CHAPTER 16: PLASTICS

Plastics - are synthetic materials (artificial, or manufactured). Synthesis means that

"something is
put together," and synthetic materials are made of building blocks
that are put together in factories. The building blocks for making plastics
are small organic molecules - molecules that contain carbon along with other
substances. They generally come from oil (petroleum) or natural gas, but they can also
come from other organic materials such as wood fibers, corn,
or banana peels. Each
of these small molecules is known as a monomer ("one part") because it's capable of
joining with other monomers to form very long molecule chains called polymers ("many
parts") during a chemical reaction called polymerization.

TWO MAIN TYPES OF PLASTICS

Plastics are classified into two categories according to what happens to them when
they're heated to high temperatures.

Thermoplastics - which melt when heated and can be remolded easily. Good

examples

are acrylic, polypropylene, polystyrene, polythene and PVC.

Thermosets - which are formed by heat process but are then set (like concrete)
and
cannot change shape by reheating. If they're exposed to enough
heat, they'll crack or
become charred. Good examples are melamine (kitchen
worktops), Bakelite (black
saucepan handles), polyester and epoxy resins.

PLASTIC MANUFACTURING
a.)

This technique is widely used for forming thermoplastic materials. It is

similar to the casting technique used to form metal components. The plastic (in a
powdered or granular form) is put in a hopper. A screw thread turns forcing the
plastic material through a heater, melting it. When all the materials are melted,
the screw thread then acts as a ram and forces the plastic into mold, where it
cools and solidifies.
Injection molding is a very common process used in the manufacture of
the casing of many electronic products such as TV's and radios.

b.)

Blow molding is used to manufacture bottles and containers with very thin
walls. Blow molding first requires a tube of plastic to be extruded. The tube of
molten plastic is extruded between the two halves of a mold. Before the plastic
cools the two halves of the mold are brought together and air is blown into the
center of the material through a blow pin. This forces the plastic out forming the
shape of the mold. The plastic can then be cooled and removed.
This technique is used to produce plastic bottles.

c.)

This process is widely used to form metal and plastic components that have
constant cross sectional shapes such as pipes, curtain rails etc.
The extrusion process is similar to injection molding. Plastic granules are heated
in a hopper and a screw thread forces the material through a die. The material is
then cooled. Extrusion can only be used for simple shapes and the end product
generally has a poor quality finish.

d.)

Vacuum forming is used to make simple molds using thin sheets of

thermoplastic. High impact polystyrene sheet is what is used in school (HIPS).
PVC can also be used.
A mold is created from wood or epoxy resin and this is placed on the table
of the vacuum forming machine. The sheet plastic is heated until it becomes soft.
The table with your mold on is lifted into position and a vacuum is used to draw
the plastic over the mold. Vacuum forming only works with thin plastics and
molds with no undercuts.
The plastic can then be trimmed to the required shape.

e.)

This is how thermosets are formed. The reaction occurs in the mold as the
granules are heated and compressed. UF or urea formaldehyde and MF melamine
formaldehyde are formed by this method.