Our Products #5222885

Plastic Fabrication & Machining
Plastic fabrication and machining is the very core of Franklin - in fact, we've been machining thermoplastics, industrial laminates and composites for over 50 years.
We machine fiberglass-reinforced industrial laminatescomposites daily.
Complete CNC machining capabilities including saws, lathes and vertical machining centers.
Low and high volume quantities are produced daily to your specs.
We pass on additional savings to you through our large volume turning work completed during our "lights out" shift.
Reverse engineering of custom fabricated parts is readily available.
Blanket order servicing from stock, Kanban equipped, 24-hour delivery if needed.
Complimentary services include conditioning, polishing, painting, stamping and cleaning of parts.
Close tolerance work completed for a small and large custom plastic parts.
Since 1921, businesses worldwide have depended on Franklin for quality machined plastic parts. The people of Franklin understand traditional and modern materials and applications. We pride ourselves on a reputation for cost-effective solutions and providing quality fabricated parts delivered on time.

Franklin is equipped to handle any plastic fabricating need you may have. We constantly improve our technical expertise and plastic fabricating capabilities to keep ahead of the ever-increasing demands of industry. Franklin can meet short lead time requirements for machined plastic parts because of excellent material supplier relationships, sensible inventories, a fast quote process and a commitment to our customers.

Thermoplastic Molded and Extruded Stock Shapes & Machined Parts

Thermoplastic sheet, rod and tube stock
Engineered and high-performance grades available for machined parts
Custom thermoplastic machined parts from nylon, UHMW, Delrin, Peek, Teflon and other high-performance molded thermoplastic materials.
Common applications for custom thermoplastic machined parts include sleeves, liners, bearings, wear strips, guide rails, valve seats, bushings, guides, thrust washers, seals, impact surfaces, conveyor parts, rollers, insulators and electrical components.
High-performance molded thermoplastics are at the forefront of todays material applications. Stretching the boundaries of thermoplastic applications requires detailed knowledge of modern engineering materials, material characteristics, properties and fabrication techniques. Experience with material attributes and application performance is instrumental to recommend the correct material for specific applications. Franklin's experienced technical sales staff members are available to help with your next engineering challenge.

Lamitex Compression Molded Angles, Channel, Rods and Square & Rectangular Tubes
Mold laminated products are available in most Nema Grade laminates.
Epoxy and Phenolic rectangular tubes are molded every day.
Molded rods in most Nema grades are available from .250"- 4.00" in diameter. Lengths vary from 34"-40" long.
Linencanvas and epoxy molded rod provides better strength for machined parts when compared to rod ground from sheet stock.
Molded angle and channel from G-9, G-10 and G-11 provides better mechanical strength, electrical properties and temperature resistance than glass polyester angle and channel.
Profiles and tubes processed on Franklin's high pressure presses ensure that the mechanical strength of the shapes will be close to that of pressed sheet grades.
Large inventory of steel tooling and press production capacity guarantees quoted delivery.

Specialty Laminates and Composites

Specialty Laminates and Composites
High dielectric material for high-temperature insulation applications.
New Lamitex composites for high dielectric strength applications with high strength retention.
Designed materials that possess terrific strength, durability, dimensional stability, and excellent wear characteristics.
Lamitex specialty materials are used extensively for vanes in compressors, vacuum pumps and air motors.
High strength cryogenic glass epoxy grades are available in sheet, rod and tube.
Lamitex polyester epoxy grade composite is used for insulation in SF6 Sulfur Hexafluoride gas electrical switches.
Composites are designed to meet your application requirements.
Lamitex High Dielectric Strength Materials:
Lamitex LPF
This paper-based material with high-temperature phenolic resin provides excellent high voltage insulation at high frequency levels. It also maintains high voltage breakdown strength in oil and a reasonable strength in ambient air conditions. Lamitex LPF works well as insulation material in high-voltage transformers and tap changers.

