Plastics

Plastics are very diverse and fascinating. We have summarised for you what plastics are, what distinguishes them and written something about their properties.

What is plastic?

Plastics are synthetic materials that are produced by combining organic molecules. They can occur in various geometric shapes such as sheets , discs, rods or films and are widely used in many different applications and industries. These include, among others, packaging, construction, medicine, electronics and transport.

Plastics have a broad range of positive properties, such as flexibility, strength, transparency, weather resistance and chemical resistance. They can also be adapted by adding additives and colourants. Just as is desired and required in the respective field of application.

Plastic is a very versatile material that is used in many different industries and applications. One of the possible uses of plastic is use as a cut piece. Plastic sheet cut pieces are produced in many different sizes and shapes and can be made from different plastics.

These include polycarbonate (PC for short), polyoxymethylene (POM), polyvinyl chloride (PVC for short), polyamide (PA), polypropylene (also PP), acrylic (also known as PMMA), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE or also known by the name Teflon), polyethylene (PE) and polyetheretherketone (PEEK).

These plastics belong to the group of thermoplastics. Thermoplastics can be formed at will by heating and cooling right up to their own melting point. Only on overheating does the plastic decompose and can no longer be used.

Plastic machining

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High-quality plastic offers a broad application spectrum

High-quality plastics are used in the most diverse application spectra. For example, you will find our plastic cut pieces in advertising in the form of advertising signs made of rigid foam (Forex) or as displays in the form of acrylic glass.

Furthermore, our plastic sheets in the form of polycarbonate are also used in the private sector, for example as balcony cladding or also for conservatories. PTFE, known as Teflon, is then also found in everyday things. Everyone knows the Teflon coating of a frying pan.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is the non-stick coating for frying pans, baking moulds and irons. But PTFE is also used extensively outside the private four walls. Architecture and construction, mechanical and vehicle engineering, electrical engineering, chemical industry, aerospace. You see, high-quality plastics are versatile and hardly imaginable without.

The processing temperature for the plastics lies between 250 and 300 °C. Metal, on the other hand, requires a much higher processing temperature and must then also be cast. It possesses a certain hardness, it is break-resistant. It shows resistance to temperature, chemical agents and holds its shape under heat. Its density lies between 0.8 and 2.2 g·cm−3

Properties of plastic

Plastic is durable. It possesses a high chemical stability, which enables it to be resistant to many chemicals. Plastics are therefore less susceptible to corrosion and can also be used in aggressive environments.

Plastics are resilient. They are robust against mechanical loads such as impacts and shocks. They do not break so easily and are therefore load-bearing. Plastic is weather-resistant and can thus also be used in areas where it is exposed to direct sunlight. It does not become brittle as a result and also does not fade so quickly.

Plastic is light, so that it can be used in areas where weight saving is important, such as in boatbuilding. But plastic is also advantageous in the transport industry, since it is also very light compared to steel and aluminium.

Plastic possesses a fine formability, which makes it possible for the plastics to be easily brought into almost any desired shape. The plastics can be cast, moulded, extruded, injected or pressed. In this way a multitude of products can be manufactured. Plastics possess a low conductivity. They feel slightly warm despite low temperatures, so that they are used, among other things, as handles for tools.

Application areas of plastic

Plastics are excellent electrical insulators and are therefore frequently used in the electrical industry. They can be quickly coloured in any desired colour and can thus be designed in a diverse manner. This makes your place of use more diverse and more imaginative.

Plastics offer a multitude of different properties that can be adapted depending on the application, which makes them a versatile material and thus allows them to be used in many areas.

Types of plastic: These types exist.

There are various types of plastic, here are some of them, specifically from the field of engineering plastics.

PE-HD(PE300)- Polyethylene

PE 300 or also PE-HD is a high-density polyethylene. Due to its good chemical resistance, PE 300 is insensitive to the attack of most acids, alkalis, many organic solvents and hot water. The material is a good insulator, can be machined excellently and is used in numerous fields of application, in particular in chemical apparatus and tank construction. Compared to its other two PE types, this plastic is soft, as indicated by the number 300, and can therefore be easily machined. The polymer chain here is relatively short.

PE 500 - Polyethylene

This plastic is used, among other things, for cutting boards and certain components that are operated electronically. It convinces with strength, rigidity, highest density and hardness.

PE-UHMW(PE-1000)

The ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (PE 1000 /PE-UHMW) possesses a high abrasion resistance combined with high toughness. The chemical resistance and the stress cracking are optimised compared to the standard PE300(PE-HD). Polyethylene is one of the most widespread plastics. The plastic is used, among other things, for packaging and films. But also due to its high resistance to wear, it is used, among other things, for pump parts and gears.

