We are all familiar with when something just does not fit like we thought it would. There is nothing more awful than buying an article of clothing at the store without trying it on because you were positive it would fit, and then getting home and realizing it’s just too big, or too small. In those situations, we wish we had some sort of magic bullet to fix those situations. Plastic Shim Stock is a good solution to those type problems.
What is a Shim? Where do we get them?
When using a shim it is often important that the part is exact, and for that reason dimensional, and positional tolerances can start to become very tight. Luckily, NEDC is familiar with shimming materials, and is an experienced converting house for plastic shim stocks. Since NEDC is a converter (die cutting, laser-cutting etc.), we offer many solutions through shimming materials. The shim provides the little extra thickness in the application for everything to fit properly. One of the most commonly-used shimming materials in industry is the plastic shim stock called ARTUS Plastic Shim Stock from ARTUS Corp. These materials come in a number of forms, but most often NEDC converts these plastic shim sheet stocks into a shape that will be used by the end user. It is also good to note that some people used shims as an electrical insulator as well.
How does the Color Coding of Plastic Shim Stock Work?
Nowadays, everything is color coded, from the tape on the floor to color-coded areas in the food industry. You may ask yourself “Why would plastic be color coded?”. The answer to this is relatively simple. ARTUS Corp. color codes their products so that a trained eye can see from a distance the thickness of the material. The color code of the thickness normally ranges from as small as .0005” to .030”. (Other thicknesses are available, although these are the most common). Depending on the thickness, the material may be PET or PETG. For that reason, NEDC offers a number of plastic shim stock materials that may be converted. These materials span the color spectrum from from red to purple.
More Information
If you believe you have an application that could benefit from the usage of a shim stock material such as ARTUS Plastic Shim Stocks, or you would like a quotation on a converted part, feel free to contact sales@nedc.com.