Plastic Tubes

Plastic Tubes: Durable, Versatile Tubing for Any Industry

Plastic tubes are already ubiquitous in medical IV lines, food processing equipment, construction, and any custom display application. They are simple components with enormous versatility, chemical resistance, and cost-efficiency. No matter if your project calls for precise dimensions, structural integrity, a used look, or FDA-rated material, plastic tubing is the solution in dozens of industries.

Welch Plastics is a plastic manufacturer located in Las Vegas with a focus on plastic manufacturing and custom plastic fabrication. We manufacture plastic tubes to suit your specifications, whether you need flexible medical-grade tubing or hard, rigid tubes for industrial uses. We can manufacture or fabricate the product from prototype to production.

This complete guide to plastic tubes covers everything you need to know: Where you'll find plastic tubes, the main types of plastic tubing, materials, and applications, and how to go about selecting the right plastic tube for your application.

What are Plastic Tubes?

Plastic tubes are hollow, cylindrical components made from thermoplastics, manufactured through extrusion or injection molding. Plastic tubes come in a variety of lengths, diameters, wall thicknesses, colors, and hardness (flexibility). Depending on the material selection and the application, plastic tubes can be flexible, semi-rigid, or rigid.

Common Uses for Plastic Tubing:

• Moving fluids or gases
• Medical equipment
• Food and beverage dispensing
• HDPE pipe, wire harness routing, and insulation
• Retail product displays and packaging containers
• Protective casings and conduits

Types of Plastic Tubes

Welch Plastics offers countless configurations of plastic tubes, custom-fabricated to suit virtually any application in nearly every industry possible. Below are the main types:

1. Flexible Plastic Tubes

The right type of tubing is when your application requires fluid movement, flexibility, or applications where space is tight. 

• Materials: PVC, Polyurethane, TPE, Silicone
• Properties:

• • Kink-resistant and flexible
  • Chemical resistant and abrasion resistant
  • Good for peristaltic pumps, IV lines, or beverage tubing

2. Rigid Plastic Tubes

Used for structural support for equipment, protective housing for equipment, or electrical insulation for cables.

• Materials: Acrylic, Polycarbonate, ABS, Nylon, PVC
• Properties:
  • High strength and keeps its shape (dimensional stability)
  • Can be sawed, drilled, and machined
  • Typically used for construction and electrical systems

3. Clear Plastic Tubes

Used when visibility and transparency are required, which may be necessary for things like displays or visual inspections.

• Materials: Acrylic, Polycarbonate
• Properties:
  • Crystal clear
  • May have UV-resistant options
  • Typically used for packaging, containers, and monitoring flow

4. Custom Plastic Tubes

Need something unique and different? Welch Plastics specializes in custom fabrications; they can supply you with fully custom tubular options.

Properties:

• Can be made with unique diameters, wall thicknesses, and lengths
• Can be finished on the end (flared, sealed, or threaded)
• Can be made in colored or opaque tubing

Common Plastic Tube Materials

The material that you select will dictate plastic tubing's strength, flexibility, temperature range for performance, and chemical compatibility. Below is a quick overview of the most common plastics:

Material	Key Properties	Typical Applications
PVC	Flexible, inexpensive, chemical resistant	Medical lines, wire sleeving
Acrylic (PMMA)	Rigid, clear, weather-resistant	Display tubes, signage
Polycarbonate	Impact resistant, UV stable, clear	Sight glasses, safety barriers
HDPE/LDPE	Light-weight, food-safe, flexible	Irrigation, food processing
Polypropylene	Heat resistant and chemical resistant	Laboratory, industrial tubing
Nylon	High strength, abrasion-resistant	Pneumatics, fuel tubing
Polyurethane	Elastic, abrasive resistant	Air tools, fluid handling
Silicone	Medical grade, Biocompatible	Hospital tubing, food lines

Having trouble deciding what material will work best for your application? Our team can work with you to select the best material for your application based on performance requirements or industry standards and regulations. 

Benefits of Using Plastic Tubes Over Other Tube Material Choices

There are some very worthwhile benefits of using plastic for tubes over metal, glass, or rubber. Depending on your application of the tube;

• Lightweight but Strong 

Plastic has a strong strength-to-weight ratio; this means that you'll have something easy to work with and install without compromising its strength.

• Corrosion and Chemical Resistance 

Plastics have a resistance to corrosion, chemicals, and liquids. Therefore, plastics are a great option for corrosive or sterile applications.

• Cost-Effective 

Of all the materials, plastic tubing is generally much more cost-effective than stainless steel, other special alloys, etc., particularly in high-volume production runs.

• Design Flexibility 

Plastics can be extruded, injection molded, bent, and made in virtually any configuration or design, making them perfect for custom plastic fabrication.

• Take on Food and Pharmaceutical Applications 

Many plastics (e.g., HDPE, silicone) can come into contact with food products or biological materials meeting FDA or NSF standards. 

Uses of Tubing by Industry

🔹Medical & Pharmaceutical

• IV lines, drainage tubes, and oxygen systems
• Using biocompatible materials such as silicone and PVC
• Easy to sterilize and flexible

🔹Agriculture & Irrigation

• Fertilizer and pesticide tubing
• Drip irrigation tubing
• Resistance to sunlight, water, and chemicals

🔹Food & Beverage

• Soda dispensing, milk lines, and water filtration
• Material types that are compliant with FDA and NSF (HDPE, silicone)
• Can be high transparency or color-coded options

🔹Industrial and Manufacturing

• Pneumatic and hydraulic lines
• Chemical handling, electrical insulation, and conduit
• Materials that withstand heat and pressure

🔹Construction & Electrical

• Routing cables, low-voltage electrical wiring, and insulating pipes
• UV resistant and flame retardant
• Flexible or rigid material choices

🔹Packaging and Retail Displays

• Clear tubing for protective packaging
• Cylindrical containers for retail display products
• Materials such as acrylic and PETG are available in high-clarity options

Selecting the Correct Tubing for Your Project

As you select plastic tubing for your system or product, consider the following important aspects:

1. Inner and outer diameter (ID/OD): Be sure the size will allow for the correct flow capacity and fittings.
2. Wall thickness: This affects strength, pressure tolerance, and flexibility
3. Material compatibility: consider if there will be exposure to chemicals, UV, or contact with food
4. Compliance standards: You may have FDA, NSF, or USP requirements for medical use or food safety
5. Color and clarity: will allow for branding, inspection purposes, or UV protection
6. Custom features: length, cut, flared ends, labeling, etc.

Need a prototype? Welch Plastics has the capability of rapid prototyping and low-run production before you commit to long-run manufacturing.

Why Welch Plastics? Welch Plastics is a plastic manufacturer in Las Vegas known since 2000 for providing high-performance tubing for customers across North America.

Why Choose Welch Plastics?

• Experts in Custom Fabrication of Plastic Tubing: Your concepts become a reality through the full cycle of custom fabrication services, CAD component design, CNC machining, mold making, and more.
• In-House Plastic Tubing Manufacturing: No middlemen here, through cutting out the middleman man lead times can be reduced and better control is available.
• Precision Machined Tubing: Tight tolerances, square cuts, and wall thicknesses that are the same.
• Orders Small and Large Welcome: From batches for your startup company to larger production runs for contract manufacturing as a large enterprise company, we take orders of all sizes.
• Prompt, Responsive, and Knowledgeable Support: It's what we do. Our experienced staff can help with your material options, technical applications, and compliance sorting out.

We deliver the highest quality tubing solutions utilizing craftsmanship, innovation, and customer service focused on achieving customer satisfaction.

Common Questions

• What sizes of plastic tubes can you manufacture?

The sizes of tubes that we manufacture range in diameters from 1/16th of an inch to several inches, and can be fabricated to a custom wall thickness and length.

• Can you cut tubes to a specific length?

Yes, we perform precision cutting, along with custom finishing work to your specifications.

• Are your tubes food safe or medical grade?

Yes, we sell several FDA, NSF, and USP compliant tubing materials like HDPE, silicone, and PETG.

• Do you offer clear plastic tubing?

Yes. We offer clear polymer tubes in acrylic and polycarbonate for display and visual inspection applications.

• Can I order by bulk or wholesale?

Yes. We offered bulk pricing and wholesale pricing on materials and partnered with sped up lead times.

Request a Quote on Custom or Stock Plastic Tubes

Are you looking for the right tubing for your business or project? From flex silicone tubing for medical devices to plastic rigid acrylic tubes for retail display projects, Welch Plastics has the experience, staff, tools, and inventory to accomplish it for you.

📞 Call us today and ask to speak with a plastic tubing specialist

📧 Email us to discuss your specifications and obtain a short quote

🧰 Submit a request for a prototype to complete your prototype to try your design or other configuration prior prop the production run

👉 Contact Welch Plastics now for high-quality tubing solutions today - your trusted Las Vegas plastic manufacturing partner, injection molding, and custom plastic fabrication solutions company serving Las Vegas and beyond.