Manufacturer of rigid and flexible LAST-A-FOAM® polyurethane foams as well as build-to-print composite assemblies and custom-machined parts.
General Plastics Manufacturing Co.
Tacoma, WA (USA)New on Amplifa
About General Plastics
General Plastics Manufacturing Co. has been producing rigid and flexible polyurethane foams under the LAST-A-FOAM® brand for over 85 years, in sheets, blocks and as custom-molded special parts. The company also manufactures build-to-print composite assemblies and complete customer parts. Production includes CNC machining (including 5-axis), vacuum thermoforming of ABS, polycarbonate, acrylic and PVC/ABS, casting and molding of flexible and semi-flexible PU foams, tool and mold making, complex laminates, 3D printing of tooling patterns, painting, bonding of a wide variety of materials, and sub-assembly installation. The foams are used, among other things, as impact-absorbing and dunnage material in transport containers for radioactive materials (since 1971), as dielectric material in radomes and antennas, as core material for sandwich panels, and as tooling boards for composite tools. Customers come from aerospace, defense, shipbuilding, the nuclear industry, medical technology, electronics and construction; Boeing again recognized General Plastics as a Premier Bidder in 2024. Production takes place at the Tacoma, Washington (USA) site.
- Site
- Tacoma, WA, USA
- Processes
- Machining (CNC, incl. 5-axis), Thermoforming / vacuum forming, Cast / molded parts (flexible & semi-flexible PU foam, built-to-print), Sub-assembly fabrication, Complex laminates (build-to-print, standard and custom), Tooling: part design, tool design, mold tooling manufacture, 3D printing of tooling patterns, Painting and finishing
- Materials
- LAST-A-FOAM® rigid polyurethane foam, LAST-A-FOAM® flexible polyurethane foam, LAST-A-FOAM® FR-3700 Performance Core, LAST-A-FOAM® FR-4500 Tooling Board, LAST-A-FOAM® FR-4500 Tooling Board, 15 lb density (FR-4515), LAST-A-FOAM® FR-4600, LAST-A-FOAM® FR-4700, LAST-A-FOAM® FR-6700
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015 / AS9100D, Mil-I-45208A, Boeing D6-82479, ITAR-Compliant, FAA-certified test laboratory (per Columbiana Hi Tech case study), ISO 9001:2015, AS9100D, FAA-certified test laboratory
- Industries
- Defense, Aerospace, Shipbuilding/Marine, Nuclear industry (RAM packaging), Medical/Pharma, Construction
- 01
Material development (PU formulations)
- 02
Foaming into sheets/blocks or casting/molding
- 03
CNC machining (incl. 5-axis)
- 04
Thermoforming / laminates
- 05
Painting & finishing
- 06
Bonding / joining processes
- 07
Sub-assembly installation
- 08
Shipping of finished customer parts
Sites
Tacoma
USProduction, CNC machining, thermoforming, assembly and sales
- Materials
- LAST-A-FOAM® (rigid/flexible), ABS, PC, acrylic, PVC/ABS
- CNC machines of various sizes (incl. 5-axis)
- 3D printing machines for tooling patterns
- Vacuum forming system
- Casting/molding systems for PU foam
- FAA-certified test laboratory (fire and compressive strength testing)
Parts
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machining (CNC, incl. 5-axis)Machining | – | – | – | – | rigid polyurethane foam, flexible polyurethane foam |
| Thermoforming / vacuum formingForming technology | – | – | – | – | ABS, polycarbonate, acrylic, PVC/ABS mix |
| Cast / molded parts (flexible & semi-flexible PU foam, built-to-print)Primary/Forming technology | – | – | – | – | flexible polyurethane foam, semi-flexible polyurethane foam |
| Sub-assembly fabricationAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Complex laminates (build-to-print, standard and custom)Fiber composite | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tooling: part design, tool design, mold tooling manufactureToolmaking | – | – | – | – | polyurethane tooling board |
| 3D printing of tooling patternsAdditive manufacturing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Painting and finishingCoating | – | – | – | – | – |
| Bonding dissimilar materialsJoining/assembly technology | – | – | – | – | – |
| Foam molding/pour-in-place for composite tooling and moldsToolmaking | – | – | – | – | rigid polyurethane foam |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality & Certifications
Manufacturing is certified to ISO 9001:2015/AS9100D and Mil-I-45208A, meets the Boeing specification D6-82479 and ITAR requirements; an FAA-certified test laboratory conducts fire and compressive strength testing.
| Evidence | Tacoma |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 | |
| AS9100D | |
| Mil-I-45208A | |
| Boeing D6-82479 | |
| ITAR-Compliant | |
| FAA-certified test laboratory |
History
- ca. 1939
Company founded; according to its website, the firm has been in existence for over 85 years.
- 1971
Start of supplying packaging material for radioactive material transport systems.
- 2013
Long-standing customer Columbiana Hi Tech (nuclear packaging) is acquired by AREVA-TN.
- 2024
General Plastics once again recognized as a Boeing Premier Bidder.