What is the Best Work Surface Material for Manufacturing?

AUSTIN, Texas - June 27, 2016 - PRLog -- How do you know which work surfaces are best for use in a manufacturing facility?
We can help. As you might expect, given our extensive client roster-which ranges from manufacturers such as Dell Computer and Boeing to Medtronic and Toyota-our Formaspace Design Consultants have lots of hands-on experience helping customers select the most appropriate work surface material for any given situation.

So we asked our Formaspace Design Consultants about their recommendation for work surface materials for manufacturing facilities and here are their recommendations:

If your manufacturing facility requirements are typical, you can narrow your selection down to these three different works surface materials:

• Plastic Laminate
• Phenolic Resin
• High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

Tip: These three materials are the top-selling choices for use in manufacturing facilities.

How do I pick the right work surface for my manufacturing needs?
Now it's time to narrow down your final selection. But how?

Again, we turned to the Formaspace Design Consultants who work with manufacturing customers every day, helping them decide between different work surface materials. They recommend using the following five criteria to help you decide which work surface material is right for you:

• Surface Durability
• Suitability for the Task
• Visual Appearance
• Initial Investment
• Turnaround Time

Let's look at each of these criteria one by one:

1. Surface Durability: Phenolic Resin and Plastic Laminate lead the pack
When it comes to durability, Phenolic Resin and Plastic Laminate are the best choices for manufacturing work surfaces, so this information can help you narrow down your choice.

It's not surprise that Phenolic Resin is one of our most durable work surfaces. It's one of the original plastic materials, made by impregnating a base material with resin under extreme heat and pressure.

But it might surprise you that Plastic Laminate is also quite durable for manufacturing use as well.

A little explanation is in order.

The first key to getting longevity from Plastic Laminate work surfaces has to do with the edge design. The edges are the weakest area of Plastic Laminate work surfaces, so we always recommend you choose rounded edges. With the edges rounded down and out of the way from the work area, Plastic Laminate is less likely to crack and chip.

The second key to achieving long-lasting Plastic Laminate is to specify high-pressure laminate measuring 1 1/8" inch thick. The combination of a high-pressure manufacturing process and the added thickness assures a much longer lasting work surface. Rest assured, both of these are standard features of all Formaspace Plastic Laminate work surfaces.

2. Suitability for the Task: It Depends on Your Exact Manufacturing Processes
Our next criterion is suitability for your specific manufacturing task.

For all around use, both Plastic Laminate and Phenolic Resin are extremely durable; making them suitable for heavy-duty manufacturing applications.

But what if you need to prevent leaving scratches and scuffs on your work product, such as plastic assemblies, which are easily scratched during handling?

That's when you might want to consider High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) work surfaces. They are relatively soft-which seems counterintuitive-but their relative softness is an advantage.  Just as diamond will scratch glass (and not vice versa), nearly all product materials are harder than HDPE, which means the HDPE work surfaces will absorb any scratches while protecting your manufactured surfaces from damage.

Chemical resistance is another consideration for some manufacturing processes. Here, Phenolic Resin is the top preferred work surface option. See our article on Chemical Resistant Countertops for more information (https://formaspace.com/articles/chemical-resistant-counte...).

Phenolic Resin work surfaces are also highly resistant to heat damage, so if your manufacturing processes involve high temperatures, this is your best choice.

3. Visual Appearance: Make the Right Impression in your Manufacturing Facility

Read more... https://formaspace.com/articles/best-work-surface-materia...