Your Best Die Cutting Provider for Marine Product Parts
The marine industry can be difficult to serve for some die cutters, thanks to the combination of extremely tight tolerances required for parts and the corrosive environments where end products will be used. At Colvin-Friedman, we’ve developed expert practices to ensure that our partners get cut pieces that meet exacting specifications, no matter the material.
Or call Josh at (707) 769-4488
75 Years of Experience
Colvin-Friedman, unlike many other die-cutting companies in the United States, has been around since the advent of the Electronics Age. We’ve developed practices that enable us to maintain exacting tolerances and still provide excellent turnaround times for clients.
Personal Touches and Ongoing Communications
Every client that we work with can contact our vice president, Josh Rodman, via phone or email at any time to check in on the process of designing, cutting, and inventorying parts that they order. We strive to ensure that we become a trusted member of any production and inventory management system.
Rotary and Flatbed Cutting Flexibility
A number of marine materials are thick enough or strong enough that they cannot be processed through our high-speed rotary systems. We have numerous flat-bed options available for our partners that can handle saltwater-resistant plastic, tough-to-cut laminates, and more.
Best Practices for Marine Product Die Cutting
Since each of the materials used in creating marine products has differences in tensile and compressive strength, chemical and temperature resistance, and more, working with each one requires a different set of conditions. Below, we've listed what helps Colvin-Friedman maintain its standard of excellence and quality control.
Marine-Grade Plastics
| Issue | Expert Practice |
|---|---|
| UV and saltwater resistance | We use specialized UV-resistant and marine-grade plastics specified by our partners and implement rigorous testing procedures for all cut materials. |
| Maintaining dimensional stability | Along with ensuring temperature and humidity consistency during cutting, we have a number of stabilizing techniques for large panels. |
| Achieving clean, precise cuts | With any type of marine plastic, it’s a necessity to use ultra-sharp dies and to continuously test speed and pressure to minimize burring. |
Rubber and Elastomers
| Issue | Expert Practice |
|---|---|
| Ensuring water-tight seals | We use precision-ground dies and perform spot-test inspections to ensure consistency. |
| Preventing material degradation | We ensure that we use the marine-grade rubbers our clients prefer and use appropriate release agents during cutting. |
| Achieving consistent thickness | We maintain strict control over cutting pressure for each batch and occasionally use specialized dies for marine elastomers. |
Foam and Insulation
| Issue | Expert Practice |
|---|---|
| Maintaining buoyancy properties | Depending on the material, we may use a multi-cut process to ensure that cells maintain integrity. |
| Ensuring water resistance | We implement sealing processes where necessary and when clients prefer them based on where the component is installed. |
| Achieving complex shapes | Multi-stage cutting processes for intricate designs are crucial to ensuring proper dimensions. |
Composite Materials
| Issue | Expert Practice |
|---|---|
| Preventing delamination | We use specialized cutting techniques for layered materials and maintain optimal cutting speed and pressure regardless of material strength. |
| Managing dust and debris | We have implemented advanced dust collection systems to ensure the die-cut parts do not collect debris and use wet-cutting techniques when appropriate. |
| Achieving precise cuts in hard materials | We use high-strength dies for very thick or hard composites. |
Corrosion-Resistant Metals
| Issue | Expert Practice |
|---|---|
| Maintaining corrosion resistance | We use appropriate cutting techniques to prevent edge corrosion and can implement post-cutting treatments depending on the metal. |
| Managing intricate designs | We use specialized dies for more detailed designs and may use multiple cuts in a given process. |
| Managing tool wear | We increase the frequency of our die maintenance schedules and use hardened steel or carbide dies for longer life. |
The Colvin-Friedman Process
With 75 years of die-cutting experience, Colvin-Friedman has refined our process for setting up shop for marine product components into a step-by-step system that ensures quality and consistent results. Below are the steps we follow with each client:
- Initial Consultation and Needs Assessment - We meet to discuss the application for the part, preferences for budget as well as environmental conditions and performance goals for the entire product. If there are any existing designs, we review them for production suitability.
- Material Selection and Testing - In many cases, our clients already have a material or two in mind that they envision using to create the die-cut part. We are also happy to recommend appropriate options based on needs like corrosion resistance, buoyancy, and more.
- Design and Prototyping - Once the material is selected and the goals outlined, Colvin-Friedman designs the dies to be used for the cutting process in as short as three days depending on client needs and production timeframes.
- Die Design and Process Planning - Once the part’s die is approved by the client, we’ll set up a cutting process using the best practices above specific to the material we plan on using.
