Plastic Material Guide
Providing a wide selection of plastic materials that match to an extensive list of injection moulding capabilities.
- Fast Delivery
- Low Cost
- High Quality
- Material certifications
Plastic Injection Moulding Material Guide
Injection Moulding have a long list of available materials for prototypes and manufacturing parts, from hard plastic like ABS and PC, to soft plastic such as TPE, TPR, LDPE, all the way to silicone rubber.
Material
Abbr.
Characteristics
Resin Code
Common Applications
Polypropylene
PP
It is a white waxy material with a transparent and light appearance. The chemical formula is (C3H6)n, the density is 0.89～0.91g/cm3, it is flammable, the melting point is 189℃, it softens at about 155℃, and the operating temperature range is -30～140℃. It can resist the corrosion of acid, alkali, salt solution and various organic solvents below 80 °C, and can decompose under high temperature and oxidation.
#5
Polypropylene is widely used in the production of medical equipment, automobiles, bicycles, parts, transportation pipelines, chemical containers, etc., and also used in food and drug packaging (microwave safe, dishwasher safe)
Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Copolymers
ABS
ABS is a thermoplastic polymer material with high strength, good toughness and easy processing. ABS resin is a terpolymer of acrylonitrile, 1,3-butadiene, and styrene. It can perform normally in the environment of -25℃~60℃, and has good formability. The surface of the processed product is smooth and easy to dye and electroplating. And it can be compounded into a blend with a variety of resins.
#7
ABS is a general-purpose thermoplastic engineering plastic developed in the 1940s. Generally speaking, automobiles, daily necessities and electronic appliances are the three major application areas of ABS resin.
Polycarbonates
PC
PC is an almost colorless glassy amorphous polymer with good optical properties. PC high molecular weight resin has high toughness, Izod notched impact strength is 600~900J/m, and the heat distortion temperature of unfilled grades is about 130°C, which can be increased by 10°C after glass fiber reinforcement. The flexural modulus of PC can reach more than 2400MPa, and the resin can be processed into large rigid products. Below 100°C, the creep rate under load is very low. PC has poor hydrolysis resistance and cannot be used for products that are repeatedly subjected to high pressure steam.
The main performance defects of PC are that the hydrolysis resistance is not high enough, it is sensitive to notch, organic chemical resistance, scratch resistance is poor, and it will turn yellow when exposed to ultraviolet light for a long time. Like other resins, PC is susceptible to attack by certain organic solvents.
PC material has flame retardancy and oxidation resistance.
#7
The three major application areas of PC engineering plastics are the glass assembly industry, the automotive industry and the electronics and electrical appliance industries, followed by industrial machinery parts, optical discs, packaging, computers and other office equipment, medical and health care, films, leisure and protective equipment, etc.
PC bottle (container) is transparent, light in weight, good in impact resistance, resistant to certain high temperature and corrosive solution washing, as a recyclable bottle (container). PC and PC alloys can be used as computer racks, shells and auxiliary machines, and printer parts. Modified PC is resistant to high-energy radiation sterilization, cooking and baking sterilization, and can be used for blood sampling equipment, blood oxygenators, surgical instruments, kidney dialyzers, etc. PC can be used as helmets and hard hats, protective masks, sunglasses and sports protection. Blindfolds.
Polyacetal
POM
POM is a tough and elastic material with good creep resistance, geometric stability and impact resistance even at low temperatures. POMs are available in both homopolymer and copolymer materials. Homopolymer materials have good ductility and fatigue strength, but are not easy to process. Copolymer materials have good thermal and chemical stability and are easy to process. Both homopolymer materials and copolymer materials are crystalline materials and do not easily absorb moisture. The high degree of crystallinity of POM results in a relatively high shrinkage rate, which can be as high as 2% to 3.5%.
#7
POM has metal-like hardness, strength, and rigidity. It has good self-lubrication, good fatigue resistance, and elasticity in a wide range of temperature and humidity. In addition, it has good chemical resistance. character. At a lower cost than many other engineering plastics, POM is replacing some markets traditionally occupied by metals, such as replacing zinc, brass, aluminum and steel to make many components. Since its inception, POM has been widely used in electrical, electronic, mechanical , instruments, daily light industry, automobiles, building materials, agriculture and other fields. In many new fields of application, such as medical technology, sports equipment, etc., POM also shows a good growth trend.
Widely used in the manufacture of various sliding and rotating mechanical parts, as various gears, levers, pulleys, sprockets, especially suitable for bearings, hot water valves, precision metering valves, chain rings and rollers of conveyors, flow meters, automotive interiors Window turning machinery such as external handles, cranks, oil pump bearing seats and impeller gas switch valves, electronic switch parts, fasteners, terminal mirror masks, electric fan parts, heating plates, instrument buttons; bearings for audio and video tapes; various pipes and Agricultural sprinkler irrigation system and valve, sprinkler, faucet, bath tub parts; switch keyboard, button, audio and video tape reel; temperature control timer; power tool, garden finishing tool parts; in addition, it can be used as surfboard, sailboat and various sled parts, Various rings, fasteners, lighters, zippers, buckles for watch micro-gears, frame accessories for sports equipment and backpacks; cardiac pacemakers in medical devices; artificial heart valves, top vertebrae, prostheses, etc.
It is used in chemical synthesis of chemical industry, pharmaceuticals, etc. and the synthesis of anhydrous formaldehyde as raw material.
Polyamide(Nylon)
PA
PA has good comprehensive properties, including mechanical properties, heat resistance, wear resistance, chemical resistance and self-lubrication, and has a low coefficient of friction, a certain flame retardancy, and is easy to process. It is suitable for use with glass fiber and Other fillers are filled and enhanced to improve performance and expand application range.
#7
Synthetic fibers, wear-resistant parts, transmission structural parts, household appliances parts, automobile manufacturing parts, screw prevention mechanical parts, chemical machinery parts, chemical equipment,
Polymethyl Methacrylate
PMMA
Plastic polymer material, with good transparency, chemical stability and weather resistance, easy to dye, easy to process, beautiful appearance, widely used in the construction industry
#7
PMMA has the advantages of light weight, low price and easy molding. Its molding methods include casting, injection molding, machining, thermoforming, etc. In particular, injection molding can be mass-produced, with simple process and low cost. Therefore, its application is becoming more and more extensive, and it is widely used in instrumentation parts, automobile lights, optical lenses, transparent pipes, etc.
Styrene-Acrylonitrile Copolymers
AS-SAN
It is a colorless and transparent thermoplastic resin with high temperature resistance, excellent gloss and chemical resistance, as well as excellent hardness, rigidity, dimensional stability and high bearing capacity. It is based on acrylonitrile and styrene as raw materials It is obtained by suspension polymerization. It can also be initiated by thermal initiator, and it can also be obtained by emulsion polymerization. Due to the inherent transparency of the resin, it is used to manufacture transparent plastic products.
#7
Household goods: SAN is used in the manufacture of household goods because of its transparency, chemical resistance to general food and detergents, and sufficient high temperature resistance to be washed in high temperature washing conditions. Specific applications include beakers, cups with handles, bath utensils, ice buckets, salad bowls and trays.
Apparatus accessories: The application of SAN resin in this area is also mainly due to its transparency and resistance to chemical media. Main uses include freezer drawers, mixers. Vacuum cleaner parts, humidifier parts and washing machine detergent sprays.
Auto parts: UV/UV resistant SAN can be used to produce car lamp glass. Glass fiber reinforced SAN can make car dashboards.
Electrical appliances: mainly include tape cassettes and transparent windows on tape cassettes, record player covers, instrument transparent casings, computer reels, battery boxes, key caps, calculators and printer workbenches.
Construction: Safety glass, water filter housing and faucet knob.
Medical products: syringes, blood suction tubes, renal infiltration devices and reactors.
Packaging materials: cosmetic case, lipstick sleeve, mascara cap bottle, cap, cap sprayer and nozzle, etc.
Polyethylene
PE
Polyethylene is odorless, non-toxic, feels like wax, has excellent low temperature resistance (minimum operating temperature can reach -100~-70°C), good chemical stability, and can resist most acid and alkali erosion (not resistant to oxidation nature acid). It is insoluble in common solvents at room temperature, with low water absorption and excellent electrical insulation.
#1
Low temperature storage container vessel jar etc.
High Density Polyethylene
HDPE
Non-toxic, tasteless, crystallinity of 80% to 90%, softening point of 125 to 135 °C, and use temperature up to 100 °C; hardness, tensile strength and creep are better than low density polyethylene; wear resistance, electrical Good insulation, toughness and cold resistance; good chemical stability, insoluble in any organic solvent at room temperature, corrosion resistance of acid, alkali and various salts; thin film permeability to water vapor and air, water absorption Low; poor aging resistance, environmental stress cracking resistance is not as good as low density polyethylene, especially thermal oxidation will reduce its performance, so antioxidants and ultraviolet absorbers must be added to the resin to improve this deficiency. High-density polyethylene film has a low heat distortion temperature under stress, so pay attention to it when applying it.
#2
Used for extrusion packaging films, ropes, woven bags, fishing nets, water pipes; injection molding of low-grade daily necessities and shells, non-load-bearing components, plastic boxes, turnover boxes; extrusion blow molding containers, hand sanitizer bottle,shampoo bottle.
Low Density Polyethylene
LDPE
It is the lightest variety of polyethylene resin, and it is milky white, tasteless, odorless, non-toxic and matt surface waxy particles. It has good flexibility, extensibility, electrical insulation, transparency, easy processing and certain air permeability. It has good chemical stability, alkali resistance and general organic solvent resistance.
#4
It is suitable for food packaging such as seasonings, cakes, sugar, candied fruit, biscuits, milk powder, tea, fish floss and so on. Tablets, powders and other pharmaceutical packaging, shirts, clothing, knitted cotton products and chemical fiber products and other fiber products packaging. Packaging of daily chemical products such as washing powder, detergent, cosmetics, etc. Due to the poor mechanical properties of the single-layer PE film, it is usually used as the inner layer of the composite packaging bag, that is, the heat-sealing substrate of the multi-layer composite film.
Polyethylene Terephthalate
PET
PET is an opalescent or pale yellow, highly crystalline polymer with a smooth and shiny surface. It has excellent physical and mechanical properties in a wide temperature range, the long-term use temperature can reach 120 ° C, and the electrical insulation is excellent. Even at high temperature and high frequency, its electrical properties are still good, but the corona resistance is poor, and the Creep, fatigue resistance, friction resistance and dimensional stability are all good. PET has an ester bond, which will decompose under the action of strong acid, strong alkali and water vapor, and has good resistance to organic solvents and weather. The disadvantage is that the crystallization rate is slow, the molding process is difficult, the molding temperature is high, the production cycle is long, and the impact performance is poor. Generally, its processability and physical properties are improved by methods such as reinforcement, filling, and blending. The glass fiber reinforcement effect is obvious, and the rigidity, heat resistance, chemical resistance, electrical properties and weather resistance of the resin are improved. However, it is still necessary to improve the disadvantages of slow crystallization speed, and methods such as adding nucleating agents and crystallization accelerators can be adopted. Adding flame retardants and flame retardant dripping agents can improve the flame retardancy and self-extinguishing properties of PET.
#1
As plastic, it can be blown into various bottles, such as cola bottles, mineral water bottles, etc.
Polyvinyl Chloride
PVC
PVC is a white powder with an amorphous structure with a small degree of branching. The glass transition temperature is 77~90℃, and it begins to decompose at about 170℃[1]. It has poor stability to light and heat. , it will decompose to produce hydrogen chloride, and further autocatalytic decomposition, causing discoloration, and the physical and mechanical properties also drop rapidly. In practical applications, stabilizers must be added to improve the stability to heat and light.
#3
PVC was once the largest general-purpose plastic in the world, and it is widely used. It is widely used in building materials, industrial products, daily necessities, floor leather, floor tiles, artificial leather, pipes, wires and cables, packaging films, bottles, foam materials, sealing materials, fibers, etc.
On October 27, 2017, the list of carcinogens published by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer was preliminarily sorted out for reference, and PVC was included in the list of 3 types of carcinogens.
General Purpose Polystyrene
GPPS
General-purpose polystyrene is a thermoplastic resin, which is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and glossy, transparent bead or granular solid. The density is 1.04～1.09, the transparency is 88%～92%, and the refractive index is 1.59～1.60. Under the action of stress, birefringence occurs, which is the so-called stress-optical effect. The melting temperature of the product is 150～180℃, the thermal decomposition temperature is 300℃, the thermal deformation temperature is 70～100℃, and the long-term use temperature is 60～80℃. At 5-6℃ lower than the heat distortion temperature, after annealing, the stress can be eliminated and the heat distortion temperature can be increased. If a little α-methylstyrene is added in the production process, the heat resistance level of general-purpose polystyrene can be improved.
#6
Because polystyrene is transparent and has excellent rigidity, electrical properties and printing properties, especially good hygiene and low price, it has broad application prospects in food packaging. In the mechanical and electrical industry, instrumentation, communication equipment industry, etc., it has been widely used as various instrument shells, lampshades, optical parts, instrument parts, transparent window mirrors, transparent models, chemical acid storage tanks, acid conveying tanks, telecommunication parts, high-frequency Capacitors, high-frequency insulating gaskets, brackets, inserts and refrigerated insulating materials, etc. It is also widely used in various daily necessities, such as bottle caps, containers, decorations, buttons, combs, toothbrushes, soap boxes, cigarette boxes and toys.
Polyphenylenesulfide
PPS
A new type of high-performance thermoplastic resin with the advantages of high mechanical strength, high temperature resistance, chemical resistance, flame retardancy, good thermal stability, and excellent electrical properties. It is widely used in the fields of electronics, automobile, machinery and chemical industry.
#7
Electronics: high-voltage components on televisions, computers, casings, sockets, terminals, motor starting coils, blades, brush brackets and rotor insulation parts, contact switches, relays, electric irons, hair dryers, lamp holders, heaters, F grade film, etc.
Automotive industry: suitable for exhaust gas recirculation valves and water pump impellers, as well as carburetors, exhaust devices, exhaust control valves, light reflectors, bearings, sensing components, etc.
Machinery industry: used as bearings, pumps, valves, pistons, precision gears, as well as copiers, cameras, computer parts, pipes, sprayers, fuel injectors, instrumentation parts, etc.
Chemical industry: used to make acid and alkali resistant valve pipes, pipe fittings, valves, gaskets and submersible pumps or impellers and other corrosion-resistant parts.
Engineering plastics: manufacturing auto parts, anti-corrosion coatings, electrical insulation materials, etc.
Environmental protection: PPS fiber filter material is used in smelting, chemical, building materials, thermal power, waste incinerators, coal-fired boilers and other industries under high temperature and harsh working conditions. It is a high-quality, high-efficiency, high-temperature resistant filter material.
Cutlery: used to make cutlery such as chopsticks, spoons, bowls and plates.