economical, stronger than glass, fairly resistant to weathering.
Weaknesses: Difficult to fabricate, prone to cracking.
Specification errors: Using in “Do-it-yourself” projects without proper knowledge of fabrication procedures.
Polyurethane
Strengths: Impact resistance, rebound, good bearing strength (bearing grades only).
Weaknesses: Water saturation degrades the plastic (especially softer grades), vibration degrades the plastic’s composition.
Specification errors: Vibration or moisture applications.
Rubber
Strengths: Lots of choice between properties, cost, wide application variety.
Weaknesses: Polyurethane is superior in many applications, grades must be selected carefully.
Specification errors: Choosing an ineffective grade of rubber for an application to save on cost, assuming the lower grade will still function.
For more information about which plastic is best for your application, please contact us.
Redwood Plastics and Rubber, a leading distributor and manufacturer of performance plastics and rubber announced Angela Rodenburgh as the new VP of Sales & Marketing. Angela has worked with Redwood Plastics and Rubber for fifteen years within the management team and became a board member and shareholder late last year.
“As the VP of Marketing, Angela has strengthened our brand in the marketplace, introduced new channels to market, and continues to support and inspire change within every department of our business. Her influence on sales and business retention is substantial and she has a clear understanding of what is required to be a customer focused organization.” said President Dale Delmage.
Since Angela joined their executive team, in addition to her VP Marketing responsibilities, she has worked in Project Manager roles with their Market Driven Taskforce, their CRM taskforce, and their BDC/KPMG Corporate Integration Taskforce. Outside of Redwood, she is a well-respected industry leader holding numerous Chairperson/Board roles with the International Association of Plastic Distribution, SPE, and others.
As the VP of Sales and Marketing, Angela’s duties now include directing the activities of marketing, and the development and delivery of a sales strategy for the company’s aggressive growth plans for their six branches across North America that serve an international customer base.
Redwood Plastics and Rubber today announced that following a distinguished career of over 38 years, Patrick Curley, the Vice President of Sales, will be retiring.
“Pat has provided a wealth of experience, leadership, and mentorship, to the entire Redwood team. Pat has directed the business through good times and bad, making both the easy, and the difficult, decisions that come with being a business leader. Redwood has been immensely successful under his leadership, and his passion for the business will be sorely missed.” said Graeme Fraser, Chairman of the Board.
Pat started with Redwood Plastics in April of 1980 and was a true pioneer for the company expanding their business into new geography throughout his career. In 1982, Pat moved to Prince George to open their first ever satellite branch operation. In 1985, Pat moved to Spokane to open their first US operation and built the Redwood Plastics name Internationally.
In 1988, Pat moved to Woodland as President to support and grow our first US manufacturing location and Head Office for their US operations. In 1994, Pat opened their facility in Atlanta, GA, spreading the Redwood Plastics brand to the Eastern United States. Pat has also been instrumental in the building of our current management team having hired Gerry Takahashi, Terry Miller, Bob Christensen, Angela Rodenburgh and Gordon Fender. These people and facilities are central to the success of our business today and have grown as a direct result of the vision and leadership Pat has provided.
Pat was also an active participant and mentor within industry associations throughout his career and currently sits on the board of the International Association of Plastics.
His retirement is effective June 30th, 2018.
We have a new product available in our mix: Foamlite P Polypropylene. This is a lightweight plastic that offers 30% weight savings over other materials commonly used in similar applications which include everything from tank cladding, washdown areas, cargo crates among many others. Additional benefits to the product include excellent chemical resistance, UV and moisture resistance. The product is weldable and adhesives can be used (this is not the case for all plastics). One of the better rules of thumb for Foamlite is to use it as a replacement for wood, where wood’s deficiencies (rot, moisture absorption, cracking) are unacceptable.
Important to know as well is this is a European manufactured product meaning it is manufactured under metric system measurements not the imperial system like most North American made plastics. The sheet is available in thicknesses from 6mm (approximately 1/4″) to 21mm (approximately 7/8″) and in one size only that is 2000mm x 3048mm. We are not stocking this product at our locations but bringing it in from our supplier as necessary, therefore a 1-2 week delivery is typical. Lastly, Foamlite is available in three colors: black, grey, and white only.
If you’re interested in Foamlite P Polypropylene please contact us today.
King ColorCore is a HDPE plastic sheet with laminated layers of different colors of plastic and is incredibly attractive and versatile in its uses. Need a sign that will not have the logo or lettering wash out? Then this product may be ideal for you.
King ColorCore is primarily routered or engraved by the customer, which will allow words, designs, or logos to appear. The color is either a two or three color “sandwich” such as red/white/red. All the colors are the same price (a commonly asked question about this product). The lamination consists of a few thin “cap” about 0.05″ thick which is typically CNC engraved 3/8″ thick. A machining “quick guide” is available for customer’s use. The sheets are available in a standard 48″ x 96″ size in thickness of 1/4″, 1/2″ and 3/4″ with the latter being considered the “standard”. These products are not stocked by Redwood Plastics and Rubber; however, most sizes are stocked by the supplier and most orders will ship in 1-1.5 weeks. Due to varying freight costs to “land” an order at each of our RSOs (Regional Sales Offices) it is not possible to provide a price list: each request must be quoted as it comes in.
Redwood Plastics and Rubber recently worked with a local engineering firm to find a solution for an issue with the cable-stays on a suspension bridge. In Vancouver, B.C. the weather can get cold and icy in a hurry and this was causing a massive issue for one of the many bridges in the area. The Alex Fraser bridge was having to be closed due to treacherous ice and snow falling onto the vehicles below and causing significant accidents and a lot of close calls!
A deicing system was developed that releases chains from a battery at the top, sending chains at the top of the cable stays down to clear the ice off the cables.
For this project, Redwood Plastics and Rubber will be supplying the rubber impact bumpers, that take the impact of the chains. Have an issue with impact? Call us, we’ve manufactured and engineered solutions for impact in a wide variety of projects and applications.
See the cable stays in action:
CDN 800 667 0999
USA 866 733 2684
sales@redwoodplastics.com
