Key Considerations for High-Safety Applications

When it comes to plastic extrusion for high-safety applications, precision and material performance are absolutely critical. Whether used in healthcare, industrial equipment, transportation, or construction, parts designed for high-safety environments must meet stringent requirements to ensure reliability and protect users. Let’s take a closer look.

Material Selection Matters

The foundation of any high-safety extrusion project is the right material choice. Materials must not only perform well under normal conditions but also in extreme or unexpected environments. For example, applications that face high temperatures may require flame-retardant plastics like certain grades of PVC, polycarbonate (PC), or specialized engineering resins. Chemical resistance, impact strength, and long-term durability are also common material needs in safety-sensitive projects.

It’s important to work with an extrusion partner who understands which materials are UL-certified, FDA-approved, or meet ASTM standards when necessary.

Regulatory Compliance Is Non-Negotiable

Many industries impose strict regulations on products used in high-safety environments. Standards may come from organizations like Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

Choosing materials and designs that comply with these standards from the beginning helps avoid costly redesigns, production delays, and potential liabilities. Inplex’s experience with compliance across industries such as medical, food service, construction, and transportation ensures that your extruded parts meet critical safety regulations without compromise.

Design for Durability and Redundancy

High-safety applications often demand components that will not fail even under stress or over time. That’s why designing with redundancy in mind — using thicker walls, reinforced shapes, or multi-layer extrusion technologies — can add extra layers of protection.

Factors like impact resistance, flexibility under load, and fatigue life should be engineered into the part from the very beginning. A well-designed extrusion will maintain structural integrity across a wide range of conditions, reducing the risk of breakage or malfunction when safety is on the line.

Environmental Factors Must Be Accounted For

If your extruded part will be used outdoors, in chemical environments, in refrigeration, or in high-heat areas, these conditions must be carefully considered during material and design selection. UV stability, thermal resistance, moisture absorption, and chemical compatibility can all impact the safety and longevity of a product.

Custom Extrusion with Inplex

Looking for quality custom extrusion products and services? Inplex is one of the leading custom extrusion services in the US and has almost 60 years of experience. We pride ourselves on our ability to put the right talent and technology in place to perform the best possible job for our clients.

We own a 42,000 sq. ft. facility in Naperville, Illinois, that is temperature-controlled and features an environmentally friendly closed-loop water cooling system. If you have specific needs or questions, don’t hesitate to contact us!