Detectable plastics machining
Machined metal-detectable and X-ray-detectable plastic parts
CDS machines plastic parts to customer drawings and specified metal- or X-ray-detectable material requirements. Your engineering and food-safety teams select the grade and establish its suitability for the component and inspection system.
Request a new part, an existing-part replacement or machining to an approved detectable-material conversion. CDS confirms material availability and machining feasibility for the specified part.
Match the detectable grade to the inspection method
“Detectable” needs a specific meaning for your line. Metal detection, X-ray inspection and visual recognition rely on different properties.
- Metal detectable
- Additives are intended to create a response in a metal detector’s electromagnetic field. The exact formulation and inspection conditions govern that response.
- X-ray detectable
- A formulation is intended to improve X-ray contrast against the surrounding product. Density, thickness and the inspection conditions affect visibility.
- Visual recognition
- Blue may help someone see a component or fragment. Color alone does not establish metal or X-ray detectability, food-contact status or a detection result.
What does “ultra detectable” mean?
It is supplier terminology to clarify with the full manufacturer and grade name. Some formulations are intended for one mode and others for both; the label alone does not establish dual-mode performance.
Will a fragment be detected?
A material name cannot answer that for a particular line. The metal-versus-X-ray comparison explains how the product, package, fragment and equipment affect the result.
One part, three connected requirements
- Inspection requirement
The line’s method, product and package define the detection question.
- Exact material grade
The full product documentation identifies the intended detection mode or modes.
- Customer-defined part
Your drawing and material specification establish what CDS is asked to machine.
The material must still do the component’s job
A detectable formulation can behave differently from the standard material. Its mechanical properties and the finished geometry need to work together under the actual operating conditions.
- Contact and fit
- Wear, impact, sustained load and mating surfaces affect a guide, roller or drive component differently. Creep, moisture and thermal movement can affect fit. Your engineering team establishes the required material and dimensions.
- Heat and cleaning
- Operating temperature, washdown, chemicals and exposure time can change material suitability. A detectable additive does not remove the base material’s limitations.
Compare machinable plastics for base-material behavior. Standard-grade information does not establish the properties or availability of a detectable formulation.
Find the geometry that matches your part
Other component shapes
Bushings, pistons, gaskets and scrapers cover sleeve, reciprocating, static-seal and wear-edge requirements.
For washers, distinguish an elastomeric cut washer from a rigid machined washer. Detectable options need separate confirmation for the construction you need.
These pages describe component machining. CDS must confirm the exact detectable grade it can supply or machine; your team establishes application suitability.
What does “FDA compliant” mean for your plastic part?
Food-contact status depends on the formulation and intended use. Detectability alone does not establish it.
The material and its use
The exact manufacturer, grade, color and required regulation or customer standard need to match the intended contact conditions. Food type, temperature, contact duration and cleaning exposure can limit where a declaration applies.
Food-contact authorizations depend on substance identity, specifications and conditions of use. FDA’s food-contact material guidance explains those distinctions.
The document’s scope
A declaration for resin or stock material does not automatically cover a finished part, assembly or production line. Required certificates, lot identification, traceability and finished-part acceptance criteria should be identified by name.
Food and beverage equipment and packaging and processing equipment provide related component and operating-condition context.
Your detectable-part quotation
Request machining to your approved drawing and material specification. CDS confirms manufacturing feasibility, available records, price and timing.
- New part
- A drawing or specification defines the geometry and any controlled material callout.
- Replacement
- Existing records help preserve the required grade and geometry. Note wear, damage and any missing information.
- Conversion
- Your engineering team approves the new grade and any required dimensional changes. A detectable formulation is not automatically a drop-in substitute.
- Part definition: drawing and revision, specified dimensions and tolerances, or existing-part records for a replacement.
- Material callout: required manufacturer and grade, documented detection mode and customer-approved alternatives.
- Acceptance and order: required food-contact, material and inspection records; quantity and needed date. Confirm the available documentation with CDS.