How Plastics Are Made Understanding The Physical Properties of Plastics

The International Association of Plastics Distributors
How Plastics are Made

Understanding the Physical
Properties of Plastics
Prepared by the IAPD Education Committee (Module 1)

Presented courtesy of Modern Plastics, Inc.
The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

Processing
• Injection molding • Hand (or spray) lay up
• Extrusion • Laminating
– Ram extrusion • Filament winding
– Screw extrusion
• Polymer orientation
– Coextrusion
• Casting
• Compression molding
• Rotational molding
• Transfer molding
• Calendering

Injection Molding

Extrusion
• Ram
• Screw
• Coextrusion

Casting
Base Material Reactive Additive
Oven
Casting
Mold

Compression Molding
• Sheet and block molding
• Parts molding
Mold Lid
Mold Resin

Rotational Molding
• Low cost
• Low pressure
• Used in many markets
• Easily adapted for short production runs

Transfer Molding
Widely used in the semiconductor industry

Calendering

Hand (or Spray) Lay Up
• Used to make large parts

• Used to produce fiberglass boats and camper
shells

Laminating
Resin Binder
Reinforcing Substrate
Heat and pressure applied to the top

and bottom of the material

Filament Winding
• Used to make containers and tubes

• Items used for transportation of liquids or
gasses

Polymer Orientation
Used to manufacture polymer fibers, strapping,

webbing, film, sheet and profiles

Plastics Fabrication
• CNC machining centers
• CNC lathes
• Cutting and drilling
• Profiling
• Routing and milling
• Thermoforming
• Forging
• Milling
• Welding
• Bending
• Bonding

Thermoforming
• Single station
thermoforming
• Rotary station
thermoformers
• Pressure forming
• Twin sheet
thermoforming

Welding
• Extrusion welding
• Hot gas welding
• Butt welding
• Spin welding
• Solvent welding

Bonding
The union of materials by adhesives; to unite
materials by means of an adhesive

The Performance of a Plastic

Part is Affected By:
• Type of load
• Size and application of load
• Frequency of application of load
• Speed of load
• Temperature the part will see, and for how long
• Use and environment of load

Mechanical Properties
• Tensile strength • Torsional strength

• Elongation • Modulus
• Compressive strength • Impact strength
• Creep • Specific gravity
• Shear strength • Water absorbtion
• Flexural strength • Coefficient of Friction (COF)

Testing Organizations
• AFNOR - Association Francaise de Normalisation
(France)
• BSI - British Standards Institution (UK)
• IEC - International Electrotechnical Commission
• JIS - Japanese Industrial Standards

Tensile Strength

Elongation

Compressive Strength
• Measured in pounds per square inch (PSI)
• Higher PSI = harder to compress

Creep
• Associated with compressive strength
• Creep at room temperature is called “cold
flow”

Shear Strength

Flexural Strength

Torsional Strength

Modulus
• Also referred to as “stiffness”

• Used in conjunction with strengths (flexural
modulus, tensile modulus, etc.)
• Higher modulus = stiffer material
• Measured in PSI

Impact Strength
Izod Impact Tensile Impact Gardner Impact

Specific Gravity
• Related to the density of material
• Can be used to determine the weight of material
• Specific gravity of less than 1.0 will float in water

Water Absorption
• Measured by the percentage of swell
• Think of a sponge as having high percentage absorption

Coefficient of Friction (COF)

• Resistance to sliding (slickness)
• Low COF = more slippery (think of “wet ice” as
having lowest COF)
• Static COF refers to initial movement from rest
• Dynamic COF refers to being already in motion

Thermal Properties
• Coefficient of thermal expansion
• Heat deflection temperature
• Continuous service temperature
• Melting point
• Thermal conductivity

Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE)
• Change in size as temperature changes

• Lower value = less change with temperature

Heat Deflection Temperature (HDT)
• Temperature up to which a material can perform,

under load, without distorting
• Measured in degrees Fahrenheit, usually under 264
PSI
• Used most widely to predict performance

Continuous Service Temperature (CST)
• Highest temperature a material can withstand and

still retain at least 50% of its properties
• Measured in degrees Fahrenheit, in air
• In high temperatures, both CST and HDT must be
considered

Melting Point
Temperature at which a crystalline thermoplastic
changes from solid to liquid

Thermal Conductivity
• How much heat a material will conduct
• Most plastics are good “insulators” (do not conduct
heat well)
• Higher value = more heat conducted
• Thermal conductivity of plastics is 300 to 2,500 times
less than most metals

Electrical Properties
• Volume resistivity
• Surface resistivity
• Dielectric constant
• Dielectric strength
• Dissipation factor
• Arc resistance
• Flammability

Volume Resistivity
• Ability of electricity to flow through a material
• Measured in ohms/cm
• Lower value = more easily current flows
• Higher value = better resistor or insulator

Surface Resistivity
• Ability of electricity to flow over the surface of a
material
• Same measurements as volume resistivity
• Used to evaluate material when static discharge
characteristics are critical

Surface Resistivity
Conductive Range Static Dissipative Range Insulative
Range
1 2 3 4 5 9 10 11 12 20
1 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
Shielding
Range
10 6 10 7 10 8
106 to 108
Critical Range for
The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1 ESD Control
Dielectric Constant
That property of a dielectric that determines the
electrostatic energy stored per unit volume for
unit potential gradient

Dielectric Strength
• Effectiveness of material as an insulator
• Measured in volts/.001 thickness
• Higher value = better insulator
• Voltage is increased until material arcs, showing a
breakdown

Dissipation Factor
Tangent of the loss angle of the insulating material

Arc Resistance
Time required for an arc to establish a conductive
path on the surface of an organic material

Flammability
• Measured by UL94 ratings
• Most favorable ratings are given to materials that
extinguish themselves rapidly, and do not drip
flaming particles
• Scale from highest burn rate => most flame
retardant is HB, V-2, V-1, V-0, 5V

IAPD THERMOPLASTICS RECTANGLE

IMIDE MATERIALS
Key Characteristics: Materials:
Very High Cost Per Pound PI
Excellent Properties Above 400°F PAI
Excellent Electrical Properties PBI
Excellent Dimensional Stability
Low Coefficient of Friction
AMORPHOUS HIGH PERFORMANCE PLASTICS SEMI-CRYSTALLINE HIGH PERFORMACE PLASTICS
Key Characteristics Materials: Key Characteristics: Materials:
High Cost Polysulfone High Cost PVDF
High Temperature Polyetherimide High Temperature PTFE
SEMI-CRYSTALLINE PLASTICS
High Strength & Good Stiffness Polyethersulfone High Strength ECTFE
Good Chemical Resistance Polyarylsulfone Good Electrical Properties FEP
Transparency Outstanding Chemical Resistance PFA
AMORPHOUS PLASTICS
Hot Water & Steam Resistance Low Coefficient of Friction PPS

Good Toughness PEEK
AMORPHOUS ENGINEERING PLASTICS SEMI-CRYSTALLINE ENGINEERING PLASTICS
Key Characteristics: Materials: Key Characteristics: Materials:
Moderate Cost Polycarbonate Moderate Cost Nylon
Moderate Temperature Resistance Modified PPO Moderate Temperature Resistance Acetal
Moderate Strength Modified PPE Moderate Strength PET
Good Impact Resistance Thermoplastic Urethane Good Chemical Resistance PBT
Translucency Good Bearing and Wear Properties UHMW-PE
Good Dimensional Stability Low Coefficient of Friction
Good Optical Qualities Difficult to Bond
AMORPHOUS COMMODITY PLASTICS SEMI-CRYSTALLINE COMMODITY PLASTICS

Key Characteristics: Materials: Key Characteristics: Materials:
Low Cost Acrylic Low Cost Polyethylene
Low Temperature Resistance] Polystyrene Low Temperature Resistance Polypropylene
Low Strength ABS Low Strength Polymetnylpentene(TPX)
Good Dimensional Stability PVC Excellent Chemical Resistance
Bond Well PETG Low Coefficient of Friction
Typically Transparent CAB Near Zero Moisture Absorption
Very Good Electrical Properties
Good Toughness
AMORPHOUS PLASTICS KEY CHARACTERISTICS: SEMI-CRYSTALLINE PLASTICS KEY CHARACTERISTICS:

Soften Over a Broad Range Of Temperatures Sharp Melting Point
Easy to Thermoform Difficult to Thermoform
Tend to Be Transparent Tend to Be Opaque
Bond Well Using Adhesives and Solvents Difficult To Bond Using Adhesives and Solvents
Prone To Stress Cracking Good Resistance To Stress Cracking
Poor Fatigue Resistance Good Fatigue Resistance
Stuctural Applications Only (Not for Bearing & Wear) Good For Bearing and Wear, As Well As Structural Applications

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The International Association of Plastics Distributors

How Plastics are Made

Prepared by the IAPD Education Committee (Module 1)

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

Hand (or Spray) Lay Up

• Used to make large parts

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

Heat and pressure applied to the top

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

• Used to make containers and tubes

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

Used to manufacture polymer fibers, strapping,

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The Performance of a Plastic

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

• Tensile strength • Torsional strength

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

• Also referred to as “stiffness”

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

Izod Impact Tensile Impact Gardner Impact

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

Coefficient of Friction (COF)

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE)

• Change in size as temperature changes

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

Heat Deflection Temperature (HDT)

• Temperature up to which a material can perform,

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

Continuous Service Temperature (CST)

• Highest temperature a material can withstand and

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1

The IAPD Plastics Primer, Module 1