PEEK - Polyetheretherketone

PEEK(polyetheretherketone) is a partially crystalline thermoplastic with very good mechanical properties, also under thermal load. The material is also characterised by its high continuous service temperature of +260°C and its excellent radiation and chemical resistance. Good sliding properties and hydrolysis resistance round off the profile of this high-performance material and make it an almost universally usable engineering material for thermally/mechanically highly loaded parts. Like PTFE, this plastic is very heat-resistant. Its melting temperature is 335 °C. It is used, among other things, in the automotive industry, aerospace industry, construction, medical technology, pharmaceutical industry and in the chemical industry.

PTFE - Polytetrafluoroethylene

The PTFE material (with the chemical name polytetrafluoroethylene, generally referred to as Teflon®) is a partially crystalline fluoropolymer with many unique properties. This fluoropolymer offers an exceptionally high thermal stability and chemical resistance as well as a high melting point (-200 to +260 °C, briefly also up to 300 °C). PTFE products furthermore have out- standing sliding properties, a very good electrical resistance and form a non-adhesive surface. This plastic is very heat-resistant. In sealing technology it is used, among other things, as a shaft sealing ring, groove ring, sealing tape and bellows.

PA(Polyamide) 6 Cast

The PA 6 material (polyamide or commonly referred to as nylon) is produced by manufacturers in standard semi-finished products for further processing in the form of sheets, rods and hollow bars. Nylon plastics are frequently associated with numbers, including PA 6, PA 6.6, PA 12 and PA 46. These numbers refer to the molecular structure of the nylon polymer. Each structure type also offers different properties. Polyamide convinces with its strength and toughness. It is very resistant to lubricants and fuels at temperatures of up to 150 °C. PA is often used as an engineering material.

POM - Polyoxymethylene

OM-C(polyoxymethylene) achieves enormous hardness, strength and surface quality through its high density of 1.39 – 1.42 g/cm³. In addition to its good sliding and wear properties and a high heat deflection resistance, POM-C is distinguished in particular by its enormously high dimensional accuracy, i.e. dimensional stability. POM is therefore successfully used as an engineering material for plastic turned parts with tight tolerances, such as precision parts in precision engineering, and for complex turned and milled parts such as gears and pump housings.

PP - Polypropylene

Polypropylene (PP) belongs to the family of polyolefins and is characterised above all by a high rigidity, strength and surface hardness. Since the material does not tend to stress cracking, it can easily be machined. Its electrical and chemical properties are also excellent. The plastic can be easily processed and has a very large and broad spectrum. The plastic is inexpensive in relation to other plastics. It is used, among other things, in mechanical and vehicle engineering, in medical technology, in electrical engineering, in the construction industry.

PVC rigid foam(Forex)

The plastic can be easily cut and is very well suited for direct printing. Even though PVC is easy to cut, it is nevertheless resistant. It can be well used outdoors.

PVC rigid - Polyvinyl chloride

The mechanical, electrical and thermal properties of rigid PVC predestine this product for the most diverse industrial applications, for example as PVC sheets. Since the material furthermore has an excellent resistance to almost any type of chemicals and is flame-retardant, it is also particularly gladly used, among other things, in electroplating apparatus construction. PVC is one of the third most important plastics in the world. It is inexpensive to purchase and convinces with its durability. The plastic is resistant to weather conditions. You can obtain PVC in the most diverse colours and decors.

PMMA - Acrylic glass

The acrylic glass produced by the extrusion process (PMMA XT) represents the cheaper alternative to cast material. With the appropriate know-how, this product can also be easily machined and mounted and can thus likewise be used wherever high demands are placed both on appearance and on transparency. PMMA XT has a very high surface hardness. It is weather- and ageing-resistant and therefore also suitable for outdoor applications . It is used, among other things, in industry and skilled trades, in medicine, for outdoor areas and even at home within your own four walls. PMMA can be easily cut and is also ideal for engraving.

PC - Polycarbonate (Makrolon©)

Polycarbonate(PC), a material that is highly impact-resistant compared to other thermoplastics, offers possible uses above all where resistance to external influences (road traffic, hail, vandalism) is required. With its outstanding mechanical, thermal and electrical properties, the plastic can be used practically everywhere and, through its outstanding formability, enables a high degree of design freedom. The plastic can be softened at high temperatures and is thus wonderfully deformable. Polycarbonate is a transparent and colourless plastic. It is relatively expensive to purchase. It is also only used where other plastics are, among other things, too soft, too scratch-sensitive or also not transparent enough. Like the plastic PMMA, the plastic is used as a glass alternative.

History of plastics

The first plastic was presented in 1862 at the world exhibition in Great Britain. The real development, or rather the demand for plastic, grew from the year 1945, after the Second World War. Before the world war, the plastic polyethylene was invented and was manufactured and used, among other things, as drinks bottles, shopping bags and food containers.

Nowadays plastic is indispensable. It convinces with its versatility. Plastics can be easily and quickly brought into the desired shape by heating.