Plastic fabrication is a term that is used to describe the processes involved in the manipulation of plastic to various end results. There is a wide variety of purposes for plastic that is manufactured or produced through this process, ranging from personal use by the fabricator to more general uses. The process of plastic fabrication is one that may be handled by an independent fabricating company that is solely dedicated to such a purpose, or it may be an arm of a manufacturing or production plant that serves the purposes of fulfilling any fabrication need of the company. Usually, the companies that have such a department are those that engage in the heavy use of plastic for various purposes, making it more cost effective and convenient for them to invest in a plastic fabricating unit.
An example of such a situation could be seen in a toy manufacturing company that produces a lot of toys that require a significant amount of plastic. Where this is the case, the plastic fabrication will involve the manipulation of the raw material, usually latex, into the desired form that is based on the concept for a particular toy. Sometimes, the manufacturers only require a limited amount of plastic in their manufacturing process, such as for the creation of casings or screws and other parts. In this case, the company may not need to have an arm or unit that is solely dedicated to plastic fabrication since this might not only be a waste of resources, but it would also require more effort for minimal results. Such companies usually maximize their competitive advantage by outsourcing any plastic fabrication to an independent fabricator.
The process of independent plastic fabrication is one where a company receives various orders from individuals and companies trying to bring their different designs to life. For example, a company might be trying to develop a prototype that is mostly plastic-based and might need to contract the services of an independent plastic fabrication company to help implement the design. What this usually entails is for the company to submit its design to the fabrication company after reviewing the specifics with them. The plastic fabrication process would be used to develop the prototype for the company, and if the company is satisfied with the design it might contract the services of the company to mass-produce the product on its behalf.