The Controlled Fluidics Plastics Blog

Ultem can be a great choice for manifolds that need thermal strength, thermal resistance, and chemical resistance. Check out the podcast to learn more.

Polycarbonate is slightly more expensive than acrylic but has more thermal and chemical resistance. It can also come in medical-grade quality. Learn more on the podcast.

When designing bonded manifolds, you have to be aware of stress-cracking risks, cost, threading, and material choice. Listen to the podcast to learn more.

COC and COP plastics offer advantages over other amorphous materials. They are chemically resistant with great light transmission capabilities. Check out the benefits.

One of the most popular materials for a wide variety of applications, acrylic is low cost and offers high light transmission. Check out the podcast to learn more.

Tom Rohlfs looks at the pros and cons of drilled manifolds. He explains the production process and outlines designs that are ideal for drilled production methods. John Maher: Hi, I’m John Maher. I’m here today with Tom Rohlfs, President and Principal Engineer at Controlled Fluidics, a plastics machining company specializing in precision manifolds. Our topic…

An injection molded manifold features injection molded components bonded together to make a manifold. Look at the production process and pros/cons of injection molded manifolds.

Microfluidic manifolds are manifolds with very small channels, typically below a half millimeter. Look at the manufacturing process for microfluidic manifolds.

Multi-layered bonded manifolds offer advantages over drilled manifolds with plugs. Multi-layered bonded manifolds allow you to create complex channel routing.

In this podcast, Tom Rohlfs talks with John Maher about the plastic manifold design process. He explains what customers should expect when they work with a manifold manufacturer through the design process. John Maher: Hi, I’m John Maher. I’m here today with Tom Rohlfs, President and Principal Engineer at Controlled Fluidics, a plastics machining company…

In this podcast, Tom Rohlfs provides an overview of manifolds. He explains their function. Then, he talks about which industries use manifolds, how they’re manufactured, and the materials used. John Maher: Hi, I’m John Maher. I’m here today with Tom Rohlfs, President and Principal Engineer at Controlled Fluidics, a plastics machining company specializing in precision…

Recently, Controlled Fluidics had the opportunity to interview the chief technologist for small payloads at NASA Ames, Dr. Antonio Ricco, and Mr. Matthew Chin, systems engineer at Ames. Controlled Fluidics produces machined plastic fluid supply manifolds for experiments conducted by NASA Ames. Dr. Ricco and Mr. Chin were kind enough to tell us more about…

We’ve got some fun news: Controlled Fluidics will now feature content exploring our work with our clients and referral partners. This is an exciting opportunity for everyone. We show how our products work, what problems they solve, and where they are used. Our partners get more exposure, and our connection strengthens. Today, we’re featuring an…

Controlled Fluidics is very selective about the technology, procedures, and materials we use to serve our clients. Our clients use plastic components in the healthcare industry, aerospace, scientific research, and more. Often critical to the proper functions of the device, our parts perform in high heat, high pressure, and chemically aggressive environments.   For these reasons,…

Your Questions on Plastic CNC Machining, Answered Controlled Fluidics practices precision and excellence from quote to finished product.  We use 5-axis CNC machines to produce customized plastic bonding and assembly work for each client.  We maintain our place at the forefront of utilizing the newest technologies and practices for precision plastic machining and manifold fabrication. …

If your company produces medical,research, or life science devices, you should consider the advantages of components that utilize plastic manifolds. Bonded manifolds are uniquely capable of meeting the precise requirements of healthcare and life sciences, providing control of gas and chemicals. In addition, you can build many system components into manifolds, such as pumps, flow…

Bonded manifolds offer a variety of benefits. Ease of design flexibility means manufacturers like Controlled Fluidics can create intricate channels in almost any configuration. Controlled Fluidics’ low-pressure bonding technology means channels retain their shape throughout the bonding process. The strength of the bond itself is another advantage. Capable of handling pressures to 150 psi, the…

If you’ve spent time on our website, you are likely to encounter the term “bonded manifold.” But what exactly are those, and do you need one?  The field of fluidics, like electronics, requires smaller and smaller components.  These are items such as hand-held on-chip detection devices, nano-pumps for continuous drug delivery, and micro-power generators, and…

At Controlled Fluidics, we pride ourselves on solving our customers’ problems, no matter the challenge. Sometimes that means figuring out how to manufacture complex plastic parts involving tight tolerances, complicated geometries, and unstable materials. In fact, we have pushed the boundaries of plastic machining to help our customers design and create some of the world’s…

Controlled Fluidics is a world class manufacturer of micro machined plastic components. We have the capabilities to produce micro components (in large or small quantities) to customers’ specifications and hold to tolerances of +/- .0005 or better.  When you are micro manufacturing plastic parts as tiny as .0005 in diameter, the parts can actually be…

*Updated May 27, 2021. When a global pandemic hits, there are some professions you expect to become essential: doctors, nurses, pharmacists, grocery store clerks, helpdesk workers at Zoom, and…the employees at Controlled Fluidics. That’s right. You may not have realized it, but COVID-19 created a demand for plastic machined products, particularly those that go inside…

Have you taken a spin around the Controlled Fluidics website lately? If not, it’s worth a minute of your time to see what’s new. With the following a new website design project, visitors can now enjoy three websites for the price of one. Controlled Fluidics has two sides to its business: bonded manifolds and machined…

A lot can change over thirty years, and plastic machining and manifolds are no exception. To say Controlled Fluidics engineers have seen the precision plastic machining industry change is a gross understatement. Today, we use cutting-edge technology, innovative design, and new polymers to create components destined for applications that were still in the realm of…

You can find plastic machined parts and manifolds as critical parts of devices in almost any environment: from cell counters in a climate-controlled lab to components on the International Space Station. When machining components that must perform under extreme operating conditions, a good engineer understands that selecting the right material is a critical step.  One…

Advances in technology depend on increasingly complex components. Plastic machined components and manifolds are no exception and must perform accurately and consistently in more demanding environments than ever before. Some components can only be produced with 5-axis machines, such as items used in the aerospace, medical, or space flight industries.    While expert engineers can design…

When engineering devices with medical applications, it’s critical to keep patient safety at the center of all design choices. Fortunately for the engineers working on medical components, polymers combine the favorable properties of glass and metal with unique properties that create better, safer components. As a result, increased use of polymers in medical applications –…

When a project calls for optically clear or smooth components, it’s simple to turn to glass or quartz as a material solution. However, while either material will produce an optically clear or smooth product, polished plastic may be the better choice. Polished plastic offers all the benefits of plastic polymers. It offers durability, lightness, or…

When your manifold or precision component project is in its early stages, material selection is just as critical to success as the design itself.  Unfortunately, narrowing down your options to the ideal choice can be challenging. It might be tempting to simply choose a material that has worked fine in the past. However, a fine…

A successfully completed high-performance plastic machined part or manifold performs consistently well under even the most stressful conditions. In addition, professional machining and polishing prevent dangerous, costly malfunctions.  While final success depends on many factors falling into place, selecting the right material for the job is essential to get you on the right track. The…

Are you in the beginning stages of planning a plastic machining or manifold project? You’ve clarified what kind of product you need, the specifications it needs to meet, and the environment in which it will need to perform. Now it’s time to wade into the world of design, material selection, and production. The expert team…