- Production Planning - In many cases, Colvin-Friedman provides secondary operations like coating or assembly if needed for the part to be properly integrated into an inventory management system. This is also the point where we establish our quality control checkpoints for issues like cut depth and precision, die degradation, and other factors that could impede scaling operations.
- Production and Quality Assurance - Based on the established goals for the performance of the part, we begin our production runs with a small sample to test each of the processes and ensure that the results meet client expectations. Once confirmed, we continue until the order is complete and ready to be shipped or processed in a secondary operation.
Marine Materials Colvin-Friedman Cuts
Below we've listed categories of material that we can die cut, with an emphasis on explaining the differences in methods: rotary die cutting can be used for very high-speed production, but the level of detail and thicknesses of material that can be processed is different than that of flatbed steel-rule die cutting.
| Material Type | Products | Example Materials | Preferred Die Cutting Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marine-Grade Plastics | - Instrument panels - Protective covers - Navigation system components |
1. Marine-grade ABS 2. UV-resistant polycarbonate 3. High-impact acrylic |
Rotary for thin sheets up to .015"; Flat press for thicker materials or intricate designs |
| Rubber and Elastomers | - Gaskets - Seals - Vibration dampeners |
1. EPDM rubber 2. Neoprene 3. Silicone sheets |
Rotary for thin sheets up to .015"; Flat press for thicker materials and most marine applications |
| Foam and Insulation | - Buoyancy aids - Thermal insulation - Sound dampening materials |
1. Closed-cell polyethylene foam 2. Marine-grade polyurethane foam 3. Neoprene foam |
Rotary only for very thin foams up to .015"; Flat press for all thicker foams |
| Composite Materials | - Hull components - Deck parts - Structural reinforcements |
1. Fiberglass sheets 2. Carbon fiber composites 3. Kevlar-reinforced materials |
Flat press for most applications |
| Corrosion-Resistant Metals | - Thin metal gaskets - Electrical shielding - Decorative trim |
1. Marine-grade aluminum 2. Stainless steel sheets 3. Copper alloys |
Flat press for most applications |
We are also capable of working with far more material thicknesses with our flatbed die-cutting processes. Below are some of the expanded capabilities you might find with these production systems in use at Colvin-Friedman.
| Material Type | Suitability | Examples of Viable Products |
|---|---|---|
| Marine-Grade Plastics | Excellent | - Thick instrument panels up to 0.5" - Durable hatch covers - Complex navigation system housings |
| Rubber and Elastomers | Excellent | - Thick hull seals - Heavy-duty gaskets for marine engines - Robust weather stripping |
| Foam and Insulation | Excellent | - Thick buoyancy materials - Multi-layer sound insulation panels - Custom-shaped cushioning for marine seating |
| Composite Materials | Very Good | - Reinforced hull components - High-strength deck parts - Custom structural elements |
| Corrosion-Resistant Metals | Good | - Precision-cut metal gaskets - Custom electrical shielding components - Intricate decorative metal trim |
Key Things to Know - Colvin-Friedman Capabilities
There are countless options for die-cutting products that require care and precision, both in the United States and overseas. However, we have found that many clients keep coming back to Colvin-Friedman because we can answer the questions that they have better than other suppliers can. We have compiled the key factors in choosing a marine die-cutting provider and layered in Colvin Friedman data for review.
| Category | Factor | Colvin Friedman Data |
|---|---|---|
| Experience | Years in Marine Manufacturing | 75 years in complex die-cutting including marine applications |
| Capabilities | Types of Die-Cutting Machines | Rotary, flatbed |
| Maximum Die Cutting Size | 16 inches rotary, 40 inches flatbed | |
| Materials | List of Marine-Grade Materials Handled | See tables above |
| Quality Control | Inspection Methods Used | Vision systems, statistical controls, saltwater immersion tests, UV resistance testing |
| Turnaround Time | Average Prototype Turnaround | 4-6 days |
| Average Production Turnaround | 3 weeks | |
| Capacity | Annual Production Capacity | Millions of components |
| Additional Services | Marine Product Design Assistance | Can provide design assistance to maximize durability and die-cutting efficiency |
| Assembly Services for Marine Products | Assembly service and inventory management system integration available | |
| Financial Stability | Years in Business | 75+ |
Get Your Marine Die Cutting Quote from C-F Today
Whether it's gaskets for watertight seals, buoyancy aids for life-saving equipment, or precision-cut panels for marine instrumentation, Colvin-Friedman has been proudly producing the parts that make up crucial pieces of marine equipment.
If you're looking for a quote for your marine die-cutting needs, please don't hesitate to fill out the short form for a tailored response. You can also call our Vice President Josh Rodman at 707-769-4488 for answers to any questions you might have.
Or call Josh at (707) 769-4488