Test Fixture Machining Home Page - for CNC Machining of Electronics Test Fixtures, Bed of Nails Fixtures, PCB Test Fixtures and virtually any Custom Test Fixture.

Milling or Machining Plastic and composite test fixtures can be similar to machining aluminum parts in that sharp tools are more beneficial than very hard-edged tools. That said, for plastic test fixtures being machined or milled from fiber reinforced plastics that contain glass or ceramics, carbide tools or hardened steel tools are required.

Feeds & Speeds for Machining Plastic Test Fixtures: This is where the true benefit of Datron high-speed machining centers comes in. Machining plastic test fixtures really requires high speed. Slower spindle speeds allow heat to build up and melt the plastic test fixture rather than cutting it. Higher spindle speeds throw chips out of the cutting channel and prevent long chips from bird-nesting around the tool and melting to it. High feeds get you from one place to another quickly without leaving the tool in one vicinity for too long heating the material up. But, since small tooling is often required for the test fixtures, you can’t have high feeds without high spindle speed because it will result in unaccepatable tool breakage. Moral of the story is that if you’re machining plastic or composite test fixtures, you need a Datron.