Protective Guards 8 mm ABS/PMMA Supplier for Office Furniture Equipment

These ABS/PMMA protective guards are thick gauge vacuum formed parts supplied to drawing for office furniture. They are formed from ABS/PMMA sheet at 8 mm, trimmed on 5-axis routers and inspected against the drawing before packing. Buyers choose this route where a metal fabrication is too heavy, or where injection moulding tooling cannot be justified for the volume.

Product specification

Key features

• One piece shell replaces a fabrication, so assembly hours drop
• ABS/PMMA keeps the weight down while stiffness is held through the formed shape
• Powder coat finish finish as standard, further finishes on request
• Trimmed on 5-axis routers, so mounting holes and cut outs match the drawing
• Tooling stored against the part number for repeat and spare orders
• UL94 V-0 grades available

Typical applications

• chair shells
• screen frames
• cable trays
• desk modesty panels
• protective guards used across general office furniture builds

How it is made

1. The part cools on a jig so the shape is held while the material stabilises.
2. Sheet is dried when the material needs it, then heated to forming temperature on the machine.
3. Trimming is done on 5-axis routers or with a dedicated trim fixture to meet the drawing.
4. Tooling is cut: aluminium for production volumes, composite or printed moulds for samples and first articles.
5. Drawings are reviewed and a manufacturability report is issued with wall thickness, draft and radii marked up.

Material: ABS/PMMA

ABS/PMMA combines an ABS core with a hard acrylic cap, so the part has the toughness of ABS and the UV and scratch resistance of acrylic.

Design notes

• call out the finish on the drawing: mould texture, paint, or as-formed gloss
• keep a draft angle of at least 3 degrees on vertical walls so the part releases cleanly
• use corner radii of at least three times the sheet thickness to avoid thinning
• avoid sharp steps in the mould, which show as chill marks on the finished surface

Finishing and assembly options

• powder coat finish
• clear protective film
• soft touch coating
• Threaded inserts, PEM fasteners and brackets fitted before dispatch
• Mating parts can be trial assembled before the first article ships

Quality

Sheet thickness is checked on the formed part at the points shown on the drawing, and the readings go into the report. Moulds, trim fixtures and programmes are stored against the part number, so a repeat order matches the first batch.

• ISO 9001 quality system
• material certificates with every batch
• UL94 V-0 grades available

Packing and delivery

Parts are stacked with interleaved film and packed in export cartons on pallets. Standard lead time to first article is 2–3 weeks, and repeat releases ship against stored tooling without a new proving run.

Frequently asked questions

Are spare parts available later?

Tooling is stored against the part number for the life of the programme, so replacements or spare panels can be released at any time.

What quantity can I order?

Sample quantities start at one piece off printed tooling. The process pays back from about 25 pieces a year and runs well into several thousand.

How fast is the first article?

Seven to fifteen working days from drawing release for sample tooling, with production tooling in three to four weeks.

Request a quotation

Send the drawing or a photo of the current protective guards with the quantity and the finish required. The reply covers material choice, wall thickness, tooling route and price, so the decision is made on a complete picture.