Electronic cigarette casings are commonly made from materials such as ABS plastic, PC polycarbonate, and PCTG. ABS plastic is known for its chemical resistance, heat resistance, high elasticity, toughness, and cost-effectiveness, making it suitable for manufacturing electronic cigarette casings. PC plastic, with its high transparency, strong impact resistance, and heat resistance, is ideal for transparent or semi-transparent casing products. PCTG material, valued for its safety, transparency, toughness, and high-temperature resistance, finds widespread application in various components of electronic cigarettes. If you are not only wholesale vape device, but also making brand on e-cigarettes, it helps to know more about the supply chain and raw materials.
The processing of plastic casings for electronic cigarettes involves stages like design and development, mold production, injection molding, post-processing, assembly, and packaging. These steps ensure that the products meet high standards in both appearance and performance.
Part I, Common Types of Materials for Electronic Cigarette Plastic Casings
1, ABS
ABS plastic is a ternary copolymer of acrylonitrile (A), butadiene (B), and styrene (S), with the relative proportions of these monomers varying to create different resins.
ABS combines the properties of its three components: A provides chemical corrosion resistance and heat resistance with surface hardness, B imparts high elasticity and toughness, and S gives it the processing characteristics of thermoplastics and improves electrical properties.
ABS plastic is widely used in electronic cigarette casings due to its excellent mechanical properties, processing performance, and relatively low cost. It offers good impact resistance, durability, and high thermal stability.
2, PC
Polycarbonate is a tough thermoplastic resin, derived from the internal -O-C(=O)-O- groups. It is synthesized from bisphenol A and phosgene (COCl2), often through the melt ester exchange method.
PC plastic boasts high transparency, impact resistance, and good heat resistance, making it suitable for electronic cigarette products that require transparent or semi-transparent casings. now many disposable vape devices use PC materials, such as ORION BRA, RAZ TN9000, GEEKBAR PULSE, etc.
3, PCTG
PCTG, or modified copolyester of cyclohexanedimethanol, is a copolymer product obtained by replacing part of the ethylene glycol in PET synthesis with other diols (copolymer monomers).
According to the proportion of copolymer monomer CHDM, it is further divided into PCTG (CHDM content greater than 50%) and PETG (CHDM content less than 50%).
PCTG material, known for its safety, high transparency, good toughness, and resistance to high temperatures, is extensively used in components such as oil reservoirs, atomizers, bases, mouthpieces, and top covers. PCTG cost more than PETG and PC.
For Disposable CBD vapes, THC vape pens, and Delta vape pens, please make sure that your supplier uses PCTG materials to fill the oil or the oil reservoirs may split and leak.
Part II, Development Process for Electronic Cigarette Plastic Casings
The development process includes the following steps:
1, Design and Development
3D Modeling: Use CAD software to design the three-dimensional model of the electronic cigarette casing.
Prototype Production: Utilize 3D printing or CNC machining to create prototypes for testing and validation.
2, Mold Production
Mold Design: Based on the final product design, create detailed mold designs.
Mold Processing: Employ high-precision CNC machining centers, electrical discharge machining (EDM), grinders, etc., to manufacture molds.
3, Injection Molding
Material Selection: Choose suitable plastic materials based on product requirements.
Injection Molding: Heat plastic pellets to a molten state, inject them into the mold cavity, and cool and solidify under high pressure.
Demolding: Retrieve the molded plastic casing from the mold after it cools to a certain extent.
4, Post-Processing
Deburring: Remove any burrs and flash generated during the molding process.
Sanding and Polishing: Polish and sand the casing surface to achieve the desired smoothness.
Coating and Coloring: Apply paint or coloring treatment if specific colors or textures are needed.
Printing: Add patterns, logos, or text on the casing through methods like screen printing, pad printing, or digital printing.
5, Assembly
Assembly: Combine the plastic casing with other electronic cigarette components (such as 510 batteries, vape atomizers, disposable vape devices, circuit boards, etc.).
Quality Inspection: Conduct functional and quality checks on the assembled electronic cigarette.
6, Packaging
Final Inspection: Perform a last check of quality and functionality before packaging.
Packaging: Package the products according to specifications for storage and transportation.