Lamitex HDE
Lamitex HDE is a paper-based material that's very similar to LPF grade, only with better high-voltage insulating characteristics. Lamitex HDE has a higher voltage breakdown factor parallel to the layers of the laminate. It's more dimensionally stable and is used as insulation in high voltage tap changers.

Lamitex PEP-6
This woven polyester fabric with epoxy resin laminate has excellent resistance to corrosive Florine-containing gases, making it an acceptable material for usage in SF6 Sulfur Hexafluoride gas electrical switches.

Lamitex Mechanical Grade Composites
Lamitex PL-40M
Lamitex PL-40M is a cotton fabric with a high-temperature phenolic resin containing molybdenum disulfide for better wear performance. PL-40M works well in low-duty applications for compressors and vacuum pumps. Other apps include agricultural spreaders, liquid waste, vacuum pumps and dairy pumps.

Lamitex PL-68
This very fine weave cotton fabric with a high-temperature phenolic resin offers a high degree of resin impregnation that provides excellent dimensional stability. PL-68 is specifically recommended for motor vanes used in air motors, starter motors and small air tools.

Lamitex PL-72 & PL-73
A fine-weave cotton fabric with a high-temperature specially formulated phenolic resin, this material is dimensionally stable, machines well and specifically designed for ball bearing retainer applications. PL-73 tubing is a finer weave fabric and is used for the smallest ball bearing retainers.

Lamitex PK-50
This aramid fibre composite fabric is bonded with a high-temperature phenolic resin. PK-50N has excellent mechanical strength at elevated temperatures in adverse environments. Applications include rotor vanes for vacuum pumps for the dairy, liquid waste, oil refining and mining.

Lamitex PK-100
Lamitex PK-100 is a 100% aramid fibre composite fabric bonded with a high-temperature phenolic resin. It has higher mechanical strength than PK-50 at elevated temperatures and PK-100 has the best coefficient of thermal expansion available in the industry. Applications include rotor vanes for vacuum pumps for the dairy, liquid waste, oil refining, mining, cement processing and refrigeration industries.

Lamitex EK-50
An aramid fibre composite fabric bonded with a high-temperature epoxy resin, EK-50 has tremendous strength characteristics and excellent moisture resistance. This material performs well in lubricated air motors.

Vulcanized Fibre - Sheet, Rod, Tube, Roll and Coil Stock
Vulcanized Franklin Fibre is lightweight, with extremely good tensile and impact strength.Vulcanized Fibre Sheet, Rod, Tube, Roll and Coil Stock
Vulcanized Fibre has one of the highest strength-to-weight ratios of all materials, has high dielectric strength and possesses good mechanical properties.
Franklin Fibre and Fish Paper ranks high as a dielectric material and won't carbonize readily when subjected to arcing. In fact, when exposed to arcing it gives off a gas that tends to quench the arc.
Franklin Fibre has outstanding machining properties and a high resistance to wear and abrasion.
Vulcanized fibre can be formed andor bent to a variety of configurations.
Franklin Fibre is available in sheet, rod, and tube, roll and coil stock and is readily machined or punched into parts.
Standard colors are red, gray and black.
Vulcanized Franklin Fibre is a very hard, dense homogeneous material up to .093" thick, possessing a wide range of favorable properties. In its initial stage, Franklin Fibre is processed very much like a high-grade rag insulating paper, but without the addition of sizing. It is then treated with zinc chloride, which changes the structure and converts the cotton fibers into a gelatinous material. After all chemicals are leached out by progressively soaking in tanks, the fibre is placed in heated rooms until thoroughly dry. It is then steamed and flattened under heat by hydraulic presses or rolled under pressure. After this, it is run through heated rolls to bring out surface finish. Layers of fibre can be stacked and bonded under pressure providing a thicker "built-up" sheet.

Vulcanized Franklin Fibre tubing is moisture conditioned and then rolled under pressure to finish inside diameter and oversized outside diameter. The outside diameter is then finished, ground to size and buffer. The outside diameter can also be knurled of skived for use in filament wound finishing for fuse tube applications.

Common Uses for Vulcanized Franklin Fibre
Mechanical: Abrasive disc backing, reinforcements, cams, cradle rollers, cutting boards, trunks, suit cases, gaskets, washers, gears, handles, pulleys, bobbin heads (spools), tools, welders, shields, shuttles, tags, etc.

Electrical: Arc shields, barriers, heat sealing backing plates, brush holders, bushings, coil forms, armatures, fuse cartridges, motor insulation, spools, switch insulation, terminal strips, transformer insulation, pack out insulation, etc.

Miscellaneous: Book binders, boot trees, surgical ligature reels, trunk fibre, waste baskets, etc.

Lamitex thermoset high-pressure laminate grades in Sheet, Rod and Tube in stock.
All NEMA grades available, Phenolic, Epoxy, Melamine, Silicone and specialty grades.
Common Grades include, X, XX, C, CE, LE, G-3, G-5, G-7, G-9, G10, FR-4 and G-11.
Laminate Insulation is readily machined to customer specifications.
Custom specialty grades include Kevlar filled Phenolic and FiberglassPolyimide high-temperature laminates.
Laminate sheet and laminated tubing with graphite filler for high wear mechanical applications.
Filament wound fiberglass epoxy tubes.
Large inventory of laminated tube stock, including heavy walled tubing.
Franklin has built its business on manufacturing, fabricating and distributing industrial high-pressure laminates. Lamitex composite materials are engineering materials made from fibrous reinforcement such as cotton cloth, paper or woven fiberglass cloth, which are bonded together with high quality plastic resins. The layers are pressed together under high-pressure and the resin is baked until it becomes solid, fusing the material into a tough, strong composite. Combining different resins, - such as phenolic, epoxy, melamine or silicone - with different types of reinforcement creates a full range of Lamitex grades to suit a wide variety of applications. Lamitex high-pressure laminates combine mechanical strength and electrical insulation with chemical and weather resistance. They're rigid with high strength - to - weight ratio and can be machined to very close tolerances required on finished components.

Corrugated Insulation

Advantages of using Franklin corrugated transformer insulation include:
Duct cooling spaces will be constant, uniform, parallel and standardized.
Cuts labor time in installation.
High voltage insulation, UL-approved materials are available such as Nomex, vulcanized fibre, DMD, etc.
Corrugated transformer insulation can be used for "Pack-out" and "End-Fill" applications.
Eliminates the need for radial and axial spacers.
Enables increased power loading with no movement & remains more stable under transformer surges.
Allows direct winding contact for transformer winding insulation.
Increases dielectric insulation as compared to insulation stick design.
Franklin has developed a special corrugated insulation to provide a more cost-effective cooling duct and barrier insulation for transformers. Nomex, Vulcanized Franklin Fibre and other suitable materials are now available.

Franklin square, rectangular or sinusoidal insulation in special corrugated form is a convenient, labor-saving option when used in transformer winding. Many small to large sizes are produced for instrument toroid coils through large power and distribution transformers.

Our special roll and sheet insulation material provides additional insulation in winding and is compatible with common resins and varnish systems. Nomex has UL component recognition #E34739A. Because of its unique square or sinusoidal configuration, transformer design can be more standardized, allowing uniformity in winding and construction while providing cost effectiveness and flexibility for transformer engineers.

Nomex and Vulcanized Franklin Fibre are resilient materials able to withstand the flexing of transformer shorts without coming loose or falling out. Franklin corrugated insulation has minimal mass yet high strength and does not resonate. Smaller end fill sizes are convenient for packing out or end filling a coil winding.

The strong and efficient design available through the use of Franklin corrugated insulation from Nomex and Vulcanized Franklin FibreTM provides for increased cooling air flow down to the sources of heat. Greatly improved resinpotting impregnation is also facilitated. This allows for better total insulation design andor cooling for increased core and coil efficiency.

Military Specification (MIL SPEC) Laminates & Composites


Lamitex laminates are certified to meet Military specifications.
Franklin services government applications and large government contractors.
Mil standard I-24768 and Mil P-79 laminates.
Military specifications for Lamitex sheet and convolute wound tubes: