Colvin-friedmancompany

Die-Cut Electrical Insulators

Precision-cut Kapton®, Nomex®, PET, and 20+ dielectric substrates: from prototype to full-volume production, with zero recorded quality rejections.

Your insulators need to hold spec across every run, not just the prototype. Colvin-Friedman has cut precision electrical insulators since the 1950s. We work directly with your engineering team, hold ±0.005″ on thin films, and ship prototypes in days. Every job is custom. No catalog. No guessing.

Common Electrical Insulation Materials We Die-Cut

Material Temperature Range Key Properties Common Applications
Kapton® Polyimide –269°C to +260°C 7,700 V/mil dielectric strength; chemical resistant Transformer tape, motor slot liners, aerospace wiring, flexible heaters
PET (Mylar®) –70°C to +150°C Dimensional stability; cost-effective Circuit boards, battery separators, capacitor film
Nomex® Aramid Continuous to +220°C High dielectric strength; Class B–F insulation Motor phase barriers, transformer winding insulation
PVC Film –10°C to +105°C Flame-retardant, flexible, printable Cable insulation, electrical labels, protective sleeves
G10/FR4 Epoxyglass Continuous to +130°C High mechanical strength; flame-retardant High-voltage bushings, circuit board substrates
Fish Paper Up to +105°C Electrically insulating; heat-resistant Fuse tubes, motor slot insulation, device barriers

Need a material not listed? Send us your spec; we source custom substrates for specific applications.

What You Get from Every Run

From prototyping through high-volume production, every run is engineered for consistent quality, assembly readiness, and supply-chain reliability.

Tight Production Tolerances

±0.005" on rotary-cut films and ±0.010" on flatbed substrates across full production runs.

Assembly-Ready Parts

Burr-free insulators designed to keep coil insertion and SMT lines running without rework.

Kiss-Cut Adhesive Backing

Insulator is cut while the release liner stays intact for easy peel-and-place assembly.

Complex Geometries

Multi-cavity tooling produces intricate slots, apertures, and shapes in a single pass.

Inline PSA Lamination

Industrial-grade 3M and Adhesives Research tapes laminated inline with no extra handling.

High-Volume Throughput

Up to 40,000 units/hour while maintaining specifications through QMS checkpoints.

One Vendor, Start to Finish

Prototype specifications transfer directly into production tooling without repeated handoffs.

Supply Chain Integration

Kanban and JIT support with automated replenishment to help prevent stock-outs.

Any File Format

Accepts DXF, DWG, PDF, or hand sketches and provides production-ready CAD for approval.

Why Choose Colvin-Friedman

You work directly with Josh Rodman, our Vice President, for same-day technical support and production oversight, backed by more than 70 years of expertise in materials and tooling. Our California facility ships prototypes in 3–5 business days, with custom-only production built to your drawings and the same engineering attention for every run. We maintain a zero record of quality rejections, and our engineers identify tolerance, radius, and adhesive issues before tooling is cut, helping you avoid rework, delays, and line shutdowns.

How We Compare

Category Colvin-Friedman Large Converters Overseas Suppliers
Communication Direct to VP Josh Rodman Through account managers Email only; time-zone delays
Lead Time Prototypes in 3–5 days 1–3 weeks 4–8 weeks + shipping
Material Range 20+ electrical substrates from one source Often specialized Limited options
Quality Track Record Zero recorded rejections Varies by facility Inconsistent
Custom Engineering Co-engineering from sketch to production RFQ-based; limited DFM Minimal
Supply Chain Kanban/JIT; 99.99% stock-out avoidance Standard fulfillment Large MOQs; long cycles

From Drawing to Delivery

From initial drawing to final delivery, our five-step process keeps engineering, tooling, production, and quality control aligned, reducing delays and avoiding costly changes late in the process.

01

Step 1: Co-Engineering & CAD Review

Engineers review your drawing, confirm materials and lamination needs, and flag potential issues before tooling.

02

Step 2: Die Fabrication & Heat Treatment

High-grade steel tooling is milled, heat-treated for edge retention, and tested before production.

03

Step 3: Prototype & Approval

Fit-and-function samples are shipped for validation, allowing adjustments before full production.

04

Step 4: Full Production

CAM-driven presses scale to volume with QMS checkpoints and inline lamination.

05

Step 5: Inspection, Pack-Out & Delivery

Parts are inspected, packed as rolls, sheets, or kits, and integrated into your Kanban or JIT pipeline.

Best Practices on Every Job

We assess material behavior before production.

Kapton® and PET films curl under poor tension control. We set cut conditions to each material's actual stress response.

We set kiss-cut depth to your liner.

Depth, adhesive mass, and vacuum hold-down are dialed in during setup, not discovered during a bad run.

We review your drawing before any tooling is ordered.

Tight radii, tiny through-holes, and adhesive tab placement get flagged at CAD review, not after first articles fail.

We track tool wear against your volume.

Press operators make live adjustments to pressure and blade clearance before tolerance drift becomes a defect.

Key Things to Know

Certifications

UL 94 flame ratings, AS9100 for aerospace, and RoHS for European markets are available. Tell us your requirements before quoting.

Customer-supplied materials

We work with your preferred supplier. Confirm during the quoting phase.

What we need to quote you

A drawing with dimensions and tolerances, material type and thickness, and estimated annual volume. Note any lamination, certification, or finishing requirements.

Results & Performance Data

Metric Result
OEM Production Quality Rejections Zero recorded
Rotary Press Throughput Up to 40,000 units/hour
0.001″ Kapton® Tolerance ±0.005″ across full production
Prototype Turnaround 3–5 business days
Production Tooling Lead Time 2–7 days
Stock-Out Avoidance Rate 99.99%
Electrical Insulation Experience 70+ years

Industries We Serve

Our precision-cut electrical insulation materials support demanding applications across electronics, e-mobility, power, motor, generator, and battery manufacturing.

Electronics & E-Mobility

EMI/RFI shields, thermal-transfer pads, transformer sleeves, and battery-cell spacers in polyimide and PET; ±0.005" tolerance and burr-free for SMT.

Power Generation & Distribution

Nomex® and Kapton® phase barriers, slot liners, and winding insulation; G10/FR4 bushings cut on flatbed without cracking.

Motor & Generator Manufacturing

Slot liners, phase insulators, and wedge stock in polyester film, aramid paper, and DMD composite; burr-free for automated coil insertion.

Battery Assembly

Cell spacers, electrode masks, and terminal insulators from flame-retardant, thermally resistant polyimide to help prevent thermal runaway.

Who This Is For

  • An OEM that needs consistent, high-volume insulator production without quality surprises
  • A procurement manager replacing an overseas supplier that can’t hit your lead times
  • A design engineer who needs a partner to co-engineer parts before tooling is cut
  • A production manager on Kanban or JIT who needs supply chain integration, not just order fulfillment
  • A buyer consolidating vendors who needs one U.S.-based source for multiple substrates

Not sure if your application fits? Send us the spec. Josh responds within one business day.

Or call Josh at (707) 769-4488

Frequently Asked Questions

±0.005″ on rotary-cut Kapton® as thin as 0.001″. Flatbed holds ±0.010″ on thicker substrates. We review your drawing and recommend the right configuration before quoting.

Yes. We offer inline PSA lamination using 3M and Adhesives Research tapes. Kiss-cutting leaves the liner intact for peel-and-stick assembly.

Prototypes ship in 3–5 business days. Production tooling takes 2–7 days, then ramps to volume. No overseas freight delays.

Yes. Up to 40,000 units/hour on rotary presses, with Kanban/JIT integration and 99.99% stock-out avoidance.

DXF and DWG files work. So does a PDF or a hand sketch. We return a production-ready CAD drawing for approval before any tools are made.

Yes. Tell us during quoting, and we confirm compatibility before production starts.

Get Your Electrical Insulator Quote

Send us your drawing, material specs, and volume requirements. Josh Rodman responds within one business day with accurate pricing and lead